The key focal points are:
- Infant Development Focus Areas
- Skills and Development Needs by Age
- Beneficial Toys by Age
1. Infant Development Focus Areas
Most infant toys are designed to encourage the development of at least one of the five key areas listed below. Parents should make sure to get a variety of toys that addresses all five areas. Certain areas become more of a focus as the baby gets older.
- Sensory Skills - Our five senses enable us to gather and process information from our environment through sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
- Gross Motor Skills - These skills involve the development and coordination of large muscle groups that control the arms, legs, back, abdomen, head and neck.
- Fine Motor Skills - These skills involve the development and control of small muscle groups such as: hands, fingers, mouth and those that control eye movement. Fine motor skills are the foundation for building hand-eye coordination.
- Cognitive Skills - This area defines a child's ability to think, process information, learn and solve problems.
- Social Skills - Are the child's ability to interact with others, and involve the ability to display and identify emotions. Emotions are the first language parents and infants communicate with, such as a happy smile or surprise.
2. Skills and Development Needs by Age
New Born - 3 Months
For the first few months, baby will enjoy looking and listening. Vision will be fuzzy initially, so high contrast patterns and bright colors will be the easiest to see. Tummy time is important from day one to assist in baby's development of motor skills. Tummy time will help baby learn how to push up, roll over, sit up, crawl and eventually stand. It is also never too early to begin reading to your child, as this will help foster an interest in reading and will build their understanding of language. During these months here is what you can expect.
- Sensory Skills - Will only be able to focus on objects 8-14 inches away, and will enjoy the sound of voices.
- Gross Motor Skills - Will develop head and neck control and will begin wiggling and kicking with arms and legs.
- Fine Motor Skills - Will grab an item that is put in a hand - this is known as reflective grasp.
- Cognitive Skills - Begins to understand cause and effect principles and starts showing signs of being able to remember.
- Social Skills - During these first few months your baby will begin to communicate needs by crying, smile in response to familiar faces or voices, and start the cooing stage of ooohs and aaahs.
Beneficial Toys For This Age Group
- Toys/books/images with bright, high contrasting colors/shapes/patterns
- Toys with unbreakable mirrors
- Toys with soothing music
- Tummy time activity mats/gyms
- Mobiles and crib soothers
- Swings/bouncers/rockers
- Interlocking foam tile mats
- Dangling, take-along or linking toys (especially for car seats and strollers)
- Rattles, including wrist and foot rattles
- Soft or board books
- CDs with lullabies or soothing music
3-6 Months
Your child's tactile skills will start to develop. Along with constantly putting hands in the mouth, baby will start reaching for toys held out, and grasping for toys when placed in baby's hand. Look for baby to try to pass a toy between hands and of course try to put it in their mouth. Your baby will also gain head and neck control and enjoy extended periods of tummy time.
- Sensory Skills - Will focus on objects as far as three feet away. Follow moving objects, turn his/her head to locate sounds and use their mouth to judge textures (e.g. smooth or rough, hard or soft).
- Gross Motor Skills - Raises head and chest while leaning on hands. Rolls over from stomach to back and vice versa. May even sit up by end of this age.
- Fine Motor Skills - Voluntarily grasps at objects using a raking grasp (not a pincer grasp which is when they use their thumb and first or second finger).
- Cognitive Skills - Memory skills strengthen and baby will be able to repeat the same action over and over.
- Social Skills - Begins to recognize own name and starts to babble.
Beneficial Toys For This Age Group
- Toys with varying textures that make sounds
- Toys with fingerholds
- Teething toys
- See-thru rattles that show the pieces making the noise
- Plush toys
- Crib toys
- Small soft balls and/or blocks
- Books with board, cloth, or vinyl pages
- Musical CDs
6-9 Months
Baby will start banging toys together and shaking them to make noise. Movements become more controlled. Dexterity will improve and baby can now pick up small objects from the floor. Baby will start to scoot around on his/her stomach and will graduate to crawling. Toward the end of this stage, baby will begin to start pulling up into a standing position.
- Sensory Skills - Vision matures and baby is able to see differences between colors, shapes, sizes and distance. Baby will learn to identify different voices and sounds and begin to eat solid food.
- Gross Motor Skills - Baby will sit up unassisted, begin to crawl, and reach for objects.
- Fine Motor Skills - Can grasp objects on first or second try, move a toy from one hand to the other, and be able to push buttons and pull at objects.
- Cognitive Skills - Finds partially hidden objects. Begins to anticipate the response to an action before it has taken place. Applies what was learned in the past to new situations.
- Social Skills - Babbling becomes more frequent, and you will hear laughter and squeals of delight. Baby will be able to identify and understand about 20 words, begin to wave bye-bye and clap, and try to attract attention through actions.
Beneficial Toys For This Age Group
- Musical toys (e.g. bells, maracas, tambourines)
- Toys with surprise action (similar to peek-a-boo)
- Toys that make sounds (e.g. animal noises) or music by pushing buttons or levers
- Moving toys that encourage crawling
- Activity centers/entertainers/jumpers
- Activity tables
- Bath toys
- High chair toys
- Puppets and dolls
9-12 Months
At the beginning of this stage, your child will be crawling and towards the end may be standing or even walking. From their perspective this is a whole new view and they will want to experiment with their toys e.g. bounce a ball while standing.
- Sensory Skills - Can see objects at a distance and distinguish between taste and scents.
- Gross Motor Skills - Children will pull themselves up into a standing position and begin to walk with assistance (e.g. holding on to furniture).
- Fine Motor Skills - Learns to toss things from hands and points to objects of interest. At this stage they use a pincer grasp (using thumb and first or second finger) and enjoys putting and taking objects in and out of containers.
- Cognitive Skills - Learns from prior experience, will imitate parents' actions, and may show fear of new people or separation anxiety.
- Social Skills - Uses simple gestures, such as shaking head for "no". Has the ability to understand short sentences and you will see improvement and response to simple verbal requests. Look for baby to say their first word.
Beneficial Toys For This Age Group
- Stacking toys (e.g. stacking rings, cups, blocks)
- Putting and taking toys
- Sorting and nesting toys
- Large building blocks
- Balls
- Walkers or walk behind toys
- Finger paints
- Language development toys
- Pretend household items (e.g. phones, keys)
12-18 Months
During this time frame, your child will become more coordinated, will show interest in cause and effect, and will be into copying the actions of adults.
- Sensory Skills - Your child will respond to music by bouncing or dancing.
- Gross Motor Skills - Starts out crawling rapidly, is able to stand alone and ends up walking without any assistance.
- Fine Motor Skills - Is able to scribble, build a tower of blocks and likes to empty out containers.
- Cognitive Skills - Begins to point and name pictures of common objects, animals or characters. Understands instructions and experiments with cause and effect activities. Learns and explores through pretend play.
- Social Skills - Enjoys rhythm and rhymes. Likes to help you around the house and may begin to say the word "no" quite a lot.
Beneficial Toys For This Age Group
- Push or pull toys
- Shape sorters
- Simple puzzles
- Picture storybooks
- Washable crayons
- Play sets
- Rocking horse
- Toy musical instruments
- Sing along CDs
18-24 Months
At this age, your toddler is a bundle of energy and will learn by touching and exploring. You can expect your child to be interested in doing things by themselves, trying every knob, button, switch, basically getting into everything.
- Sensory Skills - Enjoys touching items and the feel of different textures.
- Gross Motor Skills - Ascends stairs with help, walks proficiently, begins to run, enjoys pushing and pulling toys while walking and kicking a ball.
- Fine Motor Skills - Can stack and build small objects.
- Cognitive Skills - Understands object permanence, i.e. that an object exists even though it may be out of sight. Begins to use logic and reasoning and can complete a puzzle.
- Social Skills - Engages in pretend play (especially with household items). Follows simple instructions, repeats overheard words, and will begin to show independence.
Beneficial Toys For This Age Group
- Puzzles
- Cars, trucks and trains
- Dolls and doll accessories
- Construction and building play sets
- Connecting toys (e.g. links, large stringing beads)
- Outdoor toys (e.g. sandbox, water or bubble toys, digging toys)
- Simple ride on toys
- Pretend play toys (e.g. kitchen sets, play store or cash register)
- Dress up costumes
- Sports theme toys
24-36 Months
Toddlers are even more inquisitive and energetic at this stage. They will benefit most from toys that can channel their energy, as well as their developing mind. As they progress, expect to see their imagination grow as they enjoy creating their own adventures. As toddlers begin to imitate adult tasks (e.g. housekeeping), now is the perfect time to encourage pretend play by introducing toy household items.
- Sensory Skills - Recognizes sounds in their environment.
- Gross Motor Skills - Runs and climbs well, rides a tricycle and jumps with both feet.
- Fine Motor Skills - Is able to get undressed and dressed by themselves. Makes vertical, horizontal, and circular strokes with crayons and pencils. Screws and unscrews lids.
- Cognitive Skills - Begins to learn colors, numbers and letters.
- Social Skills - Begins to play interactive sports with other children. Non-family members can understand most of their words.
Beneficial Toys For This Age Group
- Art supplies
- Musical instruments (e.g. toy piano, drum set)
- Outdoor play equipment (e.g. slides, swings)
- Interactive learning toys
- Electronic books or books with sounds
- Ride on toys (e.g. tricycles, scooters, cars)
- Toy lap tops
- Mini sports sets/games (e.g. golf)
- Trampoline
- See 'n Say toys
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