Toddlers enjoy taking apart, putting back together, putting in, pulling out, building up and adding on. Toys that are “open-ended” is usually a great fit because they can play various types of games with them.
For instance, plastic interlocking blocks or wooden blocks can be used for building a road, a bridge, a zoo, and even a spaceship. Toys such as these are useful for sparking your child’s imagination and helping them with developing logical thinking and problem-solving skills. Great examples of these toys include nesting cups or blocks, interlocking blocks, blocks, and toys that involve sand or water play.
Choose Toys That Can Grow With Your Children
Look for toys that can provide fun at various developmental stages. For instance, small plastic animals can provide hours of fun for a young child who might make a shoebox home for them where an older child can involve them in pretend play. Excellent examples include action figures, trains, and cars or other vehicles, toddler-friendly dollhouses, dolls, and stuffed animals.
Choose Toys That Motivate Problem-Solving And Exploration
Toys are valuable toys in teaching our children to figure stuff out on their own, or sometimes with a little coaching. It can also assist with building logical thinking dexterities as well as problem-solving skills. Children can develop their spatial relation skills, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. Good examples that you can purchase from retailers like Playmobil include shape-sorters, puzzles, nesting cups, blocks, paint, art materials like clay, playdough, and crayons.
Related: Ultimate Guide For Fun Activities That Will Keep Your Kids Busy
Select Toys That Can Encourage Your Child’s Imagination
Once a child turns three, their creativity starts expanding, and they can now take on the role of a person or an object. Pretend play develops literacy and language skills, placing events in logical order and problem-solving. Great examples include blocks, dress-up clothes, toy food with plastic plates, stuffed animals, dolls, trucks, trains, stuffed animals, toy toolboxes, toddler-friendly dollhouses, etc.
Give Them Something That Resembles Real Things
Toddlers start figuring out how appliances and objects in real-world work, i.e., light switches and TV remotes, cell phones, etc. Toys that resemble these objects can help them with learning spatial skills, problem-solving, and developing fine motor skills. Excellent examples include toy keys, toy food, and dishes, toy phones, musical instruments, dress-up clothes, child-size cleaning accessories like brooms, mops, dustpans, etc.
Buy Toys That Prepare Them To Start Reading At A Later Stage
For early reading and writing skills, you can buy magnetic alphabet letters, art supplies like markers and crayons, finger paints as well as books. Real-life objects like catalogs, take-out menus, and magazines are fun items that your child can look at and play with as well as familiarizing them with text, letters, and print.
RELATED: Kindergarten Readiness (& How We Are Preparing for Kindergarten)
Look For Toys That Promote Being Active
Find toys that can help your child with practicing his current physical skills as well as developing new ones. Good examples include balls of various sizes and shapes, three-wheel scooters or tricycles, plastic sports toys, pull-toys, gardening tools, etc.
RELATED: 3 Ways to Keep Your Toddler Active in the Winter
Finding Cross-Generation Play Toys
These include interactive games that children can play with their families like simple board games. Board games can boost memory skills, matching, and counting. They also nurture relationship-building skills and language.
Babycenter has some great tips on toy safety.
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