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The modern market is replete with a wide variety of children’s toys. It is not easy at all to choose the one that will be not only interesting but also useful for the baby. In this article, we will tell you how many toys children need, what types of toys exist, and which ones are suitable for a child depending on his age.
What are toys for?
Toys are the constant companions of childhood. Play for a child is not just a pastime, but a way to learn something new and develop their abilities. Initially, toys were miniature copies of tools, and their function was to teach the child to use them (for example, in the past, little bows and arrows were made for kids to learn how to hunt). Subsequently, when such a need disappeared, despite the fact that the appearance of the toy remained unchanged, it became a tool for the development of any skills.
The role of the toy also changes depending on the age of the child. If initially the visual appeal of the toy, its correspondence to real objects of life, is important for kids, then already in the senior preschool its “generality” and multifunctionality are appreciated.
Educators and psychologists identify the following types of toys.
- Subject-like toys (dolls, sets of professions, animal figures, etc.);
- Didactic toys (puzzles, construction sets, actually didactic games);
- Sports toys (balls, hoops, skipping ropes, etc.);
- Musical toys (tambourines, rattles, xylophones, etc.);
- Board games;
- Theater toys (puppet and finger theater);
- Fun toys (used for fun).
Toys also differ in their purpose:
- Personal development toys;
- Toys that promote motor and cognitive development.
Do children need a lot of toys?
If you ask the kid if he has enough toys, he will answer that of course not. Babies are never enough! But, nevertheless, adults decide how many toys to buy. Some parents try to ensure that the baby has as many toys as possible, without thinking about whether they are so necessary. Psychologists say that having too many toys at home is of little benefit to a child. In this case, they cease to be of value for the baby, and many of those that exist lie idle. To prevent this from happening, from time to time you need to remove some of the toys, and when the child has enough of the rest, replace them as well.
There should be variety among toys. Try to ensure that your baby has different types of toys: musical, sports, table, etc. Among a sufficient number of toys, the child usually chooses loved ones, to which he forms an attachment. By playing with them, children learn care and responsibility.
Approach the choice of toys carefully:
- Do not buy toys in between, for example, going to the grocery store;
- Don’t blindly follow the toy fashion;
- Focus on the needs of the age;
- Consider the interests of your child;
Toys for babies up to a year
Child’s age is one of the main criteria for choosing toys. The main task of toys for children under one year old is to stimulate the senses (sight, hearing, touch). They should be bright, pleasant to the touch and, above all, safe. For babies up to one year old, toys such as:
- Developing mat with arcs;
- Musical toys (rattles, bells, tambourines, rustling toys);
- Tactile pouches;
- Balls (including massage balls);
- Soft and wooden cubes;
- Liner frames;
- Finger toys;
- Safe items from real life (plastic bottles, beads, wooden spoons, etc.);
- Bath toys.
What toys are good for young children
The leading activity of children from 1.5 to 3 years old is subject-manipulative activity, which is associated with the mastery of cultural methods of action with objects. Children of this age learn to use a spoon, wash their hands with soap, open and close locks, dress, and so on. Therefore, the most useful toys for young toddlers are ordinary household items. They will also be interested and useful toys that develop visual-effective thinking, fine motor skills and cognitive activity:
- Lacing;
- Sorters;
- Pikler Triangles.
- Liner frames;
- Business boards;
- Rolling toys;
- Matryoshka;
- Pyramids;
- Cars;
- Cubes;
- Constructor with large parts;
- Musical toys;
- Sports toys;
- Books;
- Kinetic sand;
- Sets for creativity (drawing, modeling, applications);
- Sensory boxes;
- Spatulas, scoops, sieves;
- Learning cards and so on.
When choosing toys for your child, we recommend that you follow the “less is more” principle. They should not only keep the baby busy, but also develop him. Focus on the child’s age, needs and interests. In addition, children’s toys must be of high quality and safe. For games, it is quite possible to use various household items, as well as handmade toys.
