Babies and small kids love toys and no one has any doubt about it. Toys are more than fun and game for children. They provide an opportunity to learn and develope a new skill . Most of the toys spark their imaginations, engage their senses or help them interact with others. Babies are eager to learn about their surroundings. Everything which they touch, see, hear, smell or taste for the first time provides them a learning experience. Toys must tickel their senses and this helps them to explore and learn about their immediate surroundings and sensory experiences.
Ever since they are born, toys encourage babies to use their feet and hands in order to discover forms, colours and sounds. Once babies know how to sit and crawl, toys inspire them to be on the move. If their favourite toy is out of reach, the baby will use its muscles to try and grab it. Toys provide a great learning experience to children and should be carefully selected. They should be age appropriate. While selecting toys for infants, look for durability, portability and skill developement. All that banging, chewing and drooling can take a toll on the toys and we donot want a broken toy that may hurt the little one. Toys should be fun but they should also help in boosting the skills. You may want to have some big toys which are for play room but few small ones which you may put in diaper bag on the move.
Some experts believe that listening to classical and soft music make children happier and smarter(?). Rattles and musical toys are favourite of infants. Musical toys are also a big favourite with infants. As they grow they are attracted by bright colours. Children learn by playing and toys are the instruments that allow them to discover the world they live in. And this is precisely why they interact with their surroundings thru toys. Plus, toys provide plenty of enjoyment and happiness, both of which help them develope their self esteem.
Toys get children engaged in physical activity, by exercising their fine and gross motor skills. Whether colouring or dressing and undressing a doll l, for example, children are using their sense of touch and sight (fine motor skills) while walkers, tricycle or cycle boost their gross motor skills and strengthen their limbs. Toys also help them discover balance and coordination and by being physically active, children avoid obesity and adopt a healthy life style.
Toys boost children’s creativity and help them express their internal and external emotions . Whether it is through role playing (acting out different characters, use of costumes, etc.) or dolls, children are given the space to imagine familiar situations (playing house, a day at the farm, a visit to the hospital…) or invent fantastical worlds that lead kids to abstraction (action figures, science fiction universes…) The capacity to generate symbolical games reveals a mature personality, capable of creating rules of its own
Social Development
Aside from improving children´s language skills, toys teach social skills and gives them an understanding of the society they live in. Toys invite children to interact, first with adults and then with other children their age. The simple act of playing with another child challenges them to experience situations where important lessons are to be learned: respect, cooperation and sharing. Toys also motivate kids to take initiative, learn to negotiate and teaches them how to get better organized.
Cognitive Development
Toys promote children´s cognitive development by stimulating their concentration and memory skills (board games) and giving them the ability to solve problems creatively, which is key to their future autonomy (playing with building blocks). Cognitive development is important because it enables children to approach math and language skills in a way that´s fun for them
Toys for babies under 1 year: https://amzn.to/34sLd8k
Toys for babies under 2 years : https://amzn.to/3nqFJDF
Toys for children between 3 to 5 years : https://amzn.to/2GwYPHy
Toys for children between 6 to 10 years: https://amzn.to/3ntfnA