Play is a natural way for children to learn about themselves and the world around them.
It is essential for children because it helps their overall development.
Play is considered a basic necessity for every child.
Even the United Nations (UN) recognizes the rights of every child to play.
According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child has the right to rest, leisure, play, and participate freely in cultural, artistic, and recreational activities as appropriate to the child’s age.
As parents or carers, you must understand that children’s play activities change as they grow up.
As children’s play activities change, so do the toys they use during play.
Therefore, choosing the suitable toys appropriate to your child’s age is super important to optimize their development.
The following is a simple guide to help you choose the suitable toys according to your child’s age:
(15 - 18 months old)
Children around this age like to explore their surroundings.
They learn the effect of their actions on objects and people in their environment.
They are also beginning to show interest in how things work.
They also tend to start mimicking others’ actions around the house, such as holding the phone.
Around this age, children mostly play alone (solitary play).
Examples of toys suitable for children around this age:
- Sensory toys : Rhythmic instruments, toys with music and colorful lights
- Simple cognitive toys : Matching puzzle ( 3 ~ 6 puzzles pieces)
- Simple construction toys : Stacking cubes (2.5cm ~ 3 cm square cube)
- Creative toys : Scribbling using safe non-toxic crayon or marker
(2 years old)
Children at this age focus on combining objects and learning their meaning.
They begin to classify objects and develop purpose in their actions.
They also attempt to mimic more complex actions around the house, such as cooking and sweeping the floor.
Children can mostly play side-by-side with other children at this age without interacting (parallel play).
Examples of toys suitable for children at this age:
- Sensory toys : Rhythmic instruments
- Simple cognitive toys : Body parts puzzle (large puzzle pieces)
- Construction toys : Building simple Lego blocks (large blocks), lacing colorful beads (large beads)
- Creative toys : Safe non toxic hand paints, play dough
- Simple role-play toys : Dolls
(3 - 4 years old)
Children around this age learn concepts such as color, number, shape, and pattern through play.
They are also able to use their environment creatively to play.
Children can mostly interact and play associatively with other children at this age (associative group play).
Examples of toys suitable for children around this age:
- Cognitive toys : Alphabet puzzle, number puzzle, shape puzzle
- Constructions toys : Magnetic building block
- Creative toys : Making collage, coloring, drawing
- Role play toys : Puppet, play houses, doctor’s kit
- Playground toys : Swing, tunnel
- Physical toys : Tricycle
(5 years old)
Children at this age usually appear more dominant in role-play, such as pretending to be characters they see on television.
Bossiness occurs as they attempt to organize and lead while playing.
Children start to play cooperatively with other children at this age to achieve common goals (cooperative group play).
Examples of toys suitable for children at this age:
- Construction toys : Building sets
- Creative toys : Drawing, painting
- Role play toys : Character costume such as superhero or cartoon
- Theme toys : Car toys, action figures
- Games with rules : Simple and fun game such as Simons Says
(6 years old)
Children at this age can participate in complex role-play involving props with stage performance quality, such as in school play.
They also have a good understanding of the rules of play and can comply with rules during play activities.
Children mainly have established cooperative play with other children at this age.
Types of toys suitable for children at this age:
- Construction toys : Building sets
- Creative toys : Themed painting
- Complex role-play toys : Acting with costume & props such as in school play
- Games with rules : Simple board games (snake & ladders)
- Illustrated storybooks (with pictures)
(7 - 12 years old)
Children around this age are much more competitive and game-oriented than before.
They are mostly more interested in sports and hobbies-related activities.
Types of toys suitable for children at this age:
- Complex cognitive toys : Complex puzzle, Rubik’s Cube
- Complex construction toys : Car model kits
- Complex creative toys : Origami, complex drawing or painting
- Games with rules : UNO card game, complex board games such as chess
- Storybooks
- Sport or hobbies-related toys (Bicycle, Fishing rod)
Play is considered a basic necessity and essential for every child because it helps their overall development. Click here to learn more about the 5 reasons why play is so important for children.
And although all toys can benefit children’s development, some toys bring essential benefits and impacts when introduced at early ages. Find out more about the best toys that can work wonders for children’s development by clicking here.
I hope this article is helpful to you, and if you like it, you may check out my other articles from this blog. Thanks for visiting my blog!
