Finding the best and most developmentally-appropriate toddler toys can be a challenge. With hundreds of thousands of different toys available, it can be difficult to know which one is the most beneficial and entertaining for your child.
Toys for toddlers are typically grouped by development stage and interest. Knowing what you’re looking for can help you navigate through your options and help you to find the best, most affordable, and most treasured childhood toy for your tot.
Keep reading to discover some helpful tips to help you through this process.
How to Find the Best Toys for Toddlers
Find the best toys for kids starts with understanding what stage of development your child is currently engaged in. However, it’s crucial to also consider the child’s interests.
After all, a child will only choose to play with toys that catch their attention.
1. Consider Your Child’s Development Stage
A toddler’s development can be condensed into four main areas: motor, social, language, and sensory. Understanding these areas and what benchmarks your child has hit within these areas is the first step to choosing the best toy for them.
If your toddler is just learning to walk and run, you won’t want to give them a pair of rollerskates. And, if your child is just mastering coloring, it may be a bad idea to equip them with a set of paints, a pair of scissors, and a stick of glue.
Choose a toy that is appropriate for your toddler’s learning level and not something that is too advanced for them to enjoy. A great way to think about this is to imagine if someone gave you a gift related to a skill you don’t have.
Sure, you’d appreciate the thought, but you probably wouldn’t know what to do with the gift! Of course, understanding your child’s interests can help prevent this situation from developing.
2. Take Notice of Your Child’s Interests
While it may be easy to ‘take charge’ and decide what types of skills and activities your child will be interested in, it doesn’t typically work out. Children often have their own interests and passions that differ from their parents.
Instead of choosing a toy that you’d like to play with, or a toy you’d like your child to master, be sure to pick something that they’ve shown interest in. For example, children who are interested in dinosaurs may not appreciate a rocket-building set, but they may love a 3-D dinosaur puzzle.
It’s not just your choice of educational toys that matter when it comes to child development. Just as importantly, you should be fostering a strong sense of independence at this age. One way to do this is with other products that reflect their interests, such as a toddler dinosaur backpack. This will help get them to start taking responsibility for their own possessions.
3. Choose a Toy That Fosters Growth
When choosing a toy for your toddler, try to pick one that encourages the most developmental growth.
For example, children with poor motor skills can benefit from toys that encourage them to walk, run, climb, and color. And children with poor social skills can find significant comfort and social development in a love doll or baby doll.
Choosing a toy that targets underdeveloped areas is the best way to ensure that your child reaps the greatest benefits from their new favorite plaything.
Find the Best Toddler Toys!
Finding the right toddler toys isn’t nearly as complicated as it may initially appear.
Understanding your child’s developmental stages and status is the first significant step toward finding the best toy, but interests also play a crucial role. No matter what, the toy you choose should foster growth in at least one area of development, whether that be motor or social skills.
Keep reading our blog for more tips and advice.
