| Today, parents are faced with an array of | | | | the ball back. This is a stepping stone for the child to |
| bewildering toys and every toymaker claims his | | | | intermingle with adults in the house. |
| products to be entertaining and educative. However, | | | | - Similarly, a toy telephone can be a very useful toy. |
| most parents are frustrated with the little attention | | | | Children this age can be encouraged to have |
| or destructive use that children make of the toys. | | | | pretentious conversations. · Small colorful |
| This creates the need for parents to select the right | | | | blocks with large colorful images pasted on them |
| kind of toy for their toddlers. | | | | serve as great educational tools. The toddler's |
| Selecting a Suitable Toy | | | | attention is attracted towards such pictures and the |
| - Avoid toys that have sharp edges. | | | | curiosity level of child is also raised. |
| - Avoid toys having toxic paints as toddlers have a | | | | - Kids this age tend to respond well to two or |
| tendency to chew upon them. | | | | three-pieced puzzles. Puzzles which have big blocks |
| - Toddlers tend to handle the toys carelessly, so | | | | that easily fit, help in developing the child's mental |
| they should be of good durable make. | | | | skills. |
| - Select toys that deliver some basic kind of | | | | - Some toys require the child to row or paddle. |
| information/education to the child. | | | | These are great for keeping young children physically |
| - Avoid buying toys that are solely violent in nature. | | | | active. |
| Toys should be enjoyable and help in developing the | | | | - Mechanically enhanced but simple-to-use toys assist |
| child's skillfulness. | | | | in the development of muscles of children and give |
| - Avoid toys that have too many electronic circuits | | | | them better coordination skills. Small toys like |
| for the child's safety and they also require continued | | | | hammering toys and toys with interlocking sections |
| parental supervision. | | | | are very useful in this regard. |
| - Prefer buying toys which have some kind of basic | | | | The idea is to be creative and maintain a pool of |
| guarantee if they are battery or | | | | different toys. Families could even exchange toys |
| electronically-operated. | | | | with each other, once the child seems to have grown |
| A Few Good Choices | | | | bored of them. |
| - A simple ball is very useful for a young kid. It can | | | | Again, if the child refuses to play with a particular |
| be kicked, thrown, bounced, rolled upon and chased | | | | toy, the parents shouldn't feel let down. Instead, |
| around the house. A ball also serves as a great tool | | | | parents should re-introduce that toy to the child, |
| for initiating interaction. Usually, when the ball is | | | | after a gap of few days. |
| thrown to someone, he or she would tend to throw | | | | |