Best Toys for Learning and Development to Try With Your Kids This Year
Toys take on a new significance as your toddler starts playing with them differently, perhaps realizing that blocks can be stacked, a shape fits through a hole, or a toy makes a sound when pressed. It’s never too early to start your child on a learning journey through play. During infancy, learning is about fun, discovery, and exploring the world through the senses. To help kickstart your child’s learning adventure, here are some of the best toys for learning and development to try this year.
How Babies Play
In the first 12 months, play is all about exploration. Babies use their senses to understand the world: touching to feel textures, mouthing to explore taste, and shaking or dropping toys to learn cause and effect. As they develop motor skills, their play becomes more coordinated. For instance, around four months, babies grasp objects like rattles, progressing to transferring objects between hands by six or seven months. By nine months, they use a pincer grasp to pick up smaller items. While play is often solitary at this stage, they start imitating others by the end of the year.
Toys for Babies
Nursery Mobile: Stimulates vision and attention span with objects dancing above the crib.
Mirror: Introduces self-awareness as babies recognize their own reflection and learn body parts.
Ring Stack Toys: Enhance fine motor skills as babies stack rings on a cone and learn colors and numbers.
Push-Pull Toys: Aid in developing balance and large muscle skills, crucial as they transition to walking.
How Toddlers Play
Toddlers become aware of object functions, enjoying stacking blocks, playing with toy phones, or engaging in pretend play like feeding dolls. They begin recognizing colors and shapes, making toys that are colorful and interactive ideal choices.
Toys for Toddlers
Balls: Promote gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and dexterity through bouncing, rolling, catching, and throwing.
Shape-Sorting Toys: Develop hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills as toddlers fit shaped blocks into corresponding holes.
Mechanical Toys: Toys with knobs, buttons, and levers enhance fine motor skills and teach cause-and-effect relationships.
Role-Play Toys: Encourage imaginative play and social development with items like play kitchens, doctor kits, and dolls.
Toys for Preschoolers
Arts and Crafts: Enhance fine motor skills and creativity through activities like drawing, coloring, cutting, and pasting.
Blocks and Building Sets: Foster problem-solving skills and imagination as preschoolers build structures from building sets.
Puzzles: Improve coordination, dexterity, and logical thinking through assembling jigsaw puzzles.
Best Toys for Learning and Development
1. Super Soft 1st Building Blocks: Safe and colorful blocks ideal for sensory play, introducing infants to stacking and building skills. These blocks are easy to grip and durable.
2. Leap Frog Count Along Cash Register: Combines pretend play with learning to count, perfect for developing early math skills in toddlers.
3. Leap Frog Leap Start 3D: An interactive learning system that engages children in reading, writing, and problem-solving through fun activities.
4. Fine Motor Tool Kit: Helps toddlers develop fine motor skills with various tools that require focus and attention.
5. Melissa and Doug Lacing Beads in a Box: Enhances fine motor skills, numeracy, and shape recognition through threading colorful beads.
6. Oyoy Abacus Rainbow Toy: A beautifully designed abacus that promotes motor skills and coordination through bead manipulation.
7. Kid’s Concept Sorting Box: Encourages shape recognition and problem-solving as children match wooden blocks to corresponding shapes.
Development Toys for Older Children
National Geographic Explorer Earth Science Kit: Hands-on STEM learning with experiments that teach about science and discovery, suitable for curious minds.
Lamaze 3-in-1 Activity Center: A versatile play table that supports visual and tactile development, motor skills, and problem-solving.
Conclusion
Choosing the right toys can significantly impact your child’s learning and development. These toys not only entertain but also stimulate cognitive, motor, and social skills crucial for their growth. Whether it’s building blocks for infants or STEM kits for older children, each toy plays a role in nurturing their abilities and fostering a love for learning. Engage with your child during playtime to provide encouragement and support, reinforcing their learning experiences.
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Invest in toys that inspire creativity, curiosity, and skill-building to ensure your child thrives in their early years and beyond. Contact us at [Afterschool Nanny](https://afterschoolnanny.co.uk/contact/) for personalized recommendations and assistance in choosing the best toys for your child’s developmental needs.