What differentiates a good toy from a bad one? First and foremost, it should always be safe. A toy that is appropriate for a young child needs to match their emerging abilities and development stages. In other words, whatever your child plays with should be considered appropriate toys for your child's age.
Typically found around the home, many appropriate and safe play materials are free of charge. Plastic bottles, plastic lids and bowls, cardboard boxes, and other treasures can be put to good use by kids of varying ages. In this article, we’re going to explore the ages of children and what toys would be most appropriate. Naturally, each and every child is unique, and their personal traits, abilities, and characteristics must be considered when questioning the appropriateness and value of a toy.
As long as a toy is safe, you've already cleared the first hurdle.
THREE-YEAR-OLDS UP TO SIX-YEAR-OLDS
Here are the best considerations for your children as they get older:
- Interactive programs for the computer.
- Something that encourages the use of both small and large muscles.
- DVD players and CD players with a variety of music.
- Picture books that are clearly more advanced than those belonging to a toddler. Detailed pictures, bigger words, etc.
- Things that encourage creativity (musical instruments, modeling clay, construction paper, and colored pencils, etc.).
- Things for building and pretending.
TODDLERS OR TWO-YEAR-OLDS
Here are some suggestions for toddlers:
- Things with which they can use both small and large muscles.
- DVD players and CD players with a wide variety of music.
- Moderately detailed picture books.
- Things that encourage creativity.
- Toys that encourage building and pretending (think construction/transportation toys, kitchen sets, dollhouses, etc.).
- Toys with which problem-solving skills can be utilized and developed.
TOYS THAT A ONE-YEAR-OLD WOULD ENJOY
Consider these types of toys for a one-year-old:
- Things with which they can use both small and large muscles.
- Things that encourage them to build something.
- Toys that encourage imagination and pretending.
- Toys that spur a child's creativity.
- Recordings with accompanying pictures, stories, rhymes, and songs.
- Board books with real object photographs or simple illustrations.
SEVEN MONTHS TO 12 MONTHS
Try to stick to the following guidelines for kids seven months to one year:
- Things that encourage large muscle use.
- Things with which they can build.
- Things to take out and drop (nesting toys, balls, large beads, plastic bowls).
- Things that encourage imagination and pretending.
INFANTS THROUGH SIX MONTHS
The best toys to look for:
- Things to look at which are visually stimulating.
- Things to listen to such as poems, nursery rhymes, simple songs, and lullabies, etc.
- Things to encourage reaching. Something the child can make noise with, shake, suck on, and hold. Think textured balls, soft dolls, teething toys, squeeze toys, large rings, rattles, etc.
SAFE TOYS THAT SPUR THE IMAGINATION
KidPowered carries safe toys that will encourage and motivate your child to pretend, be creative, and have fun. When you and your child sit down to play, you can have a camping adventure, pretend to be construction workers, imagine that you’re in the land of dinosaurs, and much, much more. Your child will be entertained for hours with a selection of toys from KidPowered.