As an early childhood expert, I often emphasize the profound impact that well-chosen toys can have on a child’s development. It’s not just about entertainment; it’s about providing the right tools to foster emerging skills, spark imagination, and support healthy growth at every stage. Drawing insights from leading early childhood resources, let’s explore how to select toys that truly help our young learners.
The journey of childhood is marked by incredible developmental milestones, and good toys are those that align perfectly with a child’s developmental stage and emerging abilities. While store-bought toys certainly have their place, it’s worth remembering that many safe and appropriate play materials are readily available right at home – think cardboard boxes, plastic bowls, lids, and collections of bottle caps. These versatile “treasures” can be used in countless ways by children of various ages. Keep in mind that every child develops at their own individual pace, so items suggested for one age group, if safe, can also be suitable for younger or older children.
Tailoring Play to Developmental Milestones:
Let’s dive into specific age groups and the types of toys that will best support their unique developmental needs, understanding that the best toys encourage interaction and growth.
For Young Infants (Birth through 6 months), the world is a fascinating place, and they are constantly taking it all in, often preferring faces and bright colors. These tiny explorers are learning to reach, hold, lift their heads, turn towards sounds, and explore with their mouths. Thus, ideal toys are those they can easily reach for, hold, suck on, shake, and that make noise, like rattles, large rings, squeeze toys, teething toys, soft dolls, textured balls, and vinyl or board books. They also benefit greatly from things to listen to, like books with nursery rhymes and poems, or recordings of lullabies, and things to look at, such as pictures of faces or unbreakable mirrors.
As babies grow into Older Infants (7 to 12 months), they become movers, progressing from rolling to sitting, scooting, creeping, and pulling themselves up to stand. They begin to understand their names and common words, recognize body parts, find hidden objects, and enjoy putting things in and out of containers. At this stage, toys that encourage pretend play are wonderful, including baby dolls, puppets, plastic and wood vehicles with wheels, and water toys. They also love items they can drop and take out, like plastic bowls, large beads, balls, and nesting toys. To support early construction, large soft blocks and wooden cubes are excellent choices, and for developing large muscles, large balls, push and pull toys, and low, soft things to crawl over are highly beneficial.
By the time children reach 1 year old, they are typically “on the go,” walking steadily and even climbing stairs. They enjoy stories, start to say their first words, and engage in parallel play, meaning they play next to, but not yet with, other children. Creative expression can be fostered with wide non-toxic, washable markers, crayons, and large paper. For imaginative play, toy phones, dolls with beds, baby carriages, dress-up accessories (like scarves and purses), puppets, stuffed toys, plastic animals, and realistic plastic and wood vehicles are perfect. Building skills can be further developed with cardboard and wood blocks, which can be slightly smaller than infant blocks (2 to 4 inches). To engage both large and small muscles, they enjoy puzzles, large pegboards, toys with dials, switches, knobs, and lids, and both large and small balls.
2-Year-Olds (toddlers) are language sponges, rapidly acquiring new words, and are physically adventurous, often experimenting by jumping, climbing, hanging, rolling, and engaging in rough-and-tumble play. They have developing hand and finger control and enjoy manipulating small objects. For problem-solving, wood puzzles (with 4 to 12 pieces), blocks that snap together, and objects to sort by size, shape, color, or even smell are ideal. They also enjoy items with hooks, buttons, buckles, and snaps. Pretend and building play flourishes with various blocks, smaller (and sturdy) transportation toys, construction sets, child-sized furniture (like kitchen sets), play food, dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, puppets, and sand and water play toys. Creative outlets include large non-toxic, washable crayons and markers, large paintbrushes and fingerpaint, large paper, colored construction paper, toddler-sized blunt-tip scissors, chalkboards, large chalk, and rhythm instruments. Picture books with more detail become engaging, and a variety of music via CD/DVD players (or older formats) is appreciated. To support their physical development, large and small balls for kicking and throwing, ride-on equipment (though tricycles are typically for age 3+), tunnels, low climbers with soft material underneath, and pounding and hammering toys are excellent.
Finally, 3- to 6-Year-Olds (preschoolers and kindergarteners) demonstrate longer attention spans, ask many questions, and enjoy experimenting with both objects and their emerging physical skills. Social play becomes more prominent, with children beginning to take turns and even share toys. Problem-solving activities become more complex, with puzzles having 12 to 20+ pieces, blocks that snap together, and collections of smaller objects (like bottle caps, shells, or counting bears) to sort by various features such as length, width, height, shape, color, smell, or quantity. For elaborate pretend play and building, they benefit from many blocks for complex structures, extensive transportation toys, construction sets, child-sized furniture (“apartment” sets, play food), dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, puppets and simple puppet theaters, and sand and water play toys. Creative expression expands to include large and small crayons and markers, paintbrushes, fingerpaint, various paper types, preschooler-sized scissors, chalkboards, chalk, modeling clay and playdough with tools, paste, and scraps for collage, as well as a range of instruments. Picture books with more words and detailed illustrations are engaging, as are diverse music options. For active play, large and small balls for kicking, throwing/catching, ride-on equipment including tricycles, tunnels, taller climbers with soft material underneath, wagons, wheelbarrows, plastic bats and balls, plastic bowling pins, targets, and a workbench with tools are fantastic. If computer access is available, interactive programs with graphics and spoken instruction that allow children to control the pace and explore concepts on multiple levels are recommended.
Prioritizing Safety in Toy Selection:
Beyond developmental appropriateness, toy safety is paramount. Always ensure toys are well-made, with no sharp parts or splinters, and do not pinch. It is crucial to verify that any paint used is nontoxic and lead-free, and that toys are shatter-proof and easily cleaned. For electric toys, always look for the “UL Approved” label from Underwriters Laboratories. Critically, for children under age 3, avoid any toys with small parts or pieces that could become lodged in a child’s throat and cause suffocation. Remember that even a once-safe toy can become hazardous due to typical wear and tear, so adults should frequently check toys to ensure they remain in good repair.
By carefully considering both developmental stages and strict safety guidelines, we can empower children with the best possible tools for learning, exploration, and joyous play.
