Photo: Jose Betancourt via Unsplash
Having fun is the primary priority of play! Play is any activity that your kid finds entertaining, whether scheduled or spontaneous. However, play is much more than an enjoyable pastime for your kid. As a kid grows, they progress through many phases of play development.
Aside from being safe, suitable toys for young children must contribute to their developmental phases and talents. Most safe and suitable play toys are common household items. Children of various ages might use boxes, plastic bowls and lids, piles of plastic bottle caps, and other trinkets in multiple ways.
Keep in mind that each kid grows at their rate as you browse the following selections of recommended toys for kids of varying ages. Children younger and older than the indicated age range may enjoy the items on a given list, provided they are safe.
Toys Your Children Might Need Basing On Their Age Group
Young Infants (Newborns to 6 months)
Infants like looking at people and tracking them with their gaze. They often favor faces and vivid colors. Babies can reach out, are captivated by what their hands and feet can accomplish, raise their heads, move their heads towards noises, place stuff in their mouths, and much more.
Good toys for little infants are items they can grasp, shake, suck on, and make sounds with, like rattles, teething toys, and balls. It's also beneficial for them to listen to simple nursery rhymes and poems. Some even put up shatterproof plastic mirrors for babies to see and learn about themselves.
Older Infants (7 to 12 months)
Older babies are likely starting to move around. They like rolling over and sitting up, transitioning to bouncing, pulling themselves up, and eventually standing up. Infants this age racket will start recognizing their names, simple words, and body parts, find hidden items, and place things in and out of boxes or containers.
Some of the recommended toys for older infants are things they can have imaginative play with, such as puppets and plushies, balls, soft blocks, and cubes. They will also benefit from toys that can help develop their muscles, like toys that involve pushing and pulling and larger balls.
What better way to cap off your infant life than with a big smiling Digger Excavator Soft Stuffed Plush Toy—one that clearly wants to be a great bedtime sidekick!
1-Year-Olds
One-year-olds absolutely love to move. At this point, they can walk steadily and slowly climb stairs under supervision. They love stories, practice their first words, and can play near other children. They like exploring the world around them but still require adult supervision.
Kids this age can play with more toys. Still, they are recommended to play with board books with simple pictures of real things, non-toxic crayons, and paper to develop creativity. They can also benefit from pretend toys for imaginative play, like dolls and plushies, especially those modeled after real creatures and animals. One-year-olds also need their muscular development toys, like fidget boards (the one with switches, dials, and levers) and larger balls.
Toddlers (2-Year-Olds)
Toddlers this age absorb language quickly and have an awareness of danger. Despite this, they engage in a fair amount of physical "testing," including jumping from great heights, climbing, dangling by their arms, tumbling, and roughhousing. They have excellent hand and finger dexterity and like tinkering with little objects.
Toys that promote problem-solving and creativity, like wooden puzzles, building blocks, pretend toys, plushies, dolls, non-toxic crayons, and other crafting tools. They will also benefit from exposure to sounds and more complex music.
If there's anything that can explore the creativity of children, it's knowing that there are more animals than what they see on their everyday alphabets. Take, for example, Gage Beasley's Anomalocaris Arthropod Soft Stuffed Plush Toy! It's unique, colorful, and definitely piques your child's creativity at such a young age.
Pre-Schoolers And Kindergartners (3- to 6-Year Olds)
The attention spans of preschoolers and kindergarteners are longer than those of toddlers. They usually talk a great deal and ask plenty of questions. They like experimenting with new things and with their still-developing physical abilities.
They enjoy playing with their buddies and dislike losing! Preschool and kindergarten-aged children know to take turns playing with toys, and it is not unusual for two or even more kids to be able to share a single toy.
The toys they need are usually more complex versions of what they were playing with, such as puzzles, building blocks, plushies, and arts and crafts materials. If your kid has computer access, they can use interactive and comprehensible software, choose the software's pacing and course, and study a wide range of topics on several levels.
Playtime Milestones Your Kid Will Have With Their Toys
A Ball
At 6 months, they will mostly stare at the ball, feeling its textures and softness.
At 12 months, you'll be able to roll the ball back and forth from each other. He can possibly throw it, but it likely won't go far or go in a specific direction.
At 18 months, your kid can throw the ball with more purpose and strength.
At two years, they can kick and dribble the ball with their feet. Their throw is much better at this point.
At three years, they'll be able to throw, catch, and even kick the ball in specific and intentional directions.
Wooden Blocks / Building Blocks
At 6 months, they usually gnaw on the blocks and may even knock them off or hold them.
At 12 months, they'll love the noise they get when they bang together and will probably get enjoyment from knocking structures down.
At 18 months, kids will learn to balance blocks into small stacks.
At two years, they develop better coordination which lets them build taller stacks, organize them by color, or use the blocks for pretend play like races and combat.
At three years, they'll be able to mimic real-life structures with their building blocks.
Crayons
At 6 months, crayons are considered unsafe for play.
At 12 months, toddlers can scribble with a large crayon held by a rough grip.
At 18 months, they're likely to imitate you when you're drawing with them.
At two years, kids will find it fun to draw and color by themselves.
At three years, they'll be able to draw proper shapes, draw rough sketches of people, and can identify more colors.
Stuffed Animals and Plushies
At 6 months, kids will explore texture the most, which means they might chew and rub their plushies.
At 12 months, they form a bond with their stuffed friends and will begin looking for them actively.
At 18 months, they'll likely make various sounds with the toy, usually imitating what they sound like in real life.
At two years, your kid might begin basic pretend play, such as putting the doll to bed or going on adventures with them.
At three years, the worlds they create with pretend play become more complex and creative.
At this point, pretend play with complex plushies are well-accepted. Maybe a bit of dinosaur fights? If you're looking for your first contender, look no further than Gage Beasley's Lifelike Pentaceratops Dinosaur Soft Stuffed Plush Toy! One of the fiercest to have ever lived—who will it go against?
Puzzles
At 6 months, kids will mostly play with puzzle pieces by staring at them and trying to gnaw on them.
At 12 months, they will enjoy pulling and dumping pieces more rather than building the puzzle.
At 18 months, kids can put together puzzles with larger pieces with the help of an adult.
At two years, your kid can complete basic puzzles, like putting shapes and figures into appropriate holes.
At three years, they will have better problem-solving skills, which leads to them being more involved in completing puzzles.
Pretend Instruments
At 6 months, kids will mostly enjoy the noise the instrument makes when they randomly hit it.
At 12 months, they'll show interest in percussive instruments, like drums, xylophones, and even pots and tables.
At 18 months, kids usually try to clap along to music and love noisy instruments like tambourines and maracas.
At two years, children can imitate music playing more precisely than before.
At three years, they will start trying to learn simple instruments like whistles, recorders, and harmonics — if they are musically inclined.
Cheers!
~GB
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