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By Amy Thomas
Choosing the right toy for your child’s age is not just a
matter of selecting a toy that will engage, entertain and
educate them, it is also a matter of safety. If you’ve browsed
the aisles of any toy store lately you probably know that
selecting the right toy can be a difficult undertaking. Not
only do you want a toy that you can rest assured will provide
no danger to your child, but you also want to select a toy
that
will help your child develop their full potential.
Research indicates that children who are provided with
age-appropriate toys that are stimulating will help children
to
more fully develop their physical, cognitive and creative
abilities. By learning which toys are right for your child’s
age you can help them to stimulate the connections in their
brains that are responsible for building your child’s future
intelligence.
Keep in mind that it is never to early to begin this all
important process. Even the youngest babies can begin
responding to bright colors, helping their vision to develop
more quickly.
Children under Six Months:
• Mobiles in bright colors will stimulate vision
• Activity centers to encourage reaching for motor control
development
• Mirrors designed with baby safety in mind to encourage your
child to explore faces
• Rattlers and teethers that will introduce baby to new
textures.
• Board books-even at this young age reading to your baby will
help them with beginning language development
6 to 12 Months
During this time period, it is important to begin focusing on
interactive play with your child. This includes introducing
the
concept of cause and effect as well working on eye-hand
coordination. Simple games such as “peek-a-boo” and
“pat-a-cake” are fun ways to help your baby discover the
wonders of their new world. In addition, look for these types
of toys to further stimulate your child’s development and
learning:
• Toys that are musical and make sounds
• Baby gyms and activity courses to stimulate crawling
• Bouncers to stimulate physical activity
• Play telephones to encourage communication through mimicking
• Soft dolls and stuffed animals for kids who love to cuddle
• Wooden and soft blocks for stacking, filling and dumping
games
12-18 Months
Around the time your child turns one he or she may begin to
walk or experiment with taking those first steps. Toys at this
age should focus on supporting your child’s curiosity in
exploration while further developing fine motor coordination.
• Swing sets and safety trikes encourage physical activity and
development
• Building blocks for eye-hand coordination
• Nesting cups and shape sorters to improve eye-hand
coordination as well as problem solving skills
• Storybooks/picture books for language and vocabulary
development
• Toddler appropriate videos and music
18-24 Months
By the time they are a 1 ½ years old most children begin to
use
their imagination in play. This typically takes on the form of
make-believe; however, in reality this type of play is helping
them to develop problem solving strategies. Look for toys that
support this important time of development by expanding their
exposure to shapes, colors, ability to follow instructions and
language. The important key to remember at this age is that
kids are truly learning with hands-on play.
• Costumes and dress-up to stimulate imagination
• Push and pull toys that support both tykes that are
beginning
to walk as well as advanced walkers
• Puzzles that are easy to manipulate with a small number of
pieces
• Playhouses and other scaled down objects that your child
sees
everyday will give them the opportunity to mimic the world
around them.
• Swing sets to develop physical skills
24-36 Months
At age two children begin to really focus on fine motor
coordination, even though they do not realize it, of course.
By
this age kids can begin working with board games suitable for
their age as well as craft type projects and toys. Most kids
this age are also ready to begin playing with other kids, so
you may also wish to look for games and toys that are more
structured in nature that previous toys.
• Simple board games and puzzles to encourage further eye-hand
coordination and memory development.
• Outdoor equipment such as swing sets, riding vehicles and
tricycles to build physical skills
• Beginner musical instruments
• Playhouses
• Sand boxes
• Train sets
• Dolls
• Cars/trucks
• Costumes/dress-up
• Art sets
• Storybooks for language development and vocabulary building
• Videos and music, especially those that expose kids to
numbers and the alphabet
By keeping in mind which toys are age-appropriate you will be
in a better position to help support the lightening fast
development of your child’s brain and actually step up their
learning and development.
About The Author: Monkey Bean Toys provides wonderful gifts
such as wooden toys, stuffed animals, and specialzed gifts.
Visit our site to see our full line of traditional wooden
toys.
www.monkeybeantoys.com
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