Children are curious by nature. They usually have many questions and an instinct to explore and learn since they are still learning about the world around them. Parents should encourage their little ones’ curiosity and help them acquire certain skills that will help shape their personalities. The best and safest way to help your toddler develop new skills is through toys. Your child’s playtime should be more than just having fun. There is no denying that fun is important but you should make sure that they are learning something as well as playing. For this reason, it is essential that you choose the right toys for them at this stage in their lives. Keep reading for tips that will help you choose the right toys for your child’s development.
Creativity and Imagination
Most children have a very powerful imagination. They create their little world where they pretend to be kings, queens, or superheroes. They start getting creative and develop plots, stories, and characters for their make-believe games. As a parent, you should encourage your kid’s imaginative and creative skills as that will help develop their problem-solving skills, language skills, and give them the ability to put events in a logical and chronological order. So opt for toys like dolls, dollhouses, stuffed animals, action figures, dress-up clothes, trains, cars, trucks, pirate ships, and toy food.
Exploration
As mentioned before, playtime can be fun as well as educational at the same time. Kids love to explore and figure things out by themselves. Encourage your little one to start solving problems and thinking rationally by opting for toys that will develop these kinds of skills. Robots can be fun toys, and according to the information on Little Robot Shop, they can help challenge your little one to think by posing a problem and encouraging them to solve it. A robot is a great toy that your child will enjoy playing with and learning with. Other toys that can help your child solve problems and explore are puzzles, blocks, paint, clay, play dough, crayons, and shape sorters. These toys will help improve your little ones’ motor skills and understand how things can fit together.
Activity
Unfortunately, fewer and fewer children now enjoy playing outside. Why would they go out and play when they have everything they need to keep them entertained indoors? Nowadays, kids of different ages would rather play on a tablet, cellphone, PlayStation, or watch cartoons on Netflix than play hide and seek and other outdoor games with their friends. However, excess screen time and playing virtual games, at an early age, can promote behavior problems like aggression, make them less social, and can lead to an increase in weight. This is why you need to motivate your child to go outside and play. Instead of opting for toys with screens that can do more harm than good, opt for ones that will encourage them to be more active either indoors or outdoors. Choose toys like balls, age-appropriate basketball hoops, tricycles, bowling sets, gardening or beach tools, and pull toys. When your kids start practicing and learning new skills, try to encourage them by cheering on them or making them feel that they have made a great achievement. Children love impressing grown-ups, especially their parents, so your encouragement is crucial.
Play Together
Your child will enjoy it more if you play with them. There are many games on the market that can be fun for grown-ups and kids alike. For instance, there are certain board games that toddlers can participate in. These games won’t require reading skills, they will simply use their memory. You can set a game night every week so you can all play together as a family. Board games will teach your kids to learn how to count, match things together, follow the rules, and develop their memory, relationships, language, and learning skills. Additionally, through these games, you can teach your little ones how to accept defeat in a civil manner and how to be gracious and polite winners.
The person your child becomes will depend mainly on you. Your child’s early years are what will help shape them. As a parent, you need to help your child build all the necessary skills that will help them become a functional adult. Take advantage of your little one’s playtime and provide them with toys that will help develop their imagination, creativity, relationships, social, and problem-solving skills. You should also opt for toys that can help them be more active and healthy. Last but not least, play with your child as much as you can because these memories will last with them a lifetime.