3 Questions to ask when you are buying toys for children 2 years and younger
Whether you need to curate your bursting toy closet or add a few great items to the shelf, The Nurtured Nest has you covered.
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Today we’re bringing you a good word from Jean that’ll help you make sense of the toy situation in your house. Whether you need to curate your bursting toy closet or add a few great items to the shelf, we’ve got you covered.
Remember, one of the major results of Piaget’s research was the Four Stages of Cognitive Development, which we can think of as the Fours Stages of Play.
Let’s begin by diving into the first stage – the Sensorimotor Stage – for kids ages 0-2.
Piaget discovered that kids in the Sensorimotor Stage (ages 0-2) are learning with their 5 senses and exploring the world through movement. Not surprisingly, then, ideal toys for this age engage the senses and encourage movement.
Lots (lots!) of toys for this age accomplish those goals, and they don’t have to be expensive delight and engage your child. Those wooden Montessori-type toys are great--they’re beautiful, they’re sturdy, and they somehow exude wholesome goodness--but the fact is that plastic, fabric, or mixed media toys are just as engaging.
Go with what’s in your budget and focus on how your child will engage with the toy rather than how it’ll look on your shelf.
- Does it engage one or more of the 5 senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, or feel)?
- Does it encourage movement and exploration?
- Is it safe for babies?
- Avoid toys that do the playing for your child. If it has too many bells and whistles and your child can be a passive observer, they’ll lose many of the benefits of play.
Take this list to the play space in your house and take inventory. Are there toys for your Sensorimotor-Stage child that don’t meet Piaget’s criteria? Are there toys that do the playing for your child? Consider removing them – either by donating them or tucking them away for a rainy day.
Why? Research shows that children play longer and more deeply when there are fewer toys available. Makes sense, right? The benefit of that deep play is the brain connections happening when a child really engages – like, full-body engages – in play. Magic!
If you’d like to add a few well-chosen items to your play space, I’ve included a few favorites for this stage below – all products my family loves.
Next we will tackle the stage where so much of the toy consumption happens- Developmental Stage of Play – The Pre-operational Stage (2-7). Stay tuned!
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