Growth is a part of life where one develops different set of skills at every stage. As we have seen previously, how unstructured play and six bricks created activities and helped kids grow and learn with many playful toys. But, the question is how to choose a toy for proper development? Today, we are going to read about how to choose a right toy for your kid’s changing age.
For the first age category, 0-12 months. Till the age of 3 months, baby’s vision is still blurry and all they see is patches of colors. Later, they start interacting with things and surroundings that helps them engage their other senses. That is why toys for the little ones should be Bright in color, make Squeaky and crinkling noises, have different Textures on them with big bold shapes and finally they should provide different softness.
For next age range, 1-2 years. Kids in this age are used to getting reactions for their actions, so toys with responsive attributes are great. Next comes the gross motor skills that are to be developed maximum in this age range, thus, toys that help them with their hand-eye coordination like stalking toys, pull/push elements, shape sorters. Toys with Buttons, Music, and Lights are very attractive to their eye. Mild exposure to learning any language can also be introduced at this age.
For the age group of 2-3 years the play starts to become more purposeful, they start to develop the fine motor skills needed for intricate toys like puzzles and building blocks. Sooner, they start comparing their toys with real life world which gives a scope for pretend play toys and activities. At this age, many times kids start to play with gender-stereotypical toys (no matter how politically correct you are). Both boys are girls are very active in this age, thus, physical toys are their go to.
Next age category of 4-5 years give tremendous opportunity in learning ability and this is the great time to introduce interactive educational toys. The motivating factor is really important here. For eg – use toys with complimenting words instead of wrong beeping sounds. Kids also start visualizing their future and fantasize about different professions and love toys that help them pretend play like action figures and play sets based on those themes. For mental skills development, puzzles and games with more elements and complexity are great.
For the age range of 6-7 years, at this age child starts to develop their own likings based on learning from Teachers, Parents and Peers. Toys with experimentation and making physical things are very important at this age that lets you introduce the culture of DIY. Friends are becoming increasingly important and that gives opportunity to perform group activities and play with arts and craft, board games and card games. At this age, kids also start to be fond of computers so make sure you show them the digital world of play.
For the last set of grownups of age 8+ years enjoy outdoor sports with scooters, bicycles, and in-line skates. These years are all about doing things that give kids a sense of mastery and competence. With toys like board games, group games, and video games, kids can challenge themselves to get better score than before. Longer projects with including different subjects and couple of days to also teach them skills of management and decision making are very popular these days.
We hope it’s fun to read how with age one’s skills sets changes and how choosing a right toy for your kid’s changing age helps in developing it correctly. But truly these is no fixed age to keep learning and growing, So, always listen to your inner child and keep playing and having fun !!
