Toys are considered to be part and parcel of a kid's life. Children love to play and spend their time with their toys like cars, building blocks, stuffed toys, talking & walking toys, and lots more. But do you know toys play a very important role in your kid's overall development, be it physical, mental, or emotional?
There are many toys available for kids that keep them entertained and help develop critical skills like motor, sensory, tactical skills, etc. This article is all about kids' toys in terms of how to choose a toy, factors to be considered, things to be avoided, appropriate toys, etc. And at the end, there is a list of the top 10 best toys available for online purchase like Fisher-Price, CableWorld, and more. So, make sure to read it till the end.
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Do you find it difficult to understand what kind of toys to look for as per your child's age? What factors to consider while making a purchase? Or are the toys that you are picking will keep the kids engaged and used for a long time? Do check out our buying guide to get answered for all your doubts and questions.
Keeping in mind the kid's age is the first and foremost thing that you have to consider as a parent. This is because every toy is made by considering the children's physical and mental growth in a particular age-group. A toy meant to be used by a toddler like a pull-away toy or a rattle toy will not amuse an older kid.
Similarly, you cannot give a toy meant for older kids to toddlers, as they may not find it interesting. Getting an age-appropriate toy means finding a toy that matches your child's age and interest. It is necessary to know the level of mental or physical development and interest as per their age.
Safety factors also determine the age levels for the toys. For example, small kids tend to put everything in their mouth, and a toy with small or sharp parts may put the child at risk of choking. So, make sure you check the recommended age mentioned on the packaging while making a purchase.
Building blocks are the best early education toys for training kid's imagination. These toys offer plenty of opportunities to enhance their creativity. They have to think about which blocks should be used to get a particular shape, leading to brain exercise and critical thinking.
These types of toys to are recommended to master your kid's motor skills. As they will constantly be holding the blocks, trying to join them, stacking them, and making various shapes. Building blocks mostly come in bright colors, which make them attractive and stimulates the kids to play.
This set of building blocks is made of non-toxic plastic material, making it safe in case the kid puts it in the mouth. In addition to this, the edges of the blocks are smooth and rounded, ensuring it doesn't hurt in any possible way. However, it is not suitable for kids below 2 years as the blocks are smaller in size and may lead to choking if they accidentally enter the kid's mouth.
This toy comes in attractive colors and will give your kid the chance to learn many activities. The toy comes with different fun activities to help develop fine motor skills, hearing skills, hand-eye coordination, and visual skills.
Some of the activities include the animal blocks game, door opening game, counting and shape sorting game, etc. There is also a musical organ that plays melodious music and tunes. The colorful counting beads will help your kid to learn basic math skills.
On the other hand, fitting the animal-shaped blocks into their correct slot will help learn the different sounds that animals make. This is a wonderful toy to keep them engaged for a long time.
Kids love pretend plays, as it gives them a sense of independence and opportunities for decision-making. Pretend play toys make a great choice to expose the kids' to real-life experiences. This realistic-looking kitchen pretend play set is made by considering the same purpose.
The young chefs in your life will surely love this almost realistic kitchen which also comes with kitchen accessories. Let your child imitate the parents' busy figure in the kitchen and let them cook a delicious imaginary meal for you.
This kitchen play-set helps kids fine-tune their motor skills, and hand-eye coordination using pretend kitchen utensils, food items, plates, spoons, etc. Let your child organize the whole kitchen as per their choice, which will lead to decision-making.
If you are looking for a multipurpose pretend play toy set for your kid, then this doctor's play-set is a perfect choice for you. This kit will help in developing their social and educational skills. It will not only reduce their anxiety but also make them learn the importance of visiting a doctor.
This playset is also ideal for teaching your kids social values, the importance of interaction, and responsibility. With this toy, they are constantly trying to interact with others to know their concerns and try to help others, leading to empathy.
It comes well packed in a cute owl-shaped ABS Plastic suitcase. The suitcase is attached with two wheels, making it easier for kids to carry from one place to another. They can also carry it with them to their friend's house, going on a picnic or outing.
The main aim of this spelling game by MonsterKids is to teach children the concept of colors and alphabets. Not only this, your child will also learn the names of various things that he/she looks at in daily life.
By playing matching games, your kid will learn words, spellings, and lowercase letters. Apart from this, this puzzle set also helps the kids in color recognition and know about different shapes of living and non-living things.
The alphabets are made of high-quality and environment-friendly materials, posing no health risks. The water-based paint color with smooth and rounded edges makes it safe for your little ones.
This chalk a doodle board allows your kids to have their first writing experience. Kids get very much attracted to pens, markers, colorful crayons, and chalks. These things allow them to put their thoughts on paper.
Kids love to scribble and draw, but you don't want them to scribble around the whole house. To save your walls, doors, and sofas from such mess, you can buy these types of reusable doodle mats. Just give them the pen filled with water, and they are good to go.
The drawing fades away within 3 to 5 minutes, allowing them to doodle over and over again. Doodling not only makes them imaginative and creative but also helps in improving motor skills. The product has received nice reviews; however, few have complained that the watermarks remain even after drying.
The next product on our list is a brand that is known for its high-quality toys. Fisher-Price produces educational toys for infants, toddlers, and children. This combo pack is one of the best picks to introduce infants to colors and shapes.
The pack comes with a set of rings and a block filling bucket. Playing with the cups will help in developing finger skills. The cups come in different sizes, and putting them in order will encourage them to think and stack.
The toy also comes in different shapes that have to be filled in the bucket using the right slot. Filling the bucket, dumping them out, and starting over is great for hand-eye coordination and other skills.
Newborn babies till the age of 6 months need toys that will stimulate their senses, especially sound, sight, and touch. Therefore, you should look for toys that are textured, easy to hold, and make noises. This play-cum-gym mat meets all these requirements.
The playmat comes with a detachable piano and soft animal toy hanger. You can lie your baby down on the mat, and they will enjoy playing with the hanging toys, trying to grab and hold them. Their soft kicks on the piano will result in melodious music, animal sounds, alphabets, and numbers.
As far as the reviews are concerned, the buyers are delighted with this product. According to them, the kids love playing with it for hours. However, the only concern that they have shown is the quality of the mat. It is not properly cushioned to support a newborn's softback. So, make sure to use a separate cushioning.
Outdoor activities are a must for toddlers. Getting exposed to the external environment helps improve their immune system. The more the kids play with sand, soil, and mud, the more attached they will be to nature.
This playset can be used as a gardening tool, or you can also take it to the beach, where the kids will enjoy playing in the sand. If you have a backyard or a small kitchen garden, you can inspire your kids to do some gardening. This BPA-free play-set will help them master motor skills and also imbibe a sense of respect for nature.
Puzzles are said to be important for your kid's brain development. It helps develop skills like shape recognition, concentration, and a sense of achievement. When the kids join the pieces together, it teaches them the concept of 'whole.'
This puzzle set by the brand Toyshine comes with brightly colored wooden pieces of fruits and shapes. It also comes with a lightweight metal box for storage, ensuring easy cleanup and no missing pieces. The buyers have liked the perfect size of the puzzles that provide easy grip by the kid's little hands.
Before we discuss more on this buying guide, let's first understand the meaning of fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are referred to the coordination between small muscles, like those of hand and fingers, with the eyes. In simple words, it means hand-eye coordination. But why is it important?
Fine motor skills are essential in almost all kinds of activities you or your kid does in everyday life, e.g., eating, writing, playing, performing personal care, etc. It is very crucial to help your kid develop these skills right from a very young age.
To do so, it is recommended to look for toys where they have to use the small muscles like building blocks, puzzles, construction toys, stacking toys, etc. These kinds of toys would need to be picked, stacked, and arranged in a particular shape or order. This will boost the overall coordination of hand and eyes, improve grip and make the muscles strong.
At a very young age, you can introduce them to toys like the wooden alphabet, shapes, animals, or number board puzzles. Playing with the board puzzles helps in developing hand-eye coordination because they have to look, grab, and match a particular character.
As a parent, you can help them to memorize the characters by calling out the names loudly and repeating them. Toys that can talk and sing help the kids to pick up words and vocabulary, as the kids try to imitate what the toy is saying and singing.
A singing toy also imbibes the sense and interest of music in them and also stimulates their brain. Encourage them to sing along and sing with them to make learning fun.
Similarly, kitchen play sets inspire them to understand the kitchen tasks and motivate them to make decisions on their own. Pretend play toys make the kids active rather than just sitting on the floor and playing. A grocery shopping cart will give them an image as if they were in a supermarket and shopping.
You can also take part during such playtimes, for e.g, by giving them a list of groceries they have to buy or act as a cashier. Other examples of toys that boost open-ended learning include gardening sets, toolbox sets, vegetable, and fruit sets, cutting and chopping sets, etc.
Other things that need to be taken care of are, the materials used in the making of a toy. You will find toys made of plastics, wood, and fabric. Wooden toys make the best option as they are durable, not easily breakable, and usually have smooth edges. However; in India, most of the toys available are made of plastic.
Plastic toys are less expensive, therefore, popular among parents. Make sure the plastic toy that you are buying is BPA-free and not made of cheap plastic materials. BPA is an industrial chemical, used to make certain plastics. Getting exposed to this may lead to serious health issues in infants and children.
Have you ever wondered why kids' toys are always so colorful? Kids get attracted by bright colors like red, blue, orange, green, etc. Therefore the toys, especially for small kids, always come in very bright colors as they make them happy and work as a stimulator. But it is important to check the quality of the paint used. It should not be toxic and shouldn't come off easily.
Are you a new parent? Or looking to bring some changes to your baby's daily care routine? Or just want to know what's new is in the market? Check the below-mentioned links to get to know all about the baby and kids' products.
Selecting a toy can become overwhelming sometimes, due to the availability of so many varieties and types. Try to choose by considering the mental and physical development of your kid. Picking a toy that helps to learn and to master key skills will go a long way.
Author - Sashmita
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