Childhood games and toys: Age and toys

AGE AND TOYS

Much has been said about choosing toys according to the age of the child who is going to play with them. However, research has shown that age should only be taken as a general guideline.

RING A DINGYS
12 months +

The development of play and, consequently, of toys is a gradual process, with continuity as a common denominator. This means that each stage of play is a consequence of the preceding one and that towards the end of each stage, we shall find the premises of the next one. In any stage we will find references to the past, present and future stages of development of the child. Therefore, to use chronological age as the guideline to choose a toy can lead to serious mistakes in the education of the child, in the development of his games and in the selection of toys.

Of course, we should not completely ignore age when selecting toys, because, each age group has its own typical peculiarities and features. In general, it is more important that the toy is adapted to the mental and social development stages of the child than to restrict the criteria just to age.

GUILLE EXCEL
From 7 to 10 years

In brief, as the child grows, the toy should reflect reality more exactly to foster a better development of the child’s games.

Age is also an important factor in choosing toys when they foster free initiative and creativity in the boy and girl. The biggest mistake we can make when choosing a toy is to select one that doesn’t provide any possibilities of variation and does not lead the child to use his creative ability.

A last point on the topic of age is the size of the toys. In their first years, children prefer larger toys. For example, young children will favor larger balls, because they can handle them better. The older they get, the more interested they become in smaller, more detailed toys because they are better able to handle and play with them.