The Importance Of Toys In A Child’s Development
What do you think the answer would be if you asked any child if his or her toys were important to them? Without a shadow of a doubt the resounding answer would be…YES.
We certainly thought so too when we were young enough to play with toys, right. When it’s our turn to buy them for our children, some of us might begin to question the relevance of toys in our child’s life.
We all have a favorite toy whose memories can still elicit a chuckle or a warm feeling inside from nice memories associated with the toy. Mine was a toy dog I had. I used to take it everywhere with me, pretending it was my own pet dog…I think I even tried feeding it!
Experts say that playing with toys is essential to a child’s development starting from as early as infancy. Toys like rattles, toy teethers, hanging mobiles and plastic chew key rings help babies connect all of their senses to objects.
Color and shape recognition, awareness of space, hand-eye coordination, and other vital motor sensory skills are exercised through playing with educational toys that were developed specifically to enhance those skills. There are also kids’ toys that enhance a child’s imagination and creativity. Some toys even teach them patience (puzzles) and reinforce the concept of hygiene (bath and tub toys).
Toy stamps and colorful beads may not seem like great toys, but they really enhance a young girl’s creativity and introduces her to the arts and crafts. For young boys, getting their own set of wheels can become such a bone of contention…getting their own bikes or toy cars is part of their pretend play to be like their just like their father.
Stuffed animals look cute and cuddly and can quite easily be dismissed as frivolous objects. These toys in fact are so much more than that though. Not only do they introduce young children to animals, these toys also give them a tactile exercise to explore textures. Some stuffed toys do make animal sounds when something is pressed or held by the child. This is a good start for a child to learn about sounds.
Toys are also vitally important in different stages of a child’s development. It is up to us parents to figure out which toys are appropriate for their child’s age as well as to decide that the toys are safe for our child’s use.
There are still many skills that a child can learn through playing with his educational toys, but one thing is for certain – the key player in his growth is still human interaction; with parents, siblings and other children.
The toy is important for very young children but they equally need social interaction. When they get bigger, they need toys to stimulate their imagination, but parents will always be most important playmates their kids can have.
