TOYS FOR DIFFERENT AGES
1. INFANCY
Time for sensory toys (hearing, touching, seeing, smelling)
- Mirror (unbreakable)
- Crib mobiles
- Rattles
- Rubber squeeze toys
- Soft cuddly animals
- Texture pad, sponges, different texture papers
- Water
- Bath toys, plastic and rubber
- Music boxes
- Empty spools on a string
- Wooden spoon (to bang)
- Small metal pie tins
- Games- pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo
2. ONE - TWO YEAR OLD
Motor exploration of environment
A. Large muscle development
- Slides
- Baby walker
- Ride-em horse
- Cardboard hollow blocks & big cardboard boxes (tunnel, house)
- Wooden hollow blocks
- Boards, small but sturdy
- Sandbox and toys (cups, spoons, etc.)
- Dirt
- Shovel
- Pull toys (anything – e.g. hair rollers, empty spools, toilet tubes)
B. Indoor
- Open shelves for toys and books
- Modular blocks
- Riding horse on springs
- Bean bags
- Large beans to string, macaroni (for older children)
- Hammering toys
- Books with large pictures
- Reserved kitchen drawer (beat up pots, pans, pie plates, teaspoons, etc.)
Ref: D:\533578129.doc
3. AGE 2 – 3 YEARS
Stage of self identity (parallel play)
A. Play Equipment for Large Muscle Development
- Same as 1 – 2 year old
B. Indoor Play
- Flannel board and scraps of felt
- Blackboard and chalk
- Small size sturdy chair
- Small size table for child to draw and paint on
- Bulletin board to pin up his drawings
- Toy telephone
C. Creative Play Materials
- Paper – include many textures
- Crayons
- Paint
- Finger paints (soap flakes, liquid laundry starch and colouring)
- Play dough (1 cup flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup water, food colouring, 2 tbsp. oil)
- Sand play
- Clay, plasticine
D. Toys Dealing With Sounds
- Rhythm instruments – drums, pans, triangles (e.g. sandpaper over 2 blocks, shoe
box and elastic, hair combs and toilet paper, flour shaker)
- Inexpensive tape recorder or CD player that child can operate himself
- Inexpensive tape recordings or CDs
E. Miscellaneous
- Blocks and books
- Water play (in tub or outdoors and sieves, cups, empty containers, etc.)
- Unbreakable mirror
- Giant ride-em-bus, kiddie car
- Pounding toys
- Puzzles
- Etc., etc.
Ref: D:\533578129.doc
4. AGE 3 – 5 YEARS
Co-operative play
A. Large Muscle Development
- Abstract tree house built low to ground with ladder
- Tricycles
- Wagons
- Boards
- Balancing boards
- Rope ladders
- Rubber ball
B. Small Muscle Development
- Catalogues, magazines
- Scissors
- Glue and paste (flour and water)
- Assortment of paper, cloth, straws, macaroni, etc.
- Coloured construction paper
- Crayons
- Co-ordination toys
- Pegboard toys
- Pounding toys
- Sewing cards
- Farm animals
C. Construction Toys
- Wooden blocks, lego, tinker toys, minibrix
- Small metal cars and trucks, etc. (Fisher Price, Tonka)
D. Role Playing and Creative Fantasy Development
- Puppet stage and puppets (paper bags for puppets, funny faces and hats)
- Cardboard boxes
- Dress-up clothes
- Doctor kit
- Flannel board
- Play store
- Stove, refrigerator
- Tea sets, pots and pans
- Dolls and doll houses
- Sorting mother’s laundry, help set table, dusting and vacuuming, sorting
silverware, washing vegetables, washing dishes, planting own garden
Ref: D:\533578129.doc
E. Creative Arts and Crafts
- Playdough
- Plasticine
- Clay
- Large paint brushes, paint
- Gummed paper cutouts
- Inexpensive prints to expose children to good art
E. Cognitive Stimulation Toys
- Magnet and discarded alarm clocks
- Wooden alphabet letters and numerals
- Magnetic alphabet letters and numerals
- Rubber stamps
- Cardboard signs
- Materials to make a picture book (glue, magazine cutouts)
- Puzzles
- Peg time clock
- Matching games
- Playing cards
- Magic slate
- Magnifying glass
- Lotto
F. Music and Dance Toys
- Rhythm instruments
- Activity and participation CDs or tapes
G. Field Trips to Local Places of Interest
- Fire station
- Nature hike
- Police station
- Farm
- Newspaper
- Pet shop
- Library
- Dairy
- Bank
- Journey in house
- Hospital
- etc., etc.
H. Secret Games You Carry Inside Your Head
- Stories you make up
- Stories the child makes up - Wouldn’t it be funny if…
- What would happen if…
- Twenty questions (animal, vegetable or mineral; solid, liquid or gas)
Ref: D:\533578129.doc