How to Select Age-Appropriate Toys for Children
With the myriad children's toys on the market today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the right toys for your child's age and development. Toy packaging often comes with a stated age or age range, but these labels apply more to toy safety than developmental stage. Here is a simple, effective system for finding toys and playthings that will match your child's age, development and interests.
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Instructions
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Take inventory before you shop. Look at what you already have and how often your child plays with certain toys. If your child hardly ever reaches for a certain toy, this may be a sign that it is either developmentally beneath him or too advanced.
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Familiarize yourself with basic child development. Know in roughly what order skills will likely be practiced and mastered. For example, babies can begin to grasp objects at 3 to 6 months of age.
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Observe your child. Look for emerging interests such as reading, drawing, stacking or percussion. For instance, if your child is just beginning to draw, a simple stack of drawing paper and new crayons would be a good match for her interests and abilities.
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Beware of any toy that needs batteries. These are often considered one-use toys: There is only one appropriate way to play with them.
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Look for toys and materials that could lend themselves to more than one function. These types of toys often span age groups, as well as being cost-effective purchases.
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Present new toys to your child and get involved in playing with them. Continue observing your child so that when it comes time to buy new toys, you will know his needs.
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Tips & Warnings
If your child is old enough, ask her what she would like if she could pick one toy. Require it to be a toy that has many different playing functions.
Do not make purchases based solely on a child's age. Developmental stage is a greater indicator of skill and interest.
