Toys and Play: Birth to 12 Months - Seattle Children's (2024)

FAQs

Toys and Play: Birth to 12 Months - Seattle Children's? ›

Your baby will explore objects in greater detail as fine motor skills improve. Babies can pick up small items, bang 2 blocks together, and put blocks in a cup. They enjoy looking for an object that is partially hidden or a toy they've dropped out of sight.

Your baby will explore objects in greater detail as fine motor skills improve. Babies can pick up small items, bang 2 blocks together, and put blocks in a cup. They enjoy looking for an object that is partially hidden or a toy they've dropped out of sight.

It also encourages healthy child development. Play is how children learn—about themselves, other people, and the world around them. It helps to build confidence, relationships, and basic skills. Toys for babies don't need to be expensive.

It's important not to overwhelm the play space with toys. As an approximate guide, try to keep the number of toys immediately available to under 4 for a premobile child, under 8 for a crawling child, and under 12 for a toddler, depending on the size of the space and number of parts to each toy.

Choose the Right Toys

Any choking or safety risks. The physical skills a child needs to play with the toy. How well a child can understand how to use the toy. The interests, needs and abilities at different stages of a child's development.

Development of pretend play skills begin right from birth with significant development occurring between 12 months to 5 years. 6-12 months (Pre-Pretend Play): Child manipulates and explores objects and uses repetitive actions to show interest in routines such as putting objects in and out of a container.

A child's cognitive development involves thinking skills - the ability to process information to understand how the world works. Toys and play naturally provide opportunities for practicing different thinking skills, such as imitation, cause and effect, problem solving, and symbolic thinking.

Toys help Children Think

For children, environments that push them to think, explore, and figure things out bolster the most amount of cognitive development. Toys are the perfect mediators to encourage these different thinking skills.

Although younger infants can interact with age-appropriate playthings, such as by shaking a rattle, it isn't until after 6 months that babies really start to play with toys in the more conventional sense of the word — knocking over blocks, rolling a ball or snuggling with a teddy bear, for example.

Rubik's Cube

It was initially designed as a teaching tool to help his students understand 3D geometry. However, it soon became a global sensation, with people of all ages trying to solve the puzzle. The Rubik's Cube is now recognized as the best-selling toy!

What is the 20 toy rule? ›

It was with that philosophy in mind that I said, “Buddy, we are going to get rid of some things today. We can throw some things away and give some things away, but at the end of it all, you are only going to have 20 toys left.” We called it The 20-Toy Rule.

The problem with having too many toys

Research shows fewer toys at a time leads to better quality playtime for toddlers, allowing them to focus on one toy at a time, build concentration skills, and play more creatively. The other issue with having lots of toys “in play” is that we tend to place less value on them.

Beginning at about 12 months, most young toddlers enjoy playing near peers. They may play games like “Ring Around the Rosie” or “chase” with another child, or join a peer in filling a bucket with mulch on the playground.

One simple reason why toddlers won't play with toys may simply be because they're overwhelmed. So, if there are too many selections available, your child might take some time before they can choose one to start with. Moreover, when toys are abundant, your kid might latch on to some and ignore the others.

Everything you need to know about your growing 1-year-old

Toddlers are more active, curious and expressive. At this age, your child may begin to use words, be able to stand on their own and take a few steps. To help your little one learn and grow, read books to your child and encourage active play.

Between 6 to 9 months, babies enjoy much better control over their hands, and they become a nonstop flurry of activity. Babies can now hold two objects, one in each hand, bang them together, and bring them to the mouth for further exploration. She can press large buttons, pull and strike objects.