| Knowing which toy to pick | | | | well with play-sets such as an airport or station a |
| Although toddlers will already have specific | | | | sure-fire hit. |
| preferences in terms of toys and games they like it's | | | | Don't think that toddlers are too young for books. |
| best to check with the parents before buying a toy. | | | | It's wise to pick hard board books in general here as |
| Kids own a lot of stuff nowadays and this will, at | | | | small fingers find paper too easy to tear which can |
| least, avoid duplication. Most importantly it will help | | | | sometimes be more fun than actually reading! Look |
| make sure that the toy is something that they will | | | | for books with flaps and pop-ups and ones that |
| like playing with and that it is right for their age and | | | | introduce them to things such as animals, letters and |
| developmental stages. | | | | numbers. |
| The fact is that kids will play more with toys they | | | | Creative play is also helpful at this age -- chunky |
| like -- so, they'll get more benefits from them. And, | | | | crayons and paint brushes can help a toddler develop |
| getting the age and developmental stage right | | | | fine motor skills. Drawing and painting can also help |
| maximises their potential for learning. | | | | them start to work with colours and to use their |
| Toddler toys | | | | imagination. |
| There are all kinds of toddler toys to choose from -- | | | | Don't forget about physical play here either. Toddlers |
| many will help them develop mentally whilst others | | | | will benefit from outdoor toys such as swings and |
| will help them develop physically. | | | | slides, climbing frames and play apparatus. Look at |
| For example, toddlers love handling toys and | | | | ride-ons and push toys to help with balance and |
| particularly enjoy playing with balls, bricks and blocks | | | | walking and don't forget tricycles and scooters. |
| and smaller toys such as character figures, dolls and | | | | Conclusion |
| soft toys. They enjoy toys with which they can | | | | Safety is still a big issue with toddlers -- they still tend |
| interact and role play so look out for toy phones, | | | | to put things in their mouths so avoid toys with small |
| kitchens and play food and animals and people. Things | | | | parts that could choke them. Look for British |
| with buttons to press and noises to make will always | | | | Standards accreditation such as a Kite Mark, the Lion |
| appeal as well. | | | | Mark or the CE or EN rating. These marks show that |
| Vehicles are also a big hit here -- for girls as well as | | | | the toy has passed certain standards and is safe to |
| boys. Trains, cars, boats and planes will all go down | | | | use. |