Kids Top Toys

Toys come in many forms. Those that give gratification will be used; they will give the opportunity to learn. Many toys that are sold as educational toys will only be played with if the child finds them entertaining and interesting. A winning toy is one that a child plays with and uses regularly.

Such a Toy is: -

1. Is right for the age of the child ( the child is old enough to enjoy it but not too old for the toy to seem babyish)

2. Is sturdy and strong enough for the child to use

3. Provides more than a temporary interest: -

• Gives scope for the imagination
• Give scope for learning new skills
• Make the child think
• Or have special appeal for the child

4. is safe to play with (there are no sharp edges, toy cars and tricycles are stable and wont easily tip over, the eyes and nose of soft toys are firmly fixed and cannot be pulled out

Toys for children of all ages

Toys for all ages

Many toys are used only during a particular stage of development. However a few seem to be liked by all age groups and are used over a long period of childhood. These include dolls, soft toys, climbing frames and bricks.

Bricks

Bricks probably have the longest life of any toy and are generally played with by both boys and girls. Building with bricks encourages children to concentrate, be patient to invent and be skilful

with their hands. When you introduce a baby to bricks you will notice that he has difficulty in placing one brick on top of another. He has to learn;

• to use hand and eye coordination
• to concentrate
• to persist

As your child gets older they will be able to use their imagination more freely to arrange the bricks into different shapes such as walls, towers, houses, steps, roads, tunnels and patterns. Bricks can amuse one child or many children. You will need to supply enough of them to be useful, a few are okay for a baby however older children need many more. They will take up a lot of storage and when they are being played with will require quite a bit of space.

Interlocking bricks such as “lego” can keep a child occupied for many hours throughout the years of childhood. Children can start to play with these as soon as they have mastered how to join them together and have past the stage of putting things in their mouth (usually around 3 years of age) unless you are using the larger duplo style bricks. Your collection of bricks can be added to at anytime and there are endless instructions and ideas for building available free from lego.

Climbing Frames

This is a large and expensive toy that takes up a lot of space and once erected has to pretty much stay in one place. The advantages of this type of toy though are it can be used throughout childhood for many years for physical exercise and play. This is useful for children who do not have a large garden in which to play and run around. It gives them the opportunity to use their muscles and gain control of body movements, use up energy while testing their skills. The child has to contemplate where to place their limbs to enable balance.

The child will become more confident and adventurous over a period of time, you can perhaps add a rope for little Tarzan or even a blanket to make a den, maybe even a hammock which will make play more interesting as they grow and provide opportunity for many imaginative games.

Dolls and soft toys

The favourite doll or teddy or cuddly animal becomes a sort of person to a child and someone they can turn to for companionship or comfort. Unlike people they are always ready for play, do not make demands, can be talked to in confidence and then left alone until wanted or needed again. Often children want to share their grief, anger or pleasure with their dolly or teddy rather than with people. Many children rely on them for comfort throughout their childhood. They come in many sizes and varieties from plush to basic, children tend to prefer the basic doll or teddy which allows for more imaginative play, than the lovely well dressed more adult dolls.

Toys in the first year

Babies begin to play at three months or earlier. They love having objects to handle and look at. They find new objects much more fun than familiar ones. Most mother alternate between the toys, you will discover the baby will pay more attention to a toy they have not seen for a few days. In general babies prefer toys that are brightly coloured and make noise. Toys for this age should be attractive, manageable, fun and unlikely to break. You should also consider if they are washable and safe to be put in the mouth (no small pieces that can be swallowed or come loose, no sharp edges or points)They should be splinter proof and the paint should always be lead free.

3 months: - The baby’s first toy is likely to be a rattle. Make sure it is not too heavy and is small enough for the baby to grasp; they will not be able to pick it up at if dropped at this stage

4 months: - The baby will get pleasure from waving the rattle about and making noise. They will also enjoy beads on their pram and a mobile over their cot around this age

5 months: - Now that baby will be able to pick up objects he will gain pleasure from a variety of toys; on his highchair tray, in the bath, in the garden, on his pram.

10 months: - Children of this age enjoy putting things into containers (bags, boxes, tins etc)and taking them out again

1 year: - Children now take an interest in books. Those made of firm cardboard are suitable or cloth and waterproof bath time books

Toys for children aged 1-2 years

Most of the toys for children under 1 year old will still be used at this age. In addition the children can now put discs onto a peg, and will like picture books or nursery rhymes. Push and pull toys are very popular with children who can walk. Toward the age of two they will be able to thread large beads, play with a ball, enjoy a paddling pool and like helping with cleaning and cooking.

Toys for children aged 2-3 years

They now have sufficient skills with their hands to play with barrels of different sizes which unscrew. They can also manage large interlocking bricks, the “posting box” peg boards, hammering wooden or plastic pegs, blackboard and chalks, coloured pencils and poster paints, plasticine, doll’s pram, doll’s house and clothes. They also like books that they can colour and draw in. Towards the end of the third year, they will be able to use scissors to cut out pictures and match them or colour them. They may also like to glue cut outs to make a collage of their favourite colours, toys etc.

Toys for children aged 3-5 years

Children of this age group appreciate toys for imaginative play- drawing and painting materials, coloured gum paper to make patterns, dressing up clothes. They enjoy being active and outdoors with toys like balls, tricycles, scooters, space hoppers, climbing frames, slides. They will begin to show an interest in books that help them learn to read.

From the age of 5 years onwards

Children are now ready for jigsaws, card games, and board games like “snakes and ladders”, sewing kits, and books which they are able to read themselves.

These toys may be the classic toys advised for good child development for a child up to the age of 5; however after the age of 5 years I'm sure like most children "your child" will be influenced by their peers and the media not to mention their older siblings.