Colorful toys, musical toys and any toy that moves generally work well for children in the one to three year old age group.
Toys of all sorts serve as wonderful stimulants for children's emotional, physical and intellectual development. Colorful toys, musical toys and any toy that moves generally work well for children in the one to three year old age group. Remember that toddlers get distracted quite easily so don't be surprised if they play with a toy for ten minutes and then move on to the next. However, if your child does find a toy that he or she goes back to consistently, then you know you have found something that really strikes his or her fancy. Toddlers love to move their bodies, they love to pretend, and they love when adults actively get involved in playtime with them. Have toys that do any of the above and you are almost guaranteed to find your toddlers engaged and excited every time they get to play.
Books may be the most important toys your toddlers can have. Begin reading to your children as early as birth. It is never too soon and the earlier they are exposed to books the more likely they are to love reading for the rest of their lives. Read the same books over and over to toddlers. This helps develop language skills and aides in connecting words and pictures. Incorporate books into quiet times. Babies and toddlers love hearing their parents' soothing voices, so reading to them creates a calming atmosphere. Reading also helps children relax before bed. Books create an endless supply of benefits for children of all ages. Some highly recommended reading selections for toddlers include: Goodnight Moon, See Spot Run, and My First Mother Goose.
Toddlers love puzzles. They love the challenge and reward of fitting the colorful pieces together. Puzzles serve as an excellent way to improve motor skills while encouraging children to use their minds to come up with the right solution. Puzzles come in a variety of different patterns and pieces. Therefore, children as young as one and a half or two can work with puzzles and learn to have fun while working towards a goal.
Want to spark your toddler's creative side? Nothing beats crayons and construction paper. Always have these basics on hand, particularly the big, fat crayons. They fit easier in little hands. Coloring books are of course great choices as well. During really creative days, allow toddlers to play with finger paints. They will delight in this interactive experience, especially when they realize they have created a picture with their hands. Play dough is another source of great fun for toddlers. They love to be able to mash and use their hands to make all sorts of shapes and designs. When working with crafts, always be sure and praise toddlers for anything they create. Even if their puppy dog looks more like a bunch of squiggly lines, encourage their artistic expression no matter what.
Watch toddlers for any length of time and you should notice quite quickly that they love to pretend. Toys that stimulate their imaginations, therefore, will be popular choices for most small children. Baby dolls may be one of the best toys toddlers can own, especially girls. Toddlers love to be cuddled and they love to shower affection. Dolls offer them the ability to do both. They also allow toddlers to pretend to be grown-ups, which they tend to relish. Numerous accessories exist for dolls, including strollers, cribs, and bottles. You could even find some old bibs, burping cloths, and baby clothes that your toddler can use for his or her baby. They'll get a big kick out of using the same items you used for them.
Plenty of other play sets exist that will capture a toddler's imagination. Like dolls, kitchen sets that include plastic food, plates and silverware among other things are so appealing to little ones because kitchen sets permit toddlers to act as adults. They enjoy pretending to cook and they really love to host picnics. Provide toddlers with a picnic basket and blanket and have them invite family and friends (including dolls or stuffed animals) over for a picnic they have prepared. Toddlers have an absolute blast with this activity.
Farm sets, pet sets, tool sets"¦any of these and many others all fall under the play set/pretend category of toys. And all are great toys for toddlers. Many of these types of toys include little plastic people, whether they be farmers, schoolchildren, bus drivers or whomever. These little characters let toddlers act out different situations. Again, this enhances imaginations and develops social and language skills.
Costumes for dress up can be bought or even made at home. Toddlers love to pretend they are community heroes, cowboys, princesses, etc. Costumes are a fun and inexpensive way to do this. Other fun toys for toddlers include mini cars, trucks, bulldozers and the like. Boys especially love anything that moves or that they can push with their hands. Wagons and tricycles similarly promote physical activity. Try not to get in the way though or you might just get run over.
Playing outside tends to be a big deal for most toddlers. Plenty of toys are available just for the great outdoors. Such toys include mini-basketball goals, soccer goals and plastic sports equipment. Parents can set up a swing or slide in the backyard, and a wide range of mini-playground sets exist. You could also build your toddler a sandbox that includes shovels and buckets. Any toys that will get your kids moving and supply them with a healthy dose of fresh air cannot be bad.
Numerous toys have numbers, letters, colors and other sort of educational qualities which are wonderful teaching aides for your toddlers. Musical toys let toddlers make lots of noise, dance all around and jump up and down. Memory card matching games allow little kids a chance to participate in something that is like a grown up game while teaching them memory skills at the same time. These types of toys, along with all the ones mentioned above, represent only a small handful of the wonderful toys available for toddlers. Get involved with your kids and let them express themselves however they want with their toys. Doing so will ensure toddlers grow as healthy, happy, well-adjusted children.
