How to choose a toy for a child? Even though it is a seemingly unnecessary question, it is actually of crucial importance because the selection of children’s toys can influence their future. Modern times brought toys full of plastic, artificial materials as well as tablet devices which occupy the youth’s attention more and more. On the other hand, we have somewhat ignored toys made of natural materials, unaware about how much they contribute to creative and intellectual development of children.
Childhood is a time when we always need toys as warm and gentle friends. They awaken imagination, inspire creativity, and, like narrators, tell tales without spoken words. This is a period when we are learning about the environment and developing awareness about everything that surrounds us, we use our sense of touch, trying to tell apart colours, materials, shapes, to satisfy our curiosity. Will a child be active, responsible, social or passive, asocial, depends on the toys which contribute to developing creativity, an inquisitive spirit, cooperation with other children and many other things.
The abilities that can prove as vital later on develop in earlier ages while children go through early stages of development by playing as they learn to be patient, increase their level of concentration, attention and the feeling of keeping up with their co-player during playtime.
The toys should be of good quality, made of natural materials and colours in order to enrich the child’s world. The toys can be equally interesting and appealing to children whether they are made of textile or wood.
Toys made of natural material:
- support development of motor skills, intelligence and observation skills;
- incite development of social and linguistic skills;
- stimulate motor skills development and movement coordination, logic judgement, memory and deductive skills;
- boost ecological awareness since early age, and
- are longer lasting and safer, excluding the continuous use of batteries or need for repair services.
Find toys that give meaning to the word playing. Copyright: Oksana Kuzmina
Naturally, you will need to adjust the toys to the age of a child. I would like to point out to a large active cube that can be used for children to recognize numbers, agility and logic deduction in our discussion about wooden toys. The toy consists of 7 different coloured wooden shapes that you place in modified „holes“ on a cube. The children devote much more attention to them. They can’t separate themselves from playing with them so easily, while they also develop their motor skills and spend quality time. Also this is an excellent game that can motivate you as well to engage in an active play with children.
The truly creative ones among you can use recycled materials and build doll houses or perhaps a ragged ball for boys and music instruments.It is the right moment to awaken your inner child, while YouTube can aid you in finding the easiest way to make such unique toys.
The plush toys can serve as a unique aid in education apart from having symbolic importance. You can use the plush toy as a model for studying social skills and obligations. You can illustrate better the importance of hygiene to children by showing a dirty plush toy. The children often take plush toys with them. You should allow them to do so, because it represents a development of independence among children. They represent someone that is close to children and a subject of special affection.
Therefore, forget about trendy shops packed with plastic and electronic devices. Find toys that give meaning to the word playing. Try to make their growing up more beautiful through useful games. The children will be endlessly grateful and you will be proud of them when you see them grow into resourceful, creative and good people.
