The Best Toys to Help Your Toddler’s Development

Your little one is constantly learning and developing. Every day there are new challenges to encounter, lessons to learn and adventures to be had. They are constantly exploring, and their curious minds are determined to play and discover. Your toddler constantly interacts with their surroundings, especially their toys. Here are the top 5 toys that’ll help with your child’s development, making learning fun and constructive from day one.

1. Shape Sorter Blocks

These sets of blocks come in different shapes and sizes and are an excellent way for your toddler to improve motor and cognitive skills. One of the available block sets from ‘Fisher Price’ is extra fun, with different coloured and sized assorted blocks. Your toddler has to match the shape and size of the block with the hole in the box. This toy can keep your toddler busy and intrigued as you watch them contemplate where specific blocks fit and where they don’t.

2. NogginStik

This super fun and easy toy is focused on toddlers who are in the first developmental stages of their life. This toy helps encourage auditory attention, sensory stimulation and grasping development. When your toddler taps or shakes the NogginStik, it starts to glow and slowly changes in colour. Developmentally, this is a great way for your child to practice eye tracking as they follow the lights. This also helps develop important neuropathways that improve skills needed for reading further on in life.

3. Push Toys

Push toys are great for encouraging your kid to take their first steps when they feel ready. A push toy such as a toy car, truck or walker allows them to move around faster because of the support it gives them. The push toy encourages them to focus on movement even though there are other distracting factors around them, which is a valuable skill to learn. While they’re playing around – pushing their toys, they concentrate on walking, moving and guiding themselves. Push toys encourage movement as well as speech development. Allow your toddler to mimic the sound of the toy they’re playing with. Making the noise of the car, for example, helps them associate their toys with their interaction in the world.

4. Large Puzzle Pieces

Large puzzle pieces are great for your little one’s cognitive development and motor skills. Invest in a big puzzle that isn’t too challenging for your toddler. Help them at first so they understand how the pieces relate to each other. When engaging in puzzle building, they are stimulating and learning the connection between their hands and their eyes, by flipping, turning, removing and fitting the pieces of the puzzle.

5. Arts and Crafts

Making some time for your toddler to get creative is an excellent way to encourage fine motor skill development. Start collecting some art supplies for the house and include a variety of papers, large-sized crayons, washable markers, playing clay or any other object that will help your toddler explore his or her creative side. Arts and crafts help your child focus on the finer things, like staying in between the lines or holding a paintbrush. It’s also a great way for them to have fun and use their imagination.

Ultimately, your toddler is going to learn valuable lessons and skills from everything around them. Make sure your house is a place that encourages learning and offers positive reinforcement, so your toddler feels confident to explore new things to continuously learn, grow and develop.

Sources:
https://www.thespruce.com/top-toys-for-toddlers-cognitive-development-1270780
http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/02/25/8-great-toys-that-help-with-cognitive-development/
http://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/13-most-effective-speech-therapy-activities-for-toddlers
https://www.care.com/c/stories/4490/10-of-the-best-baby-walking-toys/
http://www.mommyedition.com/top-educational-toys-for-babies-and-toddlers