There are a whole host of different toys and exercises you can try with your child to give them the right tools to develop and harness their abilities. As long as these toys are safe, you can try all sorts of things to see where your child can build on their skills.
Creative toys
Toys that rely on creating something new or from scratch can help with your child’s freedom to draw, make and paint whatever comes to mind. Washable crayons, coloured chalk and construction paper, with all the safety tools (like child-friendly scissors and blunted edges), will give them the chance to try out all sorts of things.
Wooden instruments
Instruments are a good way to teach children about the wonders of sound. A wooden xylophone, maracas and scraper blocks are good places to start. Your child can play these to their heart’s content, with all sorts of sounds and feelings associated with playing music.
Toys to test their muscles
Fine motor and gross motor skills will be a core part of your child’s learning experience. With that in mind, crawling tunnels and low climbers are a great set of toys to bring into your child’s routine. Other examples you could try include foam blocks, hammering toys and toys that can be thrown or caught.
Problem-solving toys
These can range from a classic puzzle together, to using building blocks or other block toys that snap together. You can also try to incorporate inanimate objects into their play time, so long as they are safe to use. Car keys, belt buckles, zips and things that have hooks on them are good examples to try out. These are beneficial to helping your child overcome different obstacles in real life situations.
Building and pretending toys
Think finger puppets, setting up kitchen scenarios or recreating a day in the life of a shopkeeper. These are good ways to introduce new objects while they learn to take on responsibilities. Many different nurseries will build these environments so that children naturally learn about hard work, different roles in modern day society and other elements like literacy and numeracy skills.