Tips on choosing the right toys for your children

31st March 2020

Due to COVID-19, schools have been suspended until further notice. We believe that parents may somehow run out of ideas how to spend time with their children at home in a fun and innovative ways, many may even consider getting more indoor games and toys for the children. While we agree that children can best learn and explore the world through play, we also understand it is not an easy task choosing the right toys and games for your children as always. This week, we have gathered some useful tips on this topic, hoping to help parents best implement the concept of “play and learn” into children’s home education, which may also encourage the whole-person development of children.

Toys are indispensable elements in children’s development. Choosing the right toys are very important for children’s physical movement and development of their abilities. Having the right toys may help children discover themselves, trigger their intrinsic motivation to explore different problems, as well as satisfy their innate curiosity. It can also provide them with the opportunity to express their views and attitudes towards different objects and matters. Let’s take a look at some of the tips below:

According to the children’s age:

• • The eyesight of baby aged 0 – 6 months old are either express is good quite limited, however they can already understand the world through their sight and hearing. Toys with bright colours and special sounds can be a good choice for babies at this age. Also, toys with aroma and different textures (e.g. hard and soft) are also a good choice as they can encourage children’s sense of touch and smell. Baby can also learn about the world by touching everyday objects such as soft brushes, dish sponges and even plates and dishes we use daily.
  • Babies aged 6 months or older have already developed basic abilities to move around and have gradually learned to sit, crawl, or even have started to walk. At this time, choosing toys that could exercise young children’s motor skills is a good option. Toys like xylophones, jenga, music keyboards or handbells can help children develop their hand-eye coordination, gross- and fine- motor skills.
  • For children aged one to two years old, one may consider choosing toys that help with children’s movement and coordination. Children at this age can be introduced to blocks and puzzles with numbers, letters or shapes for their early literacy and mathematical knowledge, which may help them distinguish between sizes and shapes as well. Parents can also start cultivating children’s interests and shaping their self-regulation by role-play, story read-aloud, puzzles and board games.
  • For children aged between 3 and 6 years old, children have already built their own ideas, interests and hobbies. When choosing toys for them, parents might as well listen to their child’s opinions. This would not only cultivate children’s interests but also promote the communication and relationship between parents and children. In addition to reading picture books, parents can also consider toys such as water painting, sands, lego blocks, play dough, construction toys, paper-cutting an stickers, balls or even DIY games. This could stimulate child’s ability to think, and to improve their cognitive, analytical, creative and imaginative abilities, so that children can know more about themselves and their surroundings through play.

  

  Tips on things to consider when buying a new toy

  1. Choosing toys with safe materials

  Safety should always be the first priority when buying toys. Do avoid choosing toys with ultra-small accessories and sharp-edged, as they can be dangerous for children as they may accidentally swallow some parts of the toys. For toys that can make sound, parents should be also aware of the volume of the sound. It may be worthwhile to check if the toys are not too loud in a way that can be damaging to children’s hearing. If possible, we may also spend some time reading about the materials that the toys were made of to ensure that the toys do not contain any harmful substances. Sometimes, the most suitable “toys” for children can be the rawest materials from nature, such as plants, wooden toys and everyday items.

  2. You do not need that many

  Claire Lerner, an early childhood development and family education specialist has indicated in one of her findings that children become overwhelmed and overstimulated when they were to present too many toys at once, and as a result they will not be able to concentrate on one toy for long enough to learn. So how many toys are suitable? It is recommended to only purchase 1-2 toys every other time. When choosing the toys, you may want to refer the recommended age on the toys’ description. Besides, children should not play with too many toys at the same time, generally, 3-5 pieces would be more than enough. Too many choices for the children will distract children, not only the toys are not well-used, but also the creativity of children will be limited. If you do not want your children to get tired of their toys so quickly, parents can teach them to classify toys and store them according to their categories. Parents can also put away some toys that children don’t play anymore and only after a while, present them once again in front of their children, this may help children learn to value their toys more and somehow make the toys new again!

  3. Give your children autonomy to make their own decision

  For children who already have basic language skills and can communicate with adults, they can choose their favourite toys at an appropriate time according to their wishes. Some psychologists believe that when children were allowed to choose, they would maximise the internalization of their behaviour and as a result be more responsible for their own choices. If parents let their children decide for themselves, not only can they train their children’s independent thinking ability, but also encourage them to establish a sense of existence and value in their own choices. Certainly, this do not mean that we should always opt for buying expensive toys for children. Taking them to local library or searching their favourite story books online can also empower them with a sense of autonomy to make their own decision.

  

  We hope that this guide will provide some useful tips for parents choosing toys for their children next time. Most importantly, don’t forget to remind your children to tidy up their toys after playing. This can be done by trying to compete with them to see who can tidy up the toy the fastest, or create a tidy-up song together. This would help children develop a good habit and sense of responsibility. To learn more information about early education in the UK or KnewSTEP’s Early-years Whole-person Global-mindset Curriculum, feel free to consult our educational consultancy team.

  Photo Credit:
  https://huaban.com/