Why are kindergarten classrooms still full of simple, classic toys and activities we played with when we were kids? The answer is simple: While times have changed, brain development hasn’t! In fact, children learn best through play, when they’re relaxed, engaged, and having fun!
Building blocks, play dough, and crafts allow children to do so much more than stack, smoosh, and stretch their imaginations! They sharpen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, lay a foundation for early math concepts, and hone executive functions like memory and focus.
Board games and cards are great examples of cooperative toys that help children practice taking turns, sharing, and cooperating—all key to social-emotional development. They also help children develop their working memory, math, and fine-motor skills.
Let’s dive into some fantastic toys that can aid the development of motor skills in toddlers:
- Stacking Toys: Stackers, like the classic Fisher-Price Stacking toy, help toddlers develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They learn to grasp, stack, and sort objects by size and color.
- Building Blocks: Blocks like Magnetic Building Blocks, help develop fine and gross motor skills. Toddlers can practice picking up, stacking, and arranging blocks and crawling or walking to retrieve stray blocks.
- Puzzles: Simple jigsaw puzzles or shape-sorting puzzles are excellent for motor skills. Picking up and fitting pieces into the correct slots help improve hand-eye coordination and precision.
- Ball Drop Toys: These toys, like the Playskool Explore ‘N Grow Busy Ball Popper, are excellent for encouraging gross motor skills. Toddlers can practice grasping, placing, and retrieving balls, all while enjoying the fun movement and sound of the toy.
- Toy Instruments: Things like keyboards, xylophones, or drum sets stimulate a child’s auditory senses and require hand-eye coordination and rhythm.
- Activity Cubes: These multi-sided toys, like the VTech Busy Learners Activity Cubes, offers various activities that help with fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving.
- Push and Pull Toys: Toys that can be pushed or pulled, such as the Musical Carb Crawling, VTech Sit-to-Stand Alphabetical Train (Learning Walker) or a classic pull-along duck, help improve balance and walking skills. They also encourage exploration and independence.
- Art Supplies: Child-friendly art materials like large crayons, finger paints, or play dough allow toddlers to express creativity while working on their fine motor skills. Manipulating art materials can strengthen hand muscles and improve coordination.
- Shape Sorters: Shape sorters like the Montessori Color Shape Matching Puzzle, are classic motor skills toys. They encourage problem-solving, hand-eye coordination, and grasping and releasing objects.
- Lacing and Threading Toys: These include lacing or threading, such as the Melissa & Doug Primary Lacing Beads, which can improve hand-eye coordination and precision.
