9 Steps On How To Choose Toys For Children

By Philip Yiga | June 2, 2016

When it comes to choosing toys for your little-children, things can become a little complicated because you actually have to be careful when making the toy-selection so that you can get your little-child a toy that will teach him/her something. Additionally, there are a lot of children’s toys available on the market today and this means that choosing the right toys for your children can at times be confusing and even some toys may not be good for your kid’s health. However, if you get to know what your kids like, then you will actually be able to get them the right toys and you should also consider choosing toys with educational-values, amusement and also get them toys that are durable, safe and affordable. All in all, below are some of the steps that will help you choose the right toys for little-children and you should actually try to read through them.

 

STEPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE TOYS FOR CHILDREN:

1. Get to know what attracts and interests kids of different ages: when looking for toys to buy for your children, you need to know which toys are of interest and attract the children depending on their age-range. For example, toddlers and infants are always learning about the environment around them by using their senses and this means that they need toys that they can poke, see, hear, squeeze or touch. Preschool kids like playing and this means they will things like painting, dressing-up dolls, reading stories and playing with their toys. The older-children will actually prefer more realistic toys which can even be recognized in the real-world and this means that you need to get them toys related to fashion, movies, music and a favorite sport. So, try to consider the age of your child when choosing them a toy for best results.

 

2. Determine the age-group of the children: you actually need to determine the age group of the child that you’re choosing the toy for because kids at different age-groups have different interests in several toys. In fact, a baby and toddler can’t use the same toys and this also applies to grown-up kids. So, take note of your kid’s age when choosing a toy to buy them and they will feel surprised and happy if the toy meets their age demands.

 

3. Make some research on toys depending on age-groups: you actually need to make some research on the type of toys that are suitable for each group before making a final choice. For example, choose brightly colored toys babies up to 1-year old kids.

• For kids between 1 to 2 years-old choose brightly demonstrated books made stiff, cloth or paste-board pages, building-blocks, bathtub toys, musical-toys, stacking and pounding toys.
• For kids between 2 to 3 years, choose for them toys like sandbox-toys, crayons, musical-instruments, soft balls, electrical-toys and simple dress-up dolls.
• For kids with 3 to 4 years old, get for them non-electrical trucks, trains or tractors, building-blocks, dolls with clothes and other creative toys.
• For children with 4 to 5 years-old, get them building-blocks, painting-toys, modeling-clay, battery-operated toys, cardboard games, musical-toys, kids bicycles and sports equipment.
• For kids with 5 to 8 years old, choose for them activity toys like roller-skates, bicycles, sleds, puzzles, video-games, kites magnifiers, toy-guns and other battery-operated toys for that age.
• Kids between 8 to 12 years old should get toys like; electrical-trains, models that they can build, action-figures, musical instruments, sports-equipment, darts-board, bow and arrow toys, etc.

 

4. Choose toy that can be used in different ways: you actually need to choose toys that can be played with in different ways because toddlers and children really love taking things apart, pull-out, add-on, pull-in and build-up and then put them back together. So, for your child to achieve such activities, you need to choose for him/her an open-minded toy so that he/she can play with it in different ways. Examples of opens minded toys include building-blocks, wooden-blocks, nesting-blocks, interlocking-blocks and many more. In fact, open-minded toys are good for your kids because they help to spark their imaginations and even help in the development of problem-solving and logical-thinking.

 

5. Choose toys that will grow along with the child: when choosing toys to buy for your children, consider looking for toys that will grow along with your children. Such toys will can be used by your kid at different developmental stages and these include; action-figures, dollhouses, dump-trucks, electric-trains, and stuffed dolls.

 

6. Choose toy that promote problem-solving and discovery: playing actually enables children to practice new skills over again and this is why you need to get children toys that give them a chance to figure out something on their own or with a little practice because they will help in the development of their logical-thinking skills hence making them good at problem-solving. In fact, activity toys will even help in the development of the kid’s motor-skills, hand-eye co-ordination and a lot more.

 

7. Select toys that won’t pose a health hazard to your children: you need to choose toys that will not pose a health hazard to your children as they play with them. So, try to look at what the toy is made out of before you purchase it in order to make that it’s safe for use by your kids. Additionally, avoid buying toys with sharper-ends, small-parts and dangerous chemicals because they will cause harm to your little-children.

 

8. Get toys that encourage your children to be active: toddlers and older children are always every active and stronger especially when playing. So, consider choosing for them toys that help to promote their current physical skill or even help them develop new activity skills. Such toys may include, balls, wheeled-scooters, bowling-sets, kid’s basketball hoop, bicycles, pull-toys and much more.

 

9. Choose toys that look like real world-things: you should actually give your little-child a chance to play with toys that look like real stuff because this will help the little-one to figure-out how real objects in the world work. Such toys may include; kids TV-set, cell-phone, toy-cars, trains, toy-airplanes and a lot more. In fact, such toys will help your children to develop problem-solving skills, fine motor skills and even learn how things work out there.