Age-Appropriate Toys For Your Baby Development
According to a famous saying; “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think”. The thinking process of baby development starts in the first minutes of the baby’s life. They are influenced by everything surrounding them especially the things that they interact with more frequently, like their toys. Of course, any colorful little thing will bring excitement into the baby’s life and a smile to your face. However, you have to carefully choose the developmental toys for your baby according to their age and the characteristics of that certain age.
Let’s together explore the uniqueness of each age, understand what they are looking for, and find the best child developmental toys by age:
- 0-6 months
This is the time when parents themselves are introduced to the baby’s character, his/her unique traits, and behavior. During this period babies are more of an observer, rather than a player. Their eyesight is developing and getting used to various colors and figures. A lot of research suggests that the best developmental toys for infants at this period are:
- Colorful Stuffed Animals
- Shapes and Figures
- Activity Floor Gyms
- Toys with Unbreakable Mirrors
- 6-12 months
During this period, the baby is already getting more active with their movements. Also, they tend to pick up things and already start to visualize a bigger picture. This period will require baby development toys to be more creative than for the previous period.
The imagination of the baby is highly influenced at this stage, they need exploration. All of these will be done to develop their cognitive mindset. Also, their language and speaking skills will also be very developing at this stage.
The toy list for the perfect baby development we suggest:
- Activity Toys
- Mobile Phone Toys
- Wooden Puzzles
- Musical Toys
- Buses and other cars to include people in them
- 1-2 years
The next list of baby development toys will be discussed for a period of 1-2 years. At this time, babies like to see the effects of their movements. For example, they will be fascinated when seeing pop-ups, colors, and sounds caused by their actions. This is considered the time for babies when they like to play pretend. The developmental toys we suggest are:
- Crayons and Markers (Non-Toxic of course)
- Musical Instruments
- Sets of Hammering
- Shape Sortings
If you want to learn more about age-appropriate toys,
- 2-4 years
Now it’s getting more serious, your baby is more interested in having some purpose in the play, to get results and see a performance. They already have some kind of physical strength and can do a lot of things on their own. Another game for baby development is playing pretend and getting an insight into various life roles. So, the best developmental toys for babies at this age are:
- Dolls
- Trucks
- Sets of developmental toys that depict a kitchen, party or etc
- Books
- Toys that can snap together
- 4-6 years
This period of the baby’s life is considered the boom of the learning activity. The baby development here requires a more interactive approach. As mentioned, now the babies can control movements more, thus it’s essential to get developmental toys for your baby that include brain activity and muscle movements. By doing so you allow your child to do crafts, go outside and play memory games, thus making them explore new things and aim to ideal baby development.
This period influences the development of motor skills, brain activities and vocabulary, so it sets a base for proper baby development.
- More complex puzzles
- Construction sets
- Tricycles and bicycles
- Hula hoops
- Dress up figures
- Toy Electronics
- 6-7 years
This stage lets your child develop hobbies and interests for the future. Kids start to go through social transformations and create their place in the world. You should start indulging them in the fields they find interesting. By doing so you will influence creativity, self-confidence, and out-of-the-box thinking of your kid.
Our advice is to buy the best development toys for babies that will correspond to their interests and hobbies. Don’t forget to emphasize the importance of being an individual and also the ability to be a part of the team. It may sound difficult, but developmental toys will come quite in handy.
- Remotely controlled cars
- Science experiment kits (Parents may be involved)
- Larger Construction Sets
- Checkers and Chess
- Knitting kits
- Books that involve activity
- 8+ years
In the final section of our discussion, we will explore the child’s behavior after the age of 8. During this period they enjoy outdoor sports and being outside. They also enjoy bikes, scooters, boards, and skates. They tend to obtain interests of grown-ups, their abilities, and hobbies and may display enthusiasm for becoming a specialist.
Baby girls will love doing crafts and expressing themselves in their diaries, and boys will tend to the computer and video gaming world. Of course, we are not setting gender limits and they can do whatever they find interesting for them.
Overall, the years after 8 are all about doing stuff that gives children a feeling of mastery and competence. They love computer and video games, as they can challenge themselves to get a better score than they did the time before than the previous time. Children enjoy playing in competition with their peers and they will confidently tell the world about their victories against their friends.
At this stage the best developmental toys for babies are:
- Video Games
- Science Kits of a larger complexity
- Board games to play with friends
- Even more complex construction sets
- Sports Equipment
- Journals, Comics, and Books
The development process is a very fascinating, challenging and lovely process. Each parent falls in love with their kid and each stage of their development. They try to buy the best developmental toys for their babies, fill their lives with joy and excitement and support their healthy upbringing. We truly hope that our article helped you find the best child developmental toys by age and support your baby’s needs and interests. Always enjoy what you are doing for your baby!
