1. Is there any criteria when it comes to choosing toys for a young child?
The natural way for a child to learn is through play. Children benefit from "learning" situations that are enjoyable. Naturally, toys have to be fun and be used as a tool for learning. In choosing any toy for a child, you have to bear in mind these criteria:
Appropriateness To Age
As children change very rapidly in terms of their growth and development, a toy which entertains a two-month-old will not entertain a two-year-old and vice versa. As they develop, children need different stimuli and the choice must reflect these differing needs. Thus, it is important that the toy chosen for a child is appropriate to her age.
Versatility And Stimulation
The most useful toys are those that enable your child to do something for them, instead of forcing them to play in a stereotyped manner. Toys that fit together, which can be used to build different constructions, also teach children that they have the ability to change the appearance of things with their own dexterity. They also improve their spatial intelligence and depth of perception.
Safety
Safety is obviously the most important consideration when choosing or making a toy for your child. You must not only be vigilant for finding dangerous design faults at the point of purchase, but also check at regular intervals to make sure that none have developed due to wear and tear.
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3. What toys are suitable for toddlers between one to three years?
Between 12 and 18 months
By one, the child can move his arms, hands and fingers with more precision. Having achieved some measure of dexterity,
the child is usually happy experimenting with items that challenge his
manipulative abilities.
• Stacking toys - Stacking rings, wooden bricks, and beakers of different sizes encourage dexterity and spatial visualisation.
• Shape sorters - Helps to differentiate shapes and teach colours at the same time.
• Puzzles - These should have knobs for little fingers to hold as the child tries to fit into the respective shapes. If not, the pieces should be big enough and simple to put together.
• Putting and taking-out toys - You need not buy a toy for this purpose. Simply fill a box with all sorts of interesting things like a bunch of old keys, a ball, etc. Besides helping to develop his manipulative skills, your child will have a great time examining them.
• Push and pull toys - Those with strings to pull or with rigid handles, and carts to load and unload are recommended.
• Colouring materials - Large crayons for him to clutch with his palm will satisfy his scribbling needs.
18 months to 2 years
Now, the child spends a longer time playing by himself with toys that he can manage independently, especially those that imitate the actions of grown-ups. He also makes reasonable attempts at unscrewing tops and lids, threads large beads and holds the paper steady as he scribbles or paints. He now holds the crayon with his thumb and first two fingers on the shaft.
• Hammering toy - A bench with wooden pegs to hammer into encourages coordination and lets off excess steam!
• Sorting and stringing toys - Shape sorters and threading spools (or empty cotton reels) will teach shape discrimination and manual dexterity.
• Play dough - Soft modelling dough will introduce variety and artistic endeavours.
• Toy telephone - This will feed the need for conversation and word play.
• Musical toys - Simple ones can be used to accompany nursery songs or played for their own effects.
2 years to 3 1/2 years
A child of this age gains steadily in independence, control of language, and new skills. He likes to build things and knock them down again, put things together and pull them apart, and enjoy all things that test his ability. The older toddler finds buttons, zippers screw tops, taps and knobs fascinating and he feels a strong need to "do" them. He draws in shaky circles and crosses, and enjoys painting. His play with bricks and other materials become more complicated and imaginative.
• Painting set and scissors - You can draw the outline for him to paint in. Offer a few colours at a time and make sure scissors are of a blunt edge, and cutting needs to be supervised.
• Construction set - Get a basic construction set of large wooden or plastic pieces that can be assembled easily.
• Dressable dolls - A doll’s dress with a zipper and button holes can provide plenty of learning fun.
• Dressing up clothes - These encourage imagination along with "let’s pretend" games. You could give your old clothes, an old hat for his playing fun.
• Tools and household items - Allow your child to get on with work at the same time as you do.
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4. My child seems to have rather poor ball skills. Does this mean that he is clumsy?
While it is true that throwing, catching and kicking can be rather important indicators of coordination, do not be overly anxious if your child seems inept at these skills. There are other factors which influences a child’s coordination.
At the age of three, a child should be able to catch, but only if the size and weight is suitable. Another thing to consider is the distance from which the ball is thrown. Anything more that a metre and a half away is not going to find its way into your child’s hands. When the ball lands about as near to your child as the sun is from the earth, don’t panic. It does not necessarily mean that your child is clumsy, it is just an indication that he
lacks the maturity in the development of his eye-hand coordination.
By about four and a half, your child should be able to bounce and catch a large ball. Observe the other children around the same to see how well they are handling the skill. However remember that this is by no means a fool-proof yardstick against which to measure your child’s progress.
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6. My five-year-old boy seems to prefer playing by himself to mixing around with his peers. He also seems to be very shy. What can I do to encourage him to socialise with the other children?
The most common cause of shyness in children is unfamiliarity. When your child is surrounded by unfamiliar people it is only natural that he behaves in a shy manner until he is more familiar with them. For some children, this process of familiarisation takes a longer time than others.
If your child is one who is naturally shy, avoid using labels on him. In a social setting refrain from calling him shy and do not let anyone else call him that either. If your child has a low self-esteem, pay attention to what he is saying and praise him when he does something social
like when he shares his toys with another child and plays with him.
In some instances children just have difficulty getting over the initial stage of saying “hello” to a stranger. However once the “ice is broken”, they would have no problems getting along with their new friends. If your child falls into this category, helping him get over the initial reluctance should help him along. You could suggest role playing with you as the new friend.
Some children just take a little more time to make new friends, so sometimes being patient helps.
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8. What are some of the activities which can encourage the development of baby’s motor and sensory skills?
You can encourage the development of baby’s motor skills by letting him use his arms and legs freely. If your baby seems happy enough without being swaddled, there is no need to swaddle even a small baby. Let him wave his limbs without restriction. Do not swaddle a baby who is more than a month old.
For the slightly older baby, a mother can encourage his reaching and grabbing skills by dangling brightly coloured objects in front of him. When he starts to thrust his legs, place some obstacles near his feet so that he can push at it and strengthen his muscles. Why not buy him a cradle gym which fits across his stroller or playpen. Activity boards are also a good buy.
Change your baby’s position frequently. Put him on his stomach and help him to roll over. Turn him a bit and let him do the rest. Prop him up or on his side for different views. Once baby has good head control, seat him on your knee and play games like "Row, row, row the boat." Involve him in rhyme games like "This little piggy went to the market" with appropriate actions on baby’s hand and feet. Play peekaboo, talk, sing and touch your baby. During bathtime, hold your baby a little above the water so that he can splash his feet.
The world around baby seems like a storm of sounds and colours. Initially babies are unable to sort out the multiple sensory stimuli to focus on single sights or sounds. With time he will perceive some order in the chaos around him. Babies love to look at faces. They seem to prefer areas of contrast like the eyes or the hairline, or the moving mouth. Give your baby plenty of opportunity to look at you.
Once baby starts to grasp the differences between shapes and sizes, he will learn to home in on essential details and ignore extraneous factors. Even amidst a blitz of various noises, he will focus on your voice. Introduce your baby to various textures and colours. Open him to various experiences. Even a visit to the supermarket is a learning experience for baby though it may be tiring for you. Help him to focus on different pictures or objects by pointing them out to him.
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9. How do I entertain and stimulate my baby?
For the first three months of his life, your baby will explore the world mostly through his sense of sight, sound, and taste. Your presence in his life is of enormous significance so never underestimate that point. Your voice, your touch and your hug fills his life. So talk and sing to baby. He won't mind if you sing off key. Babies love listening to their mother’s voice.
Do not let your baby lie in the cot all day. Move him around so that he has a change of view. No one can lie around staring at a mobile all day long without getting extremely crotchety. Prop up baby in a baby seat and take her around the house with you. Lie her down in her pram in the garden where she look at the trees or chat with the birds. If you are hanging up the clothes, let her watch. If you are chopping vegetables in the kitchen, show her a tomato, a
carrot or a bean. These common household jobs will provide as much entertainment for baby as a planned period of play.
Since your baby spends so much time exploring with her eyes, hold up interesting things for her to look at -- a baby safe mirror, a rattle, or a stuffed animal with a detailed face. Mobiles are excellent for babies too.
At about a month or so, baby will enjoy playing tracking games. Hold an object about one foot from your baby’s eyes, shake it to attract his attention and then move it slowly in a small circle or from one side to the other. A young baby will follow this movement mainly with his yes. After about three months, he begins to move his head more to help keep the toy in view.
Just as you give your baby different objects to look at, give him a variety of sounds to listen to. When he
is awake in his crib, leave the nursery door open, so that baby can hear the tinkle of the telephone, the doorbell or the hum of the vacuum cleaner.
Between three and four months, lay baby on his stomach and dangle a small toy in front of him. Keep raising the toy a little bit, so that baby is encouraged to keep it in sight by pushing up on his arms.
Between four and six months, play reach-and-grab games which will let baby practise his hand and
eye co-ordination. His first attempts to grab an object may be clumsy, he will swipe randomly, but practise will make perfect.
Play peekaboo with baby. Babies usually love this game and it will teach him about object permanence. You could also sing rhymes which teach baby about various body parts. Your baby will love being tickled (gently) under his feet, or on his nose as you point out ear, nose, eyes.
