Children require toys depending on their age and the learning stage;

• 1-12 months – Toys that stimulate senses are appropriate to help a child develop sight, sound and touch senses through sensory play. Teethers and rattles are examples of sensory toys. 

Educational toys for toddlers like simple blocks and stackers can be introduced to help them develop a sense of ‘if-this-then-that’ situations.  They also help a child develop the very basics of problem-solving through trial and error.

• 12-24 months – The child is very mobile at this stage and actively exploring the environment, including interacting with other people. Balance boards, rocking boats, stride and ride toys, and push toys are very helpful in developing greater motor skills like walking, running and balancing. 

• 2+ years – The child’s cognitive skills are developing at this stage. Toys that help recognise shapes, colours, and letters are very helpful, including doll sets, animal sets, college games, and puzzles. 

Educational toys for kids that help a child develop excellent motor skills like balancing little objects in the hand are also ideal at this age, for example, activity cubes.  It is also the stage at which a child begins developing numeracy and literary skills. Colouring toys, abacus, drawing boards, and letter puzzles are very good at this stage.

As the child grows older, she develops social skills and begins to have an idea of different people’s role in the family and society. This is where roleplaying toys like garden sets and kitchen sets are very helpful. 

Educational toys are very good in developing the metrics that measure IQ, including memorisation, cognitive skills, numeracy and literacy skills. By continuously developing these skills, a child can absorb and utilise knowledge better in later life, which helps in formal education and career building.

Emotional IQ is described as the ability to pick the emotional cues of other people and respond appropriately.  By constant interaction with other children as well as adults during play, a child can develop the ability to recognise joy, anger, sadness and other emotions in other people. 

Playing with other children, for example, using garden or kitchen sets requires a child to explain their characters script in the setup.  The child can develop the basics of language much faster by knowing when to use nouns, verbs, adjectives and other elements of language.  She is also developing more effective communication skills because of the constant need to pass and receive information from her playmates.

Here at HipKids, we have toys for all children; we would love to hear from you about your child’s special needs so that we can find the most fun and appropriate toy for your young one. Kindly contact us any time, and our great customer service team will be of assistance.