The preschool years of your child are very important because in that period your child’s growth and learning progress are at an amazing pace. Your toddler’s brain develops at a fast pace in this age and he or she learns to establish connection between humans, objects and events.

Your toddler is full of energy and curiosity and it can be quite challenging to choose toys that satisfy and stimulate your child. At this age, children are just discovering their abilities and the things around them; they love climbing, running, jumping, and maneuvering objects with their developing motor skills and muscles. They are also becoming interested in sensory stimulation, and in imitating grown-up activity.

When choosing toys appropriate for your toddler, it is important to keep their needs and interests in mind, and to think about what skills a toddler needs to develop as he or she grows up.

At this age, toddlers need:

• Sensory stimulus

• Creative outlet

• Freedom

• Supervision

• Companionship

• Challenges

Appropriate and Allowable Toys for Toddlers

Toddlers are active, curious, restless, and very playful. They need a great deal of supervision and interaction, and when choosing toys for their development and enjoyment, a lot of factors must be considered.

It is an exciting age of development. Toddlers are a pleasure as they embark on difficult boundaries and flexing muscles, especially those cognitive and creative. The whole lot is a fantastic new knowledge for toddlers. All you require to do is continue to supply to them with assorted tools for creative growth, and they will flabbergast you.

In this age, toddlers are energetic and take pleasure in running, climbing, and jumping. They also are involved in doing things with their hands as the small muscles in their fingers become more developed. However, toys for this age group should be straightforward and needing little coordination. During this stage, toddlers become attracted in playing with others and in copying adult actions. Toys like dress-up clothes would be ideal for them to learn new tricks.

In this age, toddlers also are very much interested in sensory resources such as crayons, paint, play dough and chalk. They just love to scribble and blend colors.

Recommended toys, tools and kits for toddlers include tables with limitless paper and crayons, chalk and chalkboards, paint, clay blocks, construction toys and plenty of chances for pretend and make believe.

The following sections categorize toddlers into various age groups and discuss their needs, skills and correspondingly appropriate toys.

• 1 year - 1.5 years old: Many children begin walking around their first birthday, and are very eager to use this new skill to explore their surroundings. Toddlers are very goal-oriented, and this is also the time when they are developing large muscles and improving their motor skills.

Appropriate toys: Stuffed animals, pail and shovel, water toys, building blocks, push-up toys, paddle toys, swing sets, cars and trucks big enough to ride, toy wagons, simple musical instruments, etc.

• 1.5 years - 2 years old: Now children begin using their imagination towards having fun and solving problems. They learn to match objects by size, shape and color, and follow simple instructions. This is also a time of “vocabulary boom”, when toddlers learn an astonishing number of new words.

Appropriate toys: Puppets, dolls, playhouses, balls and bean bags, balloons, puzzles, miniature appliances, costumes, storybooks to read together, swings and climbing structures etc.

• 2 years - 3 years old: During this time, children love to expand their imagination, imitate grown-ups, and develop coordination and control. They also learn to draw and express their worldview, take on new challenges and build upon their social, motor and verbal skills.

Appropriate toys: Puzzles, tricycle, tea set, sandbox toys, peg boards, blocks, blackboard and chalk, crayons, finger-paints, puzzles and creative materials like clay and modeling dough, dress-up clothes, dolls and stuffed animals, boxes and books with simple stories, water play toys etc.

Bookmark to:

If it were only possible! Wouldn’t it be just great if you could rewind your life tape, be a parent once again, and correct errors you now realize you made? Unfortunately, you only get to rear your kids once - and you have to learn all you need to learn on the fly. Because when it comes to raising kids, everyone is a first-time parent.

If at birth, kids arrived with labels and manuals it would save parents a lot of time and pain. But life is not like that. Being a parent, and dealing with kids as an inexperienced one is part of the spice of life. There really is no way to practice, and parenthood doesn’t come with a script.

Fortunately, people can learn from some of the wisest teachers around, their own parents. There is much that can be learned, especially when you consider that your own parents have learned a lot from their own hits and misses. This kind of knowledge - the first hand kind from parents - plus the inimitable research prowess of scientists have made the body of knowledge revolving around parenting quite extensive, and interesting.

Today, this body of knowledge has given birth to parenting classes. These parenting classes aim to help parents - first time ones or not - to understand themselves better. This is one of the first steps towards becoming a better parent.

Parenting classes also teach parents about the nuances and mysteries surrounding parenthood. If the parent is able to understand himself or herself a little better, and is able to understand how kids think, then the avenues open for a better parenting experience.

If you are considering attending parenting classes there are a few things for you to note:

1. Where To Find Them - Parenting classes can be found pretty much anywhere. The most common institutions that offer these classes are hospitals, churches and temples, community centers, and other social organizations and support groups.

You can look through newspapers, directories, and other listings to find the location of these classes. Local municipal offices usually have a list of where these classes are held. Local hospitals and churches are also usually aware of locations for these classes.

The Internet is another great place to find parenting classes. There are even online parenting classes available. However, actual classes are, as of now, considered more effective than online ones.

2. How Much Do They Cost - Some organizations offer free parenting classes. However, some of these classes are limited engagement classes and do not offer regular on-going advice and counseling. There are some that offer classes for rates as low $10 to $20, while others may be a lot pricier, but they all depend on your situation and preferences.

Parenting classes usually encourage their members to purchase additional material such as instructional tapes, books, and other materials. These additional materials are worth the investment as they will add significantly to your learning experience.

3. Why Should You Take a Parenting Class? - A parenting class is not only those that have parenting problems. All parents are encouraged to join one, as long as they have the desire to be better parents, and to have a better understanding of their children.

Parenting classes provide a great opportunity to learn different approaches to parenting. Should you have the opportunity to join these classes - do it! You can only gain from the experience.

Bookmark to:

Parenting skills are something that new parents can only learn on the fly. It is not really something that comes with a set of directions. What parents can do is make the commitment to invest the time, effort, and dedication necessary to raise their children to be honest, responsible people.

It would be impossible to draw up a list of list of hard and fast rules and methods for parenting. Simply because not all family situations are alike, and not all children respond to parenting methods in the same way. If this is so, does that make any talk of ‘learning’ about parenting useless?

Absolutely not! While methods may have differing effects, and every situation calls for a different set of rules, the things that should remain constant are the basic concepts each parent must learn. These concepts will help guide parents in their constant effort to be better parents.

Unconditional Love - Unconditional love is one of the concepts that should permeate every action and every interaction between parent and child. It is also one of the most misunderstood concepts. How a parent expresses this to the child may very well determine how the child views himself, and his/her worth.

Many children grow up with a low sense of self-esteem as a result of many different factors. They may feel that the love they are shown depends on their accomplishments. Or, they may feel unwanted, or unloved.

All parents should, early on, be certain to show their children how important they are, no matter what, so that they can grow-up loving in the same way. This concept is very important in building self worth.

Responsibility - Children should grow up with a sense of responsibility for their actions, and the things around them. Far too many children grow up to be irresponsible parents, friends, and family, not caring or not knowing how to care, and to accept their own responsibilities.

Children who grow without a sense of responsibility too often find themselves blaming other people for things they should be dealing with themselves. Alternately, lack of responsibility training could cause children to blame themselves for things that they have no control over. This is an opposite, but equally undesirable problem.

Responsible children learn to care for and properly manage their time and resources - and ultimately your time and resources as a parent as well!

Respect - Children should be taught to respect at an early age. They learn that there are people that they should answer to, and that there is organization within every social unit. They learn that no matter whom the person they are talking to, that person has worth and should be respected.

This will help make relationships grow smoothly; as respect is one of the foundations of any good relationship. Children who learn to give and expect respect in return, adjust better to other people than those who don’t.

Conclusion - As a parent one helpful illustration might be to think of raising children as being like flying a kite - you let the kite fly into to the wind, giving slack as the kite flies higher, and reining it in if overwhelmed by the wind. But, like the kite, if properly flown your children could accomplish greater heights of personal development with the help of your support and parenting.

Bookmark to: