The holidays are upon us and it is officially December! We have officially entered that time of the year where our weekends are filled with Christmas gatherings, cookie baking, and preparing for the infamous CHRISTMAS BREAK! And not to mention.... the stress of gift giving, especially when you have to give the gift of TOYS!
Toy shopping I feel is one of the most stressful when it comes to gift giving. So much is to consider when trying to find the best toy options for a child. What is an appropriate toy for his/her age? What should I be looking for? What is the perfect toy? What is the best when considering my budget?
These are all reasonable and honest considerations and you are not alone! Each holiday season, it is very common for me to hear these questions during therapy. Toys are expensive and you want the best that is going to help your child flourish with his/her development. That is why, for this month's post, I decided to wrap the year up with talking about ALL THINGS TOYS! Not just a single toy or a common theme, but everything about toys! Below, we will talk about play development, what to consider in a toy, some helpful suggestions, and lastly, we will talk about a few of my favorites for different ages and interests. I hope, by the end of this post, the thought of TOYS isn't as stressful.
All About Play Development
One of the best resources I like to provide to families who have younger children comes from Zero to Three. Zero to Three is an amazing resource for all topics related to development between the ages of birth to three years of age. You can literally search anything on their website and they have a resource for it! The Power of Play is great to learn about what play looks like at each age group.
Another resource I like to provide to families explains the different stages of play from birth to 4+ years.
What to Consider When Buying a Toy
When considering a toy to buy, the best advice to remember is "STAY AWAY FROM BUSY TOYS!" What is a busy toy you ask? A busy toy is any type of toy that has a ton of buttons, noises, lights, and parts. These features within a toy usually distract your child and doesn't enhance their learning. These toys can also lead to feelings of being overwhelmed or can lead to over stimulation.
Instead, look for toys that allow your child to explore, grow with manipulative function, and learn problem solving skills.
Here are some toys to consider based on age group:
Birth to 9 months: Consider toys that will engage your child's senses, such as rattles, chewies, and chunky board and cloth books. Pop up toys and busy boxes are great to learn cause and effect concept.
9 to 18 months: Consider toys that will imitate real life and promote functional pretend play. Toys, such as, play food, plastic tools, farm animals, and doll houses are great! Think about active toys, such as balls and other push/pull toys. And shape sorters are great for helping to learn problem solving skills.
18 to 36 months: Hands on toys, such as play dough, paints, craft materials, paper and crayons, are great to build creativity and enhance fine motor and visual motor skills. Consider toys that will help build imagination through pretend play. Dress up clothes, action figures, Dr kits, and baby dolls are great choices!
Helpful Suggestion
After reading thus far, you are probably thinking "How do I know I am choosing the right toy(s) based on this information?" The best suggestion I can give and will always give to families is "PLAY WITH THE TOY!" The only way you will know if a toy is the best choice for your child is to play with it. Take your time and really look at the toy. What are its features and what language use can be modeled while playing it. Will this toy grow with your child? Be that person in the store who annoys the other shoppers because you are pushing every button, playing with all exposing parts, and pushing it down the aisle. It is OK.... I am one of those annoying people! It's the best way to get the best for the price and also saves you time having to return something you regretted buying.
MY FAVORITE TOYS
I will admit, it has taken me a very long time and many many trials and errors with toys (I have way too many duds that I am not proud of) to get to the point where I love my "go to" and "favorite" toys for therapy. Unfortunately, considerations of toys for therapy was not a topic covered in graduate school! Anyhow, I hope the suggestions below are helpful. Each toy has great language use and supports speech production. Enjoy!
Toys for Under 12 months
Toys for 12-24 Months
Toys for 24-36 Months
Toys for 36+ months
Toys for Sensory Lovers
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