Fun Developmental Toys For Children

By Author: Chris Clement
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Children are most impressionable in the first few years of their lives. Likewise, the learning and development that occurs in a child's early years can have a life-long impact on intelligence, ingenuity, coordination, and creativity. Children who have the proper exposure to activities that help develop essential skills can have the upper hand in the future.

There is power in play and providing the right toys can greatly benefit children's development. That being said, toys should, of course, be fun. The real purpose of play is to give your child a fun-filled experience, and a toy that might aid in development but bores a child to the point of abandoning play is no good to you or your child.

Mechanical toys are often inviting to children. They seem magically attractive, with moving parts or sound stimuli; however, most children will tire of these toys quickly. Research has shown that mechanical toys actually limit a child's development. Mechanical toys don't require a child to interact in play activities. If the toy moves on its own, then the child doesn't have to develop the hand-eye coordination necessary to ...
... move the toy, for example.

When deciding on fun and developmentally beneficial toys for children, it's important to think in terms of developmental skill categories, such as language and mathematics skills, motor coordination, visual and auditory development. It is also important to consider social skill development which is encouraged by toys that require what is known as cooperative play. Still another area to keep in mind is a child's development of independence. There are entertaining toys out there that will aid children in being capable of independent play as well.

Perhaps the most important factor in deciding on a fun and developmentally beneficial toy for a child is determining the age-appropriateness of the toy. In order to do this, you must take into consideration what skills the child is currently in the process of developing. For instance, infant toys should help a baby with hand-eye coordination. Visually stimulating toys are a blast to infants, hence the joyous giggles one hears from babies who are watching and reaching for the mobile that floats above them in the crib at nap time.

Toddlers are in the process of developing other more advanced skills, like language usage and understanding how objects interact with one another. They may be beginning to pull off their own clothes, even if they aren't yet trying to dress themselves. Aiding in their development with toys that focus on building or stacking, pulling, tugging or knocking/thumping, and any sort of language interaction would be good choices.

Often, finding a toy that is right for the developmental stage of a child's learning is as easy as observing the child at play time. With children, learning and play are so intermingled that both are often occurring constantly and simultaneously. Children are inherently curious, and learn best when having fun. Watching a child and observing what is interesting to the child can give you great insight into what toys might aid in the development of the skills the child is already on a natural path to acquiring.

As an example, if a child seems to enjoy sliding change into the floor vents in your house, then perhaps a toy that stimulates hand-eye coordination would be appropriate. A toy that allows your child to fit shaped blocks into the appropriate holes in a base might keep you from having to continually clean out your vents without eliminating your child's developmental activities or his fun time.

The same curiosity that makes children interested in activities can also put them in harm's way. And the same skills that you are hoping to encourage can sometimes make what seems like a safe toy, unsafe for your child. Keep in mind that children like to pull things apart, see how things work, and chew or tug on pieces of toys.

Keeping your child safe with any toy is important and one of the best ways to do this is by paying attention to the age recommendations from the manufacturer. You should also check toys for sharp or pointy edges or pieces, loose components, or parts that are small enough to be swallowed by young children.

Children can play with just about anything, like playing hide and seek under a blanket, but the right toys can certainly help them in their development of essential skills. Toys are only a part of your child's development though and ultimately, playing with a child will give you the ability to have even greater influence over the child's development of those essential skills. Fun toys for you and your child to share when its play time can jumpstart your child's brain and motor development and make your heart skip a beat when you see the smile on your child's face.
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