Choosing Age-appropriate Children's Toys

It is important to choose age-appropriate toys for children. Because not only fill play time, toys given to children can be used as a means to hone creativity, buteskills, and children's learning media.

Various kinds of children's toys sold in toy stores often make you confused in choosing. Instead of just being stunned by the shape of the toys being sold, it's better to choose children's toys according to their age so that they are useful to improve their mood, while helping them learn, and supporting the growth and development of your little one.

For example, when the baby has reached the age of 9 months, you can give him toys for babies aged around 8 to 10 months.

Toy Baby Up To 1 Year Old

For babies up to one year old, children's toys are used as a means of exploration to activate the five senses. Most children's toys at this age, among others, trigger the baby to bite, reach or drop objects.

Choosing children's toys for babies up to 1 year of age are recommended, including:

  • Toys that emit an attention-grabbing song or sound that can be hung above the cot. This is useful for stimulating the eyes and stimulating children's attention. But be careful not to put it too close to the baby's face.
  • Children's toys in the form of glass made of plastic but clearly reflect the image of the face, you can also give. This helps the baby recognize his own face and body.
  • Giving the child colorful socks or bracelets that make a sound can stimulate the sense of hearing.
  • Books made of cloth with various pictures that can stimulate eyesight
  • When the child begins to sit up, toys ring stack (stacking rings) which can be rearranged many times, can be given. This game can train fine motor skills as well as learn about the colors and numbers listed on the circle. The bright colors in each ring can also help him begin to recognize colors.

Children toys 1-3 Years Old

Choosing toys for children at this age should support the child's process of recognizing the surrounding environment. During this period, children try to find out how things they encounter work. The right toys will be very good for stimulating thinking power, fine motor skills, and strengthening muscles.

For this reason, in choosing toys for children aged 1-3 years, you can give them:

  • Blocks with various shapes that can be used This game stimulates eye, hand coordination, while developing problem solving skills. So is the game puzzle simple, where 3-year-old children are already interested in arranging them, and certain shaped toys that can be inserted into holes of the same shape (shape sorter).
  • Parents can start training their children to draw using crayons in the drawing book. Choose a crayon with a safe base.
  • Professional games where children can imitate doing work according to certain professions, for example pretending to be a chef, doctor, teacher, and others. These games can help develop emotional intelligence, practice social skills, and teach them to take care of the things they love.
  • Parents can also provide more challenging toys when the child is 3 years old, such as a tricycle, or push toys which will stimulate children's concentration to walk while resting on the toy.
  • Ball games can be used to train dexterity and eye coordination. For example, by playing catch, or passing the ball to each other.

Children toys 3-5 Years Old

By the time children are 3-5 years old, they begin to use toys and objects around them for specific purposes. This age is also dominated by high imagination. Even a simple material like a blanket placed on a table can be a house of secrets.

Choose toys that are recommended for children this age, including:

  • Wax or clay to be shaped in such a way as to be like food.
  • Role playing using certain costumes can be a game given to children this age. For example, boys wear firefighter costumes and girls play the role of a mother who cooks food for her child.
  • Other toys that the child is familiar with, such as drawing, building using blocks, and puzzle, can still be given. Of course, the level of difficulty is adjusted to the ability of the child.

Children toys 5 Years Old to the top

Most children at the age of five are already active in school. Their understanding of the surrounding environment is much better. Children are currently in the stage of mastering new skills, such as catching a ball or braiding someone else's hair.

Children this age begin to show their interests, ranging from a love of reading or a desire to learn a musical instrument. Motor skills, such as riding a two-wheeled bicycle, will also be honed.

Some other toys are more challenging, for example:

  • Invite cycling in the wild. This game encourages body coordination, motor development, and problem solving skills.
  • Playing cards or board games (snakes and ladders, monopoly) are very good for teaching children about rules, strategies, waiting their turn, working together and being sporty.
  • Children have started to be able to learn musical instruments such as violin, piano, guitar or other musical instruments. In addition, a set of science tools or binoculars can be used if the child is interested in the field, because it can practice problem solving skills, create discoveries, and hone imagination.

In addition to paying attention to the right types of children's toys based on age, choosing children's toys must also pay attention to the material, color, or shape of the toy that may be at risk of injuring the child. So don't make the wrong choice, make children's toys a fun and educational learning tool. If you are confused about how to choose a child's toy according to his age, don't hesitate to consult a child psychologist, in order to get the right recommendations.