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Best Toys for Toddlers
What Toys Are Most Suitable for 2- to 3-Year-Olds?
By Keath Castelloe Low
Your wonderful toddler is growing! She is becoming more mobile and vocal. Though she may be toddling along now, she will be running around before you know it. Her curiosity is evident. She is also becoming more and more independent. She likes to explore and push boundaries. She is more opinionated and more assertive, too. She is a joy.
Play is a very important part of your child's day. Through play she learns to problem solve situations, master skills, develop confidence and discover more about the world around her. But what are toys that help nurture your toddler's emerging interests, talents and personality?
Toddlers are active learners who draw on their direct experience, says Dr. Jean B. Mankowski, who specializes in pediatric psychology at the Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. "A child's sense of mastery is fueled by his or her accomplishments and the approval of those around them. When they accomplish a new skill and are rewarded by their own feelings of success and the encouragement of others, they are confident to continue exploring and practicing."
Toys are great tools for learning. Providing age-appropriate toys your toddler can choose from and explore encourages the development of skills and abilities. While many parents are eager to teach their child more advanced skills, it is important that toys give children feelings of success and mastery. Development is sequential with more advanced skills, abilities and understanding building on what is already acquired, Dr. Mankowski says.
To make connections children often rely on over-learning. This is why you may see your toddler engaging in repetitive play or repeated attempts to master a skill, then practicing that newfound skill again and again and again! It is all part of the learning process.
Rachel Cericola, a mom from Marshfield, Mass., shares that her 18-month-old's day basically revolves around "the ball." "He throws the ball, kicks the ball and hits it with sticks or whatever else he can find," says Cericola. "We went out and bought him a little basketball net, and he took to it like a mental patient ... freaking out, throwing everything and anything through that net again and again!" The repetitive physical play is quite fun and the sense of accomplishment her son experiences when the ball goes in the net is a real confidence builder.
