Children learn through play
There are so many toys out there to choose from and it is so hard to select the best and most useful ones that engage a child’s senses, spark their imagination or develop the fine and gross motor skills needed to grow and learn.
Below are some suggestions for appropriate toys for children of various ages. Be aware of your child’s interests and abilities as not all children enjoy the same kinds of play.
Pyramid (1-3 years old)
This toy is very simple but has a lot of benefits: improves hand-eye coordination and creativity as well as the child learns to think logically. Pyramid also teaches about sizes (the concept of big vs small), colors, shapes and develops motor skills.
The Russian Nesting Dolls or Stack & Nest Sensory Toys (1-4 years old)
It is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. Children love them as it is fun, colorful and has a ‘little secret’. The child will benefit from the fine-motor coordination, concentration, and sense of order that are developed through play with nesting dolls. (Note: Please remove the smallest doll for safety reasons for young babies)
With bright colors, bold patterns and fun-to-touch textures, stack & nest sensory toys are sure to stimulate tots! Extra-chunky pieces are easy for little ones to stack, nest and explore.
Wooden puzzles (1-6 years old)
Alphabet puzzles, shapes puzzles, animal puzzles and many other options for your little ones that are especially designed to enhance the learning skills of children at different ages and ability levels. Ideal for encouraging fine motor skills and training little eyes to recognize lines, colors and shapes. Plus, as children play, they improve spatial awareness and build logical thinking skills along the way.
Dolls or Soft toy (1 years old & up)
Cute, cuddly & a cinch to care for, each doll has all the details of a real baby…including a removable hook & loop outfit, unique facial expression & movable arms & legs!
A favorite soft toy will be perfect for this role too. The child can feed, give a bath, play, cuddle, carry and practice other activities with their best “buddy”, it is a learning and fun process for them.
Kitchen set (1 years old & up)
Pretend play toys are very important in the development of your child. With many realistic features (fun clicking snobs, hooks, oven, refrigerator, microwave, etc) and accessories (knifes, plates, spoons, etc), play kitchen for toddlers helps develop role-play, sharing and social skills as well as sparks children imagination.
Add vegetables and fruits play set and let kids cut, slice and dice like real gourmet chefs! Plastic play foods stick together with hook & loop fastener, so kids can safely “slice” into each one…then press them together and start again! So much fun and prepare to get the most delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Balls (1 years old & up)
Movement is one of the most important aspects of a young child’s life. Don’t stop introducing different ball sizes and shapes to your child. This is the best method for physical development as well as social and emotional growth of all children. Big, round, colorful and harmless, balls are perfect for baby play, indoors and out. It promotes family bonding and many hours of joy and happiness with your children.
Building sets, Blocks & Geometric Shapes (1 years old & up)
Building toys have significant cognitive and academic benefits for children of all ages. Not only are they fun and exciting, but they help kids develop a wide variety of skills and abilities: focus and patience, imagination, the cooperative play with peers, fine motor manipulation and strength. The child will learn about different shapes, colors, sizes, vocabulary and understand the basic principle of counting.
Animal and people figures (1 years old & up)
Plastic or rubber figures of various characters will be definitely useful in different role-playing games and help to learn about the world as well as stimulate the brain to improve speech and memory.
Magnetic letters & numbers (3-6 years old)
Children love to play with magnetic letters or numbers and stick it to the board or fridge. This activity provides an enriched fun – they are learning early literacy skills! The child will not only understand about letters or numbers but also make sentences or words.
Push-pull and ride-on toys (1-3 years old)
It’s essential for toddlers and young children to be able to balance as they learn to walk and run. Ride-on toys build these gross motor skills by encouraging the use of large muscle groups. Other important benefits: build confidence, inspire independent play and spark creativity.
Toy Phone (1 years old & up)
Pretending to use the phone is one of the first imaginative activities your child may do. It provides learning development and endless hours of interactive fun for children.
Bath toys (1 years old & up)
Kids learn a lot from games and toys. Bath toys have the potential to improve the child’s development and help them to develop physically, emotionally, and socially. Some of the bath toys aim at creative development, while others improve the child’s language skills.
Musical Instruments & Musical toys (from birth onwards)
Music has endless benefits. Parents should really consider getting musical toys or instruments because they allow kids of all ages to enjoy and explore music while also encouraging their holistic development. Also, it can develop your child’s love for music and boost their self esteem.
Picture Books (1-3 years old) & Storybooks (3-5 years old)
Reading books plays a critical role in learning, helping children develop self-awareness and teaching them how to make inferences, as well as sparks their imagination.
Multi-sensory learning is important for small children during the early childhood years (1-3 years old). While listening to and looking at a picture book, a child sees the pictures, hears the words, touches the pages (or other tactile features, such as touch-and-feel or ‘quiet” books).
As your child grows, you can start to introduce story books which will definitely increase your child’s imagination powers,expose to new things, improve focus and concentration and ability to analyze, increase the vocabulary and improve their spelling.
To make it more interesting and exciting, you can order fun and educational Personalised Books and make your child the main character of a story name book. They will definitely enjoy reading like never before!