How to effectively choose age-appropriate toys for your son?
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Give a child any toy, and chances are you have a happy kid. Ideally, young kids aren’t fussy when it comes to kids and baby toys, but you should be as a parent. As kids grow, they are little explorers who learn by doing. Playing with toys gives your child a golden opportunity to practice and develop new skills at his or her own pace by following some special interests. The toys you make available to your kids can shape their growth and development in many ways. While choosing toys sounds like an easy job, walk into any toy store, and the only thing you feel is being overwhelmed. Here are some ideas for choosing toys for your child – especially your son – that will nurture their overall growth.
Choose versatile toys
We should start by saying that you should choose toys that can be used in various ways. Young children, especially boys, love to take apart, pull out, put back together, and build up toys to satisfy their curiosity. Based on reviews submitted at toyboxadvisor.com/, this is why you need to choose open-ended toys for young boys. This is because they can play various games with them. For instance, your child can use interlocking wooden blocks to make a zoo, a bus, or a road. Such toys can spark your child’s imagination and help him develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills. Additionally, you might also be surprised to learn some interesting things when playing the game with your child.
Safety
Many toy manufacturers design toys with safety precautions in mind. However, it will help if you examine any toy you plan to give your child. If your son is between the ages of 1-2, they will bang, drop, throw, pull, suck, and bite any toy you give them. This is why we recommend buying durable toys that can withstand this kind of treatment. If the toy is fragile, your child will break it in no time.
Additionally, if the toy has small parts, your child will break them off. Since small babies bite into any toy you give them, it would be best to avoid toys with any parts smaller than one to two inches in diameter. This will help prevent any cases related to choking. You should also ensure the toys you get are painted with non-toxic materials as your young one will probably try sucking it.
Don’t fall for the trap of educational
The business of educational toys is booming world-over. This is because it is playing on parents’ fears that their children need to learn as much as possible to give them an upper hand in the future. But, not all age-appropriate toys are nasty. For instance, materials that expose children to foreign languages or classical music are okay. However, many toys boast that they can boost brain development or create early thinkers, readers, and mathematicians. Health experts have debunked such claims, and they are since unsupported. As a word of caution, genuine educational toys aren’t flashy gadgets with big promises. Instead, they are the staples that have built creative thinkers for millennia.
Go for toy’s that spark your son’s imagination
If your son is headed for his third or fourth year, his creativity is now taking off. In some cases, you will catch them trying to take on the role of someone else (e.g., a king) and imagine that something (like a pipe) is something else (like a rode). Buy toys that your young one can use as he develops and acts out real-life scenarios. Go for a toy that can build his language and literacy skills, problem-solving abilities, and the ability to put things in order.
Choose simplicity over complexity
Ideally, the simpler the toy, the longer it will last. Simple toys have fewer parts and hence last longer than more complex toys. Additionally, simple toys offer more versatility. Today your young one can hold it; next week, he can throw it, and next year he can use it for more functionality. In simple terms, when a toy is too specific, it limits your child’s ability to use his imagination.
Use only a few toys at a time
Giving your child too many toys means he will have a hard time focusing on any of them. It would be best to rotate toys in and out of your child’s toy room as a parent. Consider reintroducing the plaything after a few weeks when it feels new and fresh. If they have a similar toy type, let him explore one before trying another one.
We also recommend buying toys that nurture cross-generational engagement. This means toys which you can both take part in. If your son is above the age of three, you can introduce game nights in your home. Finally, we hope these tips will help you make a more informed decision the next time you’re buying toys for your son.