Give the child a new toy and you know, he’ll be happy! Young children don’t usually care what a toy is, but parents should. Given the fact that young children spend much of the day playing with them, it must be understood that toys are still more than a time delay for children, and while they should be entertaining, they must also be age-appropriate, stimulating and safe. How do I choose suitable children’s toys? Find out in the Article!
How do I choose children’s toys?
Games are important in children’s social, mental, physical and emotional development, so children’s toys should be seen as promotional tools. Before choosing age-appropriate toys for boys or toys for girls, read these tips!
Tip #1: Choose simple toys
Toys that do too much prevents a child from using their imagination. Dolls and animals that speak or sing, or toy that work when a child pushes one button, takes control of the game, not when the child does those acts himself.
If the toy is too specific, it limits and denies the child the opportunity to use their imagination. The best toys are often the simplest – wooden blocks, for example, because they allow a child to use their creativity indefinitely.
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Tip #2: Restrict the use of electronic devices and toys
While using developmental toys will require more time to teach your child how to work with it, it will be much more valuable.
Living in an electronic age, confronting computers, phones, video games and electric toys is the reality of life. It is important for young children to impose restrictions on the following devices as they can be harmful in some ways:
- presents a number of potential dangers to children’s health and development, including hearing loss (from loud toys), weight gain (from non-existent physical activities while playing), language and developmental delays;
- the child’s attention may also be affected as toys that have flashing lights, constant changes and movement may weaken child attention to danger. Children who often use these toys can find it difficult to focus on a book or a still toy because they start to seem uninteresting.
Children under 2 years should not watch TV or play computer games at all; children over 2 should limit that screen time to ~ 1 hour a day.
Tip #3: Pay attention to the child’s age
What toys are suitable for children of different ages? Children love toys that they need to learn to use that are suitable for their particular age and stage of development. Here are some suggestions about the types of toys that children benefit from at different stages of development:
- 0-6 months: infants are fascinated with moves, sounds and simple black-and-white images. They know their own bodies, work on eye-to-hand coordination, try to reach and grasp. Age-appropriate toys for infants include rattles, boxes and anything they can grab, pull, kick, squeeze or shake;
- 6-8 months: children can hold little toys. They learn how to use different toys and they will repeat the actions over and over again. They also love moving toys from hand to hand, in and out of boxes. Many of the same infant toys used in the past will be used in new ways by slightly older babies;
- 8-18 months: It’s an age when babies start predicting outcomes, deciding on a goal and deliberately acting to make something happen. They also start experimenting with size, shape and space. Age-appropriate toys include: push/pull, blocks, poles rings, shape sorters, etc.;
- 18-24 months: young kids start to enjoy playing “pretend.” This is the time to introduce dolls, kitchen sets and toy cars, trucks, etc.;
- 2-4 years: children learn a lot about socializing at this age and continue to pretend a lot by feeling in characters, professions, etc. Miniature housekeeping and home kits allow them to use imagination, while large crayons, paints and plastiline help develop creativity. Children benefit greatly from the putting together process during this period, so puzzles, big Legos, blocks and other building toys are well suited for this age.
