Toys For Children
Toys For Children • Toy Stores
Recent Toy News
- How child's play went woke: Industry fair reveals new range of socially-conscious toys
Many of the products available at the Toy Fair, in Kensington, central London, today are being marketed as gender-neutral as well as a range of totally recycled toys.
Daily Mail. Tuesday, 21 Jan 2020 20:37:08 GMT. - Research Headlines - Reach for the sky for greener energy
What if a child's toy inspired an alternative to fixed wind turbines? An EU-funded project has developed a low-cost, highly productive 'kite' generator. ...
European Commission. Friday, 10 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT. - Visit this toy news page for more extensive news coverage.
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A Child Plays with Wooden Tinkertoys
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When shopping for toys, consider the age, personality, interests, and skills of the intended recipient. Toys can help children build intellectual abilities as well as motor and social skills. Parents, relatives, and friends can help a growing child develop a well-rounded personality and skill set by providing him or her with a variety of toys.
Birth to 1 year old
Infants like to grasp and hold things, and they should be exposed to a variety of sight, sound, and touch experiences. Squishy toys and lightweight rattles as well as large blocks, nesting toys, and stacking toys, are good choices for the first few months of a baby's life.
1 to 3 years old
Toddlers like physical play activities. Outdoor toy possibilities
include wagons, balls, and ride-on toys. Indoor toy selections
include large blocks and toys that encourage development of hand-eye
co-ordination. Toddlers like toys that enable them to imitate
their parents, and toy safety is a very important consideration for
children in this age group.
3 to 5 years old
Preschool children are fascinated with the way things work. Consider creative toys such as construction sets, crayons, and washable markers, as well as watercolor paints and simple board games. Introduce toys that enable children to practice life skills and imitate their parents. Examples include toy telephones and computers, doll houses, and pretend kitchen appliances.
5 to 9 years old
Introduce toys to young, school age children that teach them independence,
team play, and sharing skills. Select hobby toys, sports equipment,
computer software, and problem-solving toys, as well as construction sets
and storybooks. Some games can help youngsters learn counting and
problem-solving skills, while electronic toys with lights and sounds can
help teach cause and effect relationships. Many toys are designed
for children in this age group, and appropriate toys for specific age
children are listed below.
5 year old
Major play focus: play house, motor skills- Art and craft supplies
- Dress-up clothes
- Role-playing toys
- Toy trains
- Construction toys
- Dolls — action figures, Barbie dolls, animals
- Play kitchens
- Learning computers
- Children's tapes or CDs
- Simple musical instruments
- Sports balls
- Bicycle with training wheels
- Lego Duplo
- Video games
6 year old
Major play focus: motor skills, pretend play- Art and craft supplies
- Sports balls
- Bicycle with training wheels
- Lego or similar building block toys
- Video games
7 year old
Major play focus: outdoor play, realistic play- Art and craft supplies
- Board games (Monopoly, etc.)
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Treehouses or swingsets
- Sports balls
- Bicycles with training wheels
- Lego or similar building block toys
- Video games
8 year old
Major play focus: organized play- Board games (Monopoly, Risk, Clue, trivia games, etc.)
- Books
- Science kits
- Art and craft supplies
- Construction sets
- Doll sets
- Collections
- Sports equipment (balls, skates, skateboards, etc.)
- Bicycles
- Lego or similar building block toys
- Video games
9 to 12 years old
Preteens highly value acceptance from their friends, and simple toys become less interesting to children at this age. Construction sets, science toys, and sports toys, as well as board games and puzzles, are good choices for preteens. Team and group sports and physical play activities are important for this age group. Board, card, and electronic games can help to develop social and intellectual skills.- Science kits
- Books
- Musical instruments
- Computers
- Lego or similar building block toys
- Sports equipment (balls, skates, skateboards, etc.)
- Bicycles
- Video games
- Safe projectile toys
Other Toy Suggestion Guides
- Fisher-Price has created a toy suggestion guide for infants to 5 year olds.
- Parents has compiled a list of age-appropriate toys — as well as ones to avoid — for each developmental level.
- The NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) has published lists of suggested toys for children of different ages.
Toy Donation Organizations
Consider sending some toys to needy children!
- Marine Toys For Tots Foundation collects toys during October, November and December each year, and distributes them as Christmas gifts to needy children.
- Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God's love.
- Angel Tree delivers gifts to prisoners' children in their parents' name and shares the Gospel with them.
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