development toy guide

As we are not health experts we are not qualified to give specific advice however as toys are our business and as parents of three we have compiled a Child Development Toy Guide for you to use when considering which toys to give to loved ones. This provides guidelines to development stages and then suggests appropriate educational toys which link automatically in the right hand column, we trust this acts as a remote helping hand when making your toy selection.

We favour interactive toys which concentrate on imaginative play and by using our Development Toy Guide you will be able to make some age appropriate choices. We stress that these are only guidelines, as every infant develops at his own pace. However, by applying the information you will be able to relate your educational toy choice to both your advantage and that of your child! Most importantly however, the level of interaction clearly depends on the development level of the infant. The very best ' interactive toys ' are always the parents and the people around us!

AGE	DEVELOPMENT STAGE	IDEAL TOYS	NIKNAK TOY SUGGESTION
Birth	High contrast patterns and faces, soft music.	Geometric shapes, black and white high contrast, mobiles.	Wooden Name Plaques
2/3 month	Recognises faces and sounds, highly contrasting images Discovers hands and feet, ability to grip. Increasingly alert with more movement control.	Squeaky toys, wrist rattles, gently noisy toys, cuddly toys, pram activity toys, easy to grasp rattles	Whoozit Activity Toy Lamaze Musical Inchworm Keptin Jnr
3/5 month	Begins number understanding, starts to recite songs, like to kick balls, enjoys mixing items , pencil control, shapes modeling, gender stereotyping begins, threading, starts family games Begins letter formation and letter/number recognition.	Squeaky toys, wrist rattles, gently noisy toys, cuddly toys, pram activity toys, easy to grasp rattles	Lamaze Play & Grow Pupsqueak Turtletunes from Lamaze
5/7 month	Able to concentrate on one item, can lift head and possibly roll. Starts to voluntarily shake toys, responds to own image.	Rattles, activity gyms, mirrors, soft activity toys, texture toys, pram toys, teething rings, toys with bells.	Whoozit teether Whoozit Smiley Flower
7/9 month	Plays peepoo, sits independently, rolls over, reaches for objects, perhaps starts to crawl, understands concept of stacking, moves objects from one hand to another, greater visual concentration.	Toys that move, grasping toys, card books, pop up toys, sorting toys, play telephones.
9/12month	Understands some language, starts to build, stack, disassemble, able to pick up smaller items, points and stands with support, stretches for objects.	Sorting toys, stacking toys, interlocking toys, chatter telephones, safe household items such as wooden spoons and plastic cups.	Pull Along Toys Big Top Sounds Jungle Stacker
12 month	Starts to climb, initiates play with others, likes to play with others, better hand/eye co-ordination, may walk supported or alone.	Banging toys, pulling toys, pushing toys, balancing toys, household objects.	Sorting Cage Push Alongs Stacking Rings Wooden Walker
18/24month	Starts to imitate use of items used in daily life, walks, like to explore textures, recognizes animals, likes music . Avoid heavy objects that may get dropped and ensure items are painted in non-toxic saliva proof paint. Buy from reputable toy manufacturers and retailers and not car boots or auction houses where goods might not offer the appropriate safety standards. Be vigilant!	Tea sets, dolls, cars, stacking and linking, crayons and paint, animal stories, cassette player, finger paints, books about everyday life. Easels are a good investment as are quality ride on toys. Bath toys are a great investment lasting years although plastic tubs and cups are just as useful and fun.	Noah's Ark Texture Matching Game Rumblies Toy Truck Baby Stella/Accessories Musical Instruments Wooden Height Charts
2/3 years	Imaginative play, starts creating role play, likes to dress up, likes to get messy, can imitate, gets more physical, understands role of money, can follow basic instruction, begins to share, can propel a tricycle, balance is more mature, enjoys dance, starts to dress himself, colour recognition starts . Gets into character recognition big time. They remain inquisitive so keeping making sure substances, hot equipment, medicines and plug guards are still in use. Continue to monitor play with water and make sure doors are not self locking.	More detailed construction toys, make believe toys, dolls, prams, painting, drawing, molding, puzzles, interactive play, balancing toys, bowling toys, climbing frame, digging toys, ride on toys, water play, animal and people figures, beads, counting toys, peg boards, musical instruments . Start a dressing up box and develop good garden play such as sand and safe water toys. Learn how to make your own play doh and develop a home corner, large cardboard boxes can be cut into shapes and built up then painted.	Ride on Toys Dressing Up Outfits Musical Instruments Number/Alphabet Jigsaws Texture Matching Game Dress Up Pup Construction Vehicle Baby Stella/Accessories Wooden Train Blocks Snake & Ladders
3/4 years	Begins number understanding, starts to recite songs, like to kick balls, enjoys mixing items , pencil control, shapes modeling, gender stereotyping begins, threading, starts family games Begins letter formation and letter/number recognition.	Pedal toys, bat and ball, skipping ropes, garden games, construction toys, number, letter toys, puppets, tool kits, children's scissors, dolls houses, castles, dressing up, magnetic letters, magnifying tools, balancing toys, money play, play figures. Toys with smaller pieces, jigsaws. Toys become smaller and far more gender dominated. Puppets and Theatres are a good investment as are dolls houses, farms and castles although more expensive they have a long interest value.	Fairyland Doll Houses Wooden Vehicles Puppets Painting Projects Number and Alphabet boards Dressing Dolls Snakes and Ladders Dolls Wooden Dolls Pram Swinging Crib
4/5 years	More energetic activity, skips, hops, Starts to write, uses planned strategy, sorts objects according to characteristics, number recognition, values role play, more complex constructions which includes making toys and board games . Board games builds confidence and self esteem and strengthens interpersonal skills - persevere!	More complex jigsaws, scientific toys, garden games, word and mathematical forming toys . Start a Friday night is Games Night...when all the family comes together to play board games with the added treat of crisps or popcorn to make a night of it. Establish open access to pens, paper and drawing materials. Create an Art Box full of bought and recycled household items a.k.a. Blue Peter. Continue to get mucky...buy some clay and spend an afternoon in the garden making tree models for example.	Bow and Arrow Sword and Shield Groovy Girls Build it Train & Carriages Paint Skittles Lets Play Letter and Number Boards Dressing Dolls
6 years+	Starts to read and write, can follow instructions with some help. With greater manual dexterity as well has finer concentration children enter a new phase in design and technology. Individual hobbies start to develop but they can change their minds often. Electronic games become increasingly popular often bought on through added peer pressure	Instructional toys and make it kits. Team games, reading books and creative play. Have on hand materials for making "dens" together with the continued use of dressing up materials. Create a physical garden with football goals, nets and team games. Construction sets now get far more complicated and sophisticated but still ensure they are within a child's ability. Confidence issues through lack of achievement can have a major impact on self esteem.	Playground games box Klutz books Outdoor Games Little Experience Kits Make your own Tribal Kazoo
8 years+	Play now reflects the child's own interests and enthusiasms. Personal skills such as alertness, observation skills, manual dexterity and creativeness now come to the fore and once identified need to be enhanced through broadening knowledge and developing tastes.	Research the versatility of computer games ensuring that add-ons are available to increase the play value at a later date if needs be. Link hobbies to pocket money so that children have an active part in toy selection and learn about value and choices.	Make It Monstor Magnets Make a Wind Chime