How To Choose A Smart Toy For Your Toddler

After learning about general tips for choosing smart toys for your kids, we focus on toys for your toddler.

Your toddler plays not only to have fun, but to learn and perfect fine motor skills like controlling his hands and rotating his wrists. Good toys to give your kid at this stage are as follows:

toys that unscrew
toys with interlocking pieces that can be put together and apart
construction games
puzzle pieces that he has to manipulate to fit into shapes (pegboards)
soft balls
play dough
hammering benches
sand box where he plays with sand using plastic shapes, shovels, scoops, jars, and others
arts and crafts supplies

Your toddler also loves moving games so he can perfect walking, balancing, and other gross motor skills. Take him to a playground and let him play with a small slide or a toddler gym. These develop his muscle and agility. Indoor toys that also develop your child’s strength and coordination include:

cars or wagons that he can push
low rocking horses
riding toys
safety trikes and wagons

Simple musical instruments are also excellent toys as this will introduce your child to the world of music making and playing an instrument. Playing a musical instrument is shown to have beneficial effect on children’s intelligence. Musical instruments include:

piano
drums
xylophone
musical hammers
his voice (singing)

Toys that stimulate your child’s imagination are some of the most enjoyable, and they develop his creativity. They also helps him identify with adults as he imitates his father fixing the car or her mother cooking, for example. Any object can be a creative toy. The following are examples: