It’s that time of year when children are dreaming of toys under the Christmas tree. As parents, selecting the best toys for child development can feel overwhelming. The choices are endless, and not all toys provide the same benefits for your child’s growth and learning.
Why Toys Matter
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) highlights the importance of toys:
“Play is essential to optimal child development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. It also offers an ideal and significant opportunity for parents and caregivers to engage fully with children using toys as instruments of play and interaction.”
But why should we prioritise toys over apps or electronic devices? Here’s why:
- Toys Promote Interaction: Toys foster interpersonal skills and bonding between children and adults. In contrast, electronic devices isolate children, reducing opportunities for language and cognitive development.
- Hands-On Learning: Toys like blocks or puzzles encourage problem-solving and exploration, helping children develop motor skills, visual perception, and spatial awareness. Digital puzzles, on the other hand, provide only a two-dimensional experience.
- Active Play Encourages Health: Toys that encourage movement, like balls or climbing sets, help develop gross motor skills, coordination, and agility. Sedentary electronic toys contribute to low muscle tone and even obesity.
- Affordable and Versatile: The best toys encourage rich language and fun caregiver interactions. Everyday items like Tupperware lids or cardboard boxes can spark imagination and teach life skills, while electronic toys are often expensive and limited in use.
The Screen Time Dilemma
Limiting screen time is crucial for children’s development. The AAP strongly advises:
- No screen time for children under 18 months.
- High-quality programming only for 18 months to 2 years, and for less than an hour a day.
Excessive screen time can lead to behavioural issues and developmental delays. In my experience, children addicted to YouTube often exhibit difficult behaviour when not in front of a screen. Removing screen time often leads to dramatic improvements in these cases.
What Toys Should Santa Bring?
When choosing toys, it’s essential they are:
1️⃣ Age-appropriate.
2️⃣ Safe for use.
3️⃣ Able to promote positive caregiving and child development.
Here’s a helpful guide by age group:
Birth to 6 Months
- Skills: Turning towards sounds, tummy time, reaching for objects.
- Toys: Rattles, unbreakable mirrors, sensory mats, textured balls, vinyl books.
7 to 12 Months
- Skills: Crawling, pulling to stand, packing and unpacking.
- Toys: Large balls, push/pull toys, blocks, shape-sorting buckets, peg puzzles.
1 Year
- Skills: Kicking or throwing a ball, pincer grip, identifying body parts.
- Toys: Balls, colouring books, pretend cooking sets, sandpit tools, nursery rhyme recordings.
2 Years
- Skills: Running, sorting colours/shapes, make-believe play.
- Toys: Jungle gyms, finger paints, shape sorters, dolls’ houses, garages.
3 Years
- Skills: Skipping, pedalling, understanding size differences.
- Toys: Tricycles, puzzles, storybooks, baking tools, chalkboards.
4 Years
- Skills: Balancing, catching balls, making friends.
- Toys: Swingball sets, Lego, dress-up clothes, pool toys.
5 Years
- Skills: Naming colours, cutting shapes, tying shoelaces.
- Toys: Art kits, outdoor cricket sets, skipping ropes, colour-by-number books.
6 Years
- Skills: Cause and effect, basic reading, empathy.
- Toys: Stencils, insect collection kits, human body puzzles, musical instruments.
The Good News About Toys
Toys don’t need to be expensive to be valuable. Everyday household items like cardboard boxes or bottle caps can inspire imaginative play, stimulating creativity and development. A cardboard box can transform into a house, a ship, or even a treasure chest, while plastic caps can be repurposed into pretend money or wheels.
While smart devices have their place in children’s lives, they should not replace human interaction. A phone or tablet may keep your child entertained, but it cannot teach them the essential skills of communication and social etiquette.
Final Thoughts
The toys we choose for our children, whether for Christmas or any celebration, should encourage interaction, support emotional and social growth, and promote cognitive development. Who knew a simple toy could play such a significant role in your child’s overall well-being?
