Toys for toddlers and young children need to match their growing abilities. A lot of safe-to-play materials are found at home. The age-by-age guide is a framework, or pathway parents can follow while selecting toys for their children. Children undergo different developmental stages as they grow; therefore, an age-by-age guide for toys helps you select suitable toys for your kid.
What is an Age-by-Age Guide for Toys?
Different toys will stimulate different senses of a child, developing a different approach within them. Here is an age-by-age guide for toys;
0-12 Months
If we talk about the first three months of a child’s age, the child is not able to do much except for trying to observe their surroundings. Their vision at this age is still blurry, and they must see bright objects. Many toys that a child needs at this age are designed and manufactured in a way that promotes interaction.
Toys for infants:
- For example, rattles, teething toys, soft dolls, and textured balls of toys that are easy to reach for, get a grip on and make noise with
- Books with rhymes and poems.
- Unbreakable mirrors, bright colors, crib mobiles, etc.
1 to 2 Years
At this age, the child is fascinated by the cause and effect scenarios and enjoys the toys that will respond to them, which will help them acquire motor skills. Hence, they will love interacting with the toys and being exposed to languages.
Toys for 1-2 year
- Toy phones, dolls, toy cars, and stuffed toys.
- Puzzles, stacking rings, nesting cups, hammering sets, shape sorters, rubber ducks or toy boats, etc.
2-3 Years
At this age, the child develops fine motor skills and becomes purposeful. They love to play games that include imitation and will find to pretend. The child will like high-tech toys with real-life sounds. Kids are believed to be very active at this age. Hence, this is a great time to introduce them to ride-on toys.
Toys for 2-3 year
- Toys are for solving problems, wood puzzles, and objects to sort.
- Building blocks, construction sets, child-sized furniture, dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, and puppets.
- Drawing and painting, chalkboard, and rhythm instruments.
- Small balls for kicking and throwing, dolls and stuffed animals, whistles, tricycles, and balance bikes.
4-5 Years
There stuffed a great hike on the learning ability at this age. This time is believed to be great for interactive education and teaching verbal and mathematical skills; kids at this age start to imagine themselves as someone else and fantasize about being a teacher, pilot, or anything.
Toys for 4-5 years
- Art supplies, action figures, costumes, blocks of different shapes, soccer balls, basketballs,
6+ Years
At this age, children are believed to develop their interests (others still influence that). They start to master the sense of competence and become able to work on longer projects and experiments.
Toys for six-year
- Electric cars, Dollhouses, and toy kitchen sets,
- Things to create with modeling clay and playdough, modeling and ls, and coloring books.
- Keyboards, xylophones, maracas, and tambourines.
- Tricycles, wagons, wheelbarrows, plastic bats and balls, bowling pins, and toy tool sets.
- If the child has access to the computer: interactive programs for children.
