Preschool & Up Toys (3+)

Play is essential to preschool and school-age children (3+). Children need plenty of opportunities to play with a variety of good toys and materials and use their imagination. We need to respect and understand more about the world of play and its great value for all babies and children (and adults as well). Toys are an important part of every child’s life. It is a wonderful feeling to give the right toy. Choosing the right toy from among the many possibilities can be very rewarding to both adult and child.

  • Develop physical skills. Gross motor skills are developed as a child learns to reach, grasp, crawl, run, climb and balance. Fine motor skills are developed as children handle small toys.

  • Develop cognitive concepts. Children learn to solve problems (What does this do? Does this puzzle piece go here?) through play. Children also learn colors, numbers, size and shapes. They have the ability to enhance their memory skills as well as their attention span. Children move on to higher levels of thought as they play in a more stimulating environment.

  • Develop language skills. Language develops as a child plays and interacts with others. This begins with parents playing cooing games with their children and advances to practical levels such as telling make-believe stories and jokes.

  • Develop social skills. Learning to cooperate, negotiate, take turns and play by the rules are all- important skills learned in early games. These skills grow as the child plays. As a result, children learn the roles and rules of society.