Choosing toys

Toys can be a fun and enjoyable addition and form part of a child’s day. Toys may assist with a child’s development.

Toys may be an aid in a child’s play.

Good toy selection fosters a child learning new skills. It promotes a child to practice their relationships with others and their world.

Choosing toys requires careful considerations to ensure that the right and safest choice is made.

Choosing toys requires consideration for toys that will grow with your child. Toys that will support their learning and play. A well chosen toy will  challenge as well as nurture a child’s thinking, physical, language, and social-emotional skills.

Children learn through doing. This is applicable to the toys they have available to them. Toys can enhance or hinder a child’s development.

Play gives your child a great opportunity to develop and practice new skills at her own pace by following her unique interests. Toys have a vital role in assisting and shaping a child’s development.

There is more to walking into a store and simply selecting a toy off the shelf.

When choosing appropriate toys for a child it is key to ask questions and consider factors such as to the purpose, the age of the child, a child’s developmental stage, quality of the toy and so on.

• Choose toys that are open ended. An open ended toy is one that a child where a child can play may different games with. Wooden blocks are a perfect example of an open ended toy. A child may use it to build a tower, make a road, build a spaceship, make a house, be part of a zoo and on and on go the opportunities.
• Toys that spark your child’s imagination. These type of toys help them develop problem-solving and logical thinking skills. These type of toys may include nesting blocks, interlocking toys, toys for sand and water play.
• Look for toys that allow the promotion of a child’s imagination. A toy that enables a child to engage in pretend play that enables a child to act out stories and develops language and literacy skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to sequence. Examples for these type of toys are dramatic play toys such as dress ups, home corner items, toy tools, trucks, trains, boxes, etc.
• Toys that will grow with your child. An example is small animals that can transform the possibilities as they grow.
• Toys that encourage exploration and problem solving skills. A toy that provides the opportunity for a child to practice new skills over and over again and figure things out for themselves. These type of toys have the capacity to build their logical thinking skills and help them become persistent problem-solve, develop spatial relations skills (understanding how things fit together), enhance their hand-eye coordination, and build their fine motor skills (using the small muscles in the hands and fingers).
• Toys that support their getting ready to read developmental stage. Toys within this area are ones that include “real life” props such as menus, magazines, books, crayons, etc. Examples of these type of toys build familiarity with letters, text, and print. The more opportunity a child has to be exposed to letters, text etc in everyday play situations facilitates a positive and relaxed exposure to pre-reading and pre-writing.
• Be mindful of the toys that have all the bells, whistles and bright lights. The more a toy does the less a child does. The less chance a child has to practice a new skill or master a skill. Whilst it may seem that these types of toys have educational and developmental benefits they unfortunately generally do not. They are entertaining yes, but not educational. They hold little benefit for the child. The more children have to use their minds and bodies to make something work, the more they learn.
• Choose toys that nurture cross-generational play. Toys that encourage adult participation encourages counting, matching, and memory skills. It also encourages listening skills, learning to follow rules, self-control. These type of toys nurture language and relationship-building skills and promote adults and children to play together. An example would be board games or games with rules that requires cooperation and collaborative play with others.
• Toys that a not gender specific.

Children’s toys in Australia are subject to five mandatory safety standards to reduce the risk of serious injuries.

These standards are covered in the Australian Standard relating to toys for under 36 month old.

All toys should meet the Australian Standard AS/NZS ISO 8124. The standard focuses on hazards such as small parts that could choke a child, sharp points and edges.

The standard mandates that manufacturers adhere to certain rules which includes labeling the toys appropriately according to ages.

Toys should be checked regularly.

There are different standards for different countries so it is important to be alert to this when buying toys from overseas. For example American toys must comply with a 1995 CPSC standards.

And it is important to note that the standards do not cover all toys. They do not include books, paint brushes, paints, marbles, balloons.

All toys for under 36 month old should come with labels.

Labels, or the instructions on the packaging, should tell you:

• Age recommendations
• Assembly instructions (if appropriate)
• Proper use and supervision (if appropriate).
• ‘Not suitable for children under three’. This is a safety warning. This is not a indication of a child’s skill level.

additionally, another element to consider when choosing a toy for a baby or child is flexibility and durability.

Flexibility in that ideally a toy has more than one purpose and offers the child the opportunity to use it in many ways. The toy is open ended.

Durability is important as babies and toddlers by design tend to mouth toys and get toys dirty.

Toys need to be durable and washable.

Hard wearing and quality toys tend to last longer.

• Splinters.
• Small pieces. Children can choke on small parts. Any small objects or toys that are smaller than or can fit into something the size of an old film canister offer a choking hazard.
• Rough edges. Nails, screws or anything that may have become loose or protruding.
• Moving, folding and mechanical parts which could injure young fingers.
• Age appropriate.
• Carefully look over and be watchful of second hand or hand me downs.
• Check there are no magnets.
• Be wary of toys with batteries. Toys with batteries are common. Be very alert as batteries can cause death if a child swallows it. Ensure that batteries are not accessible to children. Battery compartments must be securely closed with a screw.
• Toy box lids are dangerous. A toy box lid can cause injury or trap a child inside the toy box. Lids of toy boxes should be designed not to trap or close on top of children. Removable lids are preferred. Or no lid at all.