You might have noticed your child actively venturing out and running around the house discovering new objects in the surrounding environment.
Children during the initial stages of their life are highly susceptible to the stimuli present in their surroundings.
Children often explore new information and objects on the basis of their senses to make sense of the world that surrounds them.
Toys are fun and exciting objects that enhance the child’s creative imagination, but they are more than just fun and games.
While toys are regarded as a distraction by most parents, they are a fun and engaging way of incorporating integral stimuli that promote the development of physical, social, creative, emotional, and cognitive skills.
Children are drawn to fun and exciting toys like moths to a flame and believe it or not, these toys contribute significantly to your child’s development process.
In fact, studies have indicated that toys are integral for the development of physical, fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, social, creative, and even emotional skills in young children.
To help you thoroughly understand the importance of toys in the child’s development process, below is everything you should know about the contribution of toys during different stages of child development.
What is the importance of toys in general?
Generally, toys are associated as mere objects that entertain, engage, and excite children. But these children’s toys are more than just mere entertainment for your child, in fact, they are way much more than one can think of.
There are a variety of toys available in the market that promote entertainment, enjoyment, and even self-directed education in children.
Yes, educational toys are very real and promote autodidactic education as well as self-directed play.
Educational toys provide your child with the right stimuli to develop their senses and enhance their learning experience.
These toys promote the development of fine motor skills, gross motor skills, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking, and allow them to comprehend the concept of cause and effect.
Educational toys also facilitate the development of creative imagination, collaboration, cooperation, and amongst other social skills.
Toys also prepare your child for future abstract and complex subjects such as math, and science, as well as arbitrary concepts such as language and culture.
What are the benefits of incorporating educational toys?
Incorporating educational toys into your child’s environment can take learning through play to a whole different level.
There are myriads of educational toys available in the market that isolate each skill, promote sensory development, promote self-directed play, and enhance their imagination.
To help you understand the importance of toys in a child’s development process, below is a list of benefits of incorporating educational toys:
Development of Fine Motor Skills:
Fine Motor skills refer to the ability to make deliberate and precise movements with small muscles situated in the hands, wrists, and fingers while coordinating eye movements.
These Movements are different from Gross Motor Skills and are important for activities like academic work, self-care, hygiene, and grooming.
Educational toys incorporate different components that the child is promoted to manipulate and maneuver to enhance their fine motor skills.
Development of Gross Motor Skills:
Gross Motor Skills are abilities that are required for the movement of Large Body Muscles to perform basic activities like walking, climbing, crawling, jumping, and even sitting.
Gross Motor skills involve the movement of larger body muscles- arms, legs, feet, and the core muscles present in the torso (belly and back).
These skills govern major body movements like reaching, crawling, bending, walking, running, and other major activities that are vital for one’s survival.
Educational toys also like Balance Boards or Pikler triangles allow children to freely move and exercise their large body muscles which promotes gross motor development.
Development of Cognitive Skills:
The benefits of educational toys are not limited to physical development in children.
These toys often prepare the child for future educational concepts and help with the development of skills required for subjects like mathematics and language.
Educational toys are a great way to enhance cognitive skills in children even before they join a school.
The benefits of educational toys are not limited to physical development in children. These toys often prepare the child for future educational concepts and help with the development of skills required for subjects like mathematics and language.
Educational toys are a great way to enhance cognitive skills in children even before they join a school.
Development of Emotional Skills:
Emotional resilience refers to the ability to respond appropriately to stressful or unexpected situations.
The development of emotional skills in young children is integral to their overall development process.
Toys allow children to express themselves freely through creative imagination which promotes emotional development.
Playing with toys also promotes children to effectively manage their emotions whether they are positive emotions like happiness or negative emotions like anger, sadness, or agitation.
Promotes Problem-Solving Skills:
Educational toys also promote the development of IQ and problem-solving skills in children by promoting practices such as memorization, coordination, and enhancement of linguistic skills.
Educational and developmental toys like blocks or puzzles can be an easy way of developing problem-solving skills in children.
Development of Social Skills:
Apart from developing your child’s linguistic skills and enhancing their motor skills, educational toys also contribute to the development of social skills in children.
Activities involving educational toys are a great way to promote children to collaborate with their peers.
These collaborative activities help children develop social skills like coordination, and mutual respect, and enhance their communication skills.
Development of Creative Imagination:
Educational and development toys do not limit your child’s learning experience to physical development and cognitive development.
These toys also allow children to venture out of their comfort zones and explore new possibilities.
Educational toys incorporate games and activities that encourage your child to channel their creative side.
Toys for different stages of development:
As a vigilant parent, don’t let your child’s toys be mere distractions or a mode of entertainment.
Educational toys and developmental toys are unique and innovative ways of combining education with fun activities.
These forms of toys go beyond exciting the child and generally provide children with age-appropriate stimuli.
It can be pretty perplexing to find age-appropriate toys that accommodate your child’s developmental requirements.
To help you find the right educational toys for your child’s needs and requirements, below is a list of toys for different age groups:
Toys for Babies and Infants:
Infants and babies during their initial stages are highly curious and explore their surroundings on the basis of their senses.
New colors, shapes, sizes, textures, sounds, and even images can provide infants with age-appropriate stimuli and enhance their learning experience.
The main goal for parents during this stage of development is to provide unique sensory stimuli to develop their senses and broaden their horizons.
Colorful blocks, rattles, and shakers can be a fun way of developing their senses, developing an understanding of cause and effect, as well as building their hand-eye coordination.
Toys for Toddlers:
Toddlers have the option to play with a variety of educational toys that can challenge their abilities to assess different problems.
During this stage, parents should aim to provide their toddlers with toys that expand their knowledge and make sense of their surrounding environment.
Children during this stage of development can be introduced to toys such as blocks and puzzles to identify and recognize different shapes.
Puzzles and blocks are a great way of developing problem-solving skills in toddlers as well as promote them to expand their vocabulary.
Toys like lego blocks can be a fun way of introducing the child to the concept of symmetry and promoting fine motor development.
Toys for Preschoolers:
During the preschool stages, it is now time to develop the child’s academic and cognitive development in children.
Parents should aim to provide the child with age-appropriate toys that expand their vocabulary, develop their mathematical and linguistic skills, as well as prepare them for future concepts they will learn in school.
During this state of development, the toys should act as introductory lessons for arbitrary and complex concepts to familiarize and prepare the child.
During this stage, the child can independently explore new concepts through electronic and high-tech toys.