Child Development: Choosing the Right Toys for the Right Age

Be it a six-month-old or a six-year-old, toys are stimulating for all the kids. Playthings are necessary for kids as they help in their mental, emotional and physical development. When kids are playing with toys, they tap their innate, hidden creativity as well as imagination. So once your little one starts growing up it is important to surround them with the playthings that are not only age-appropriate but are also engaging.

In this article, I have jotted down all the information that I have and I possibly could gather regarding the age-appropriate playthings for kids of all age groups. I did this research so that I could contribute in spreading the knowledge to all the parents.

So let’s check it out.

0-12 months

Kids who fall under this age group are called infants. For the first few months, your little one only observes her surroundings and get attracted towards bright colors. So purchase playthings that have vibrant colors as they help in their developing vision. Also, your little one starts to grow teeth in this time. Textured toys can help relieve the tooth pain during teething. Another thing to consider is paying heed to the safety measures before purchasing playthings as infants tend to put everything in their mouth.

1-2 years

Kids after the age of one year are on the go! They become explorers and have to know how, when, where, why, and what about things around them. This is the time when they are full of energy. All they want is to crawl and move around. The appropriate playthings for this age group are ride on toys, push-pull toys, building blocks, stuffed toys, water toys and so on. Children between this age usually try to imitate people around them, most likely, their parents. So, it is necessary to provide your kids with pretend playthings that help them enact like grown-ups such as handling various responsibilities and performing various day to day chores.

2-4 years

Kiddiewinks between the age of one to four are called toddlers. During this phase, toddlers jump, hop, climb as they are physically active and full of energy. Besides this, they are developing their motor skills and hand-eye coordination. You can buy playthings online that can really help in their physical development. Some of the best options are construction sets, dolls, picture books, puzzles, colorful crayons, markers, paintbrushes, and push-pull toys.

4-6 years

Four to six is the phase where kids have a potential to learn and explore things at a greater horizon. This is the time when your little one starts learning alphabets and numbers in the school. So, it the perfect phase to acquaint your kids with the educational toys that help them in enhancing maths and verbal skills.

It is also the time when they start to inculcate habits. These habits will later helpful in their personal and professional life. You can gift them pretend playthings to help them enact grown up roles and learn at a young age. Other games which they can explore are board games, art and craft kit, dolls and so forth.

Above 6 years

Kids of six years and above start developing interest on their own while they are learning from both their teachers and peers. The children in this age group mostly enjoy outdoor play and the ones that require a lot of physical activities. If I talk about gender appropriate playthings, then the girls usually like to engross themselves in writing, drawing wherein boys find hard to resist playstation and cricket. The playthings to encourage creativity and other skills include video games, sports equipment, science kits and board games.

Conclusion

Before purchasing toys for your kids, keep in mind their interest in a particular toy will vary according to their age. So next time when you are out for shopping for your kids keep their age number in your mind.