Kids Gifts and Child Development - we don't always put the two together as we get sucked into the world of peer pressure and advertising.
Most kids know exactly what toy they want next......they've seen the adverts on TV, their friends have one, it's the latest craze and it's 'really, really' what they want. And who says that money doesn't grow on trees?
However sometimes 'Mum really does know best'!
And if not, well here are a few kids gift idea suggestions.....
Basics to think about
Cost
Can you afford it and is it good value for money? Why not buy secondhand. Look on the right for examples on eBay.
How will your child benefit from it?
I've lost count of the number of toys and gimmicks that I've been persuaded to buy my kids over the years. Many haven't seen the light of day after the first week or even days. I even studied child development!
Sometimes children need a little guidance from adults but don't forget, just because you liked something, as a child doesn't mean your child will too.
We all have different characters and tastes, even as a new-born, so what kids gift suits one child, may not suit another.
Is It Age Appropriate?
Below I have outlined basic child development for different age groups with some suggestions of kids gift ideas. But bear in mind every child is different and you know your child best.
0-6 months
Toys for this age are primarily for looking and listening. They like bright primary colors, or high contrast colors such as black and white. Simple designs and human face features are particularly fascinating to them as are toys that react to a certain action eg rattles.
Kids Gift Ideas:
Mobiles, musical toys, small soft bodied toys, rattles, teethers, baby play gyms.
7-12 months
Infants this age have started sitting and they love to grasp and explore toys and put them in their mouths. They enjoy opening and closing toys and ones that make a noise in response to an action.
Kids Gift Ideas:
Soft blocks, soft-bodied dolls/animals, rattles, simple nesting cups, activity blocks and unbreakable mirror toys, activity tables, play gyms,soft balls.
Toddlers (1 – 2 years)
Toddlers are into exploring and imitating an adult's actions such as washing up and sweeping the floor. This is the age that they usually start to walk and just love pushing and pulling toys small-wheeled toys around. They love placing small objects in and out of containers and investigating objects. Picture books are always a favorite and they are beginning to enjoy scribbling. They are starting to engage in pretend play but are not yet ready to share toys with others.
Kids Gift Ideas:
Soft-bodied dolls, toy telephone and other toy household items, tactile books, large crayons, floating toys, hammering toys, stacking toys, toys that involve pressing or pushing to get an action eg toy telephone.
Preschoolers
This is a wonderful age group, full of inquisitiveness of the world about them and how things work. It's also a great age for pretend play, dressing up, building and climbing. This is also an age when children don't quite appreciate danger so they do need careful supervision in certain activities.
Kids Gift Ideas:
Puppets, realistic dolls and stuffed toys with accessories, number/color sorting activities, simple jigsaws (10-25 pieces), books with colorful but more complex illustrations, Personalized Children's Books, play dough and painting, scene building sets with small characters, dressing up costumes, simple card games, dominoes, ride on tricycle, slides and swings, lightweight bat and ball. You can
see that the list could be endless….Toys for preschoolers from 1st for Toys (UK store)
School Age (6,7, 8 year old)
A child's preferences and character are beginning to really show and they are becoming more specific in their activities and more patient in order to see an end result. They have a great interest in nature, science and experiments and hobbies/collections are developing. Anything creative which produces a finished product (art, models, sewing, carpentry) are popular and there is a continued interest in group activities and dramatic play (cops and robbers, space, wicked step mother etc).
Kids Gift Ideas:
Kits (science, crafts, models, magic tricks), jigsaws (50-100 pieces), action figures with moving accessories, simple strategy and rule games, realistic accessories that work for role play, dolls house with accessories, football, skates, skipping ropes, 2 wheeled bike, complex outdoor climbing frames, books about people, animals, nature or children's classics, collectable and unusual stuffed toys and puppets, construction sets.
Older School age (9,10,11,12 year old)
I find that as my kids get older, it becomes slightly harder to think of a kids gift that really suits them unless they have a real hobby as Sam my 13 year-old does – computer games and football. Generally they enjoy group, sporting and activity games, gadgets and inventions and have a growing interest in the larger world. Talents in drama, music and crafting might emerge plus serious hobbies and collecting.
Kids Gift Ideas:
Bicycles and machines with speed, complex climbing structures, trampolines, roller and ice skates, construction sets with complex parts, board games that involve strategy and concentration, jigsaws (100-500 pieces), design and science kits. Personal or decorative accessories, binoculars and electronic gadgets such as calculators, stop watches, cloths with 'trendy' logos, books (children are very specific at this age on the type of book that they prefer).
0-6 months
7-12 months
Preschoolers
School Age (6,7, 8 year old)
