The amount of time a child will be enthralled and play with a new toy is one of Mom and Dad’s first considerations when shopping for baby toys or children’s toys. Nobody wants to see the traditional cliché of spending a lot of money on a toy and finding the child playing with the box it came in! Another important factor, but one that many parents do not take into account, is the positive effects that a toy can have on the advancement and development of the child.

Children grow up in a variety of areas; cognitive (physical) and social (through interaction with other children and adults). A well-designed children’s toy can, in addition to being great fun to play with, help trigger growth in some of these areas. So when you visit the toy store, are there some simple things we should and shouldn’t keep in mind when selecting that critical purchase?

First, and somewhat controversially, you can avoid the new wave of electronic toys and educational toys available for the computer. The experts found that these toys are goal-oriented, which means that a child is not learning to think creatively or exploratory in their play and therefore their cognitive growth is not activated. Toys that cajole the child and therefore reduce the child’s efforts and cognitive process during play do not stimulate development. This kind of toy will not give a child the opportunity to think creatively or discover new forms of creative thinking. As any parent knows, a child’s imagination is limitless and it is this gift of thinking differently from adults that allows a child to grow cognitively at such an incredible rate. If the toy has only one path and one outcome, the child will not learn to decide between the options to solve a puzzle.

University studies have shown that old-fashioned toys are the most beneficial when it comes to triggering cognitive growth simply because a baby can use them in a variety of ways. This allows a lair to be anything from a house to a market stall to the space coordination center for the latest mission to outer space. Jean Piaget, a revered child physiologist, called the new methods of thinking “schemas.” Schemas are developed through the kind of creative thinking we describe here.

Traditional baby toys are also successful in the area of ​​stimulating motor skills. The physical advancement of a child can be divided into two main areas; gross motor skills (the growth of large muscles so that we can run, lift and move) and fine motor skills (these allow us to control objects with our hands with great skill and care). Classic and traditional toys like sorting cages and xylophones are great fun for young children to develop hand-eye coordination, while bicycles, tricycles, and toddler cars keep older children on the move while They develop their growing muscles, strength, and coordination.

Finally, it is clear that the simplest toys can also be the answer for social growth. Toys that trigger interaction and teamwork are a great way to develop a child’s ability to empathize and work with others. Role play toys are amazing at this as they allow a child to practice unfamiliar situations in a safe place and also interact with other children to produce more complex imaginary situations. They allow a child to act out scenarios and better understand the environment around them while feeling safe at the same time.

Remember the following points before starting your next Christmas shopping, it will be of great help.

1. Can the toy be used in different ways?

2. Can a baby change the purpose of the toy with his own eyes and mind ideas?

3. Would this toy be durable, safe, engaging, enjoyable, and certified for that age of child?

4. Can the toy provide increasing levels of difficulty so that it can grow with the child?

5. Check if the toy is suitable for use with other children, allowing interaction.

6. Is this toy just a flash in the pan or will it continue to be a component of your little one’s life for years to come?

No matter how fancy it looks, or how well advertised or packaged it is, the robot dinosaur will never offer your child the skill development that the plain old pull toy offers. The spotted dog will continue to walk even with dead batteries in the Robo-Dino.