Great toddler toy ideas
At a loss for age-appropriate toys for your 18-month-old? We chat to an expert to help you choose toys that will both entertain and educate your little one.
Your 18-month-old is at a critical stage of discovering the world around them – and appropriate toys can help this to make this time a rich and deeply rewarding one, setting them up with lifelong skills.
Toys and activities to help develop their fine motor skills
Your 18-month-old is learning so much and every day offers a multitude of activities that are critical to their development. You can help develop their fine motor skills by encouraging them to scribble with crayons, to roll and twist play dough, pick up small objects and fill a container (shape sorters are also great for this) and navigate busy books.
All of these are great ways for little fingers to get the workout they need and to grips with challenges of cause and effect.
Playing with cause and effect
Bestselling author and parenting expert Nikki Bush is the founder of online toy resource Toy Talk, and also hosts popular workshops advising parents on recommended toys for children of all ages.
“Children under two years of age are in a deconstruction mode and will love to break down what you build for them and drop things for you to pick up. Games that require put it in and take it out actions, as well as toys that have action and reaction possibilities will hold your child’s attention”, she says.
Kids of this age love toys that emit a sound that is a direct result of their clever action - a toy piano, a take-along musical animal on wheels and a pretend telephone all stimulate cause and effect play.
Stacking – and knocking it down
There’s a reason why stacking towers are a perennial favourite for children of this age. The thrill of building a structure - and knocking it down of course -never gets old at this age.
Stacking is said to enhance toddler’s logical thought processes which can set up positive eye hand coordination, shape recognition and problem solving. By 18-months a child should be able to stack four blocks from largest to smallest.
Classic toys are classic for a reason
While there will always be new toys to excite and stimulate kids of all ages, don’t forget that the classic toys out there are classics for a reason. Puzzles promote fine motor and spatial skills and are an excellent resource for problem solving. And when all else fails? Kicking and chasing a ball outside is one of the most rewarding tutors of gross motor skills available.
IMAGE CREDIT: shutterstock.com
