5 Toys Parents Should Invest in for Their Kids

What comes to your mind the moment you hear the word ‘toys’? Well for me, toys are my means of transport to a land I would wish to land on instead of the Earth. It’s a magical place filled with toys that come alive with one touch. They teach you letters and their sounds, fill your vocabulary chest at a young age, strengthen your tiny and large muscles, fuel your grey cells with amazing maze problems, and help fine-tune your singing. This place has fun all day and I wouldn’t even realise I learn a lot of things.

So you see, the world of toys is magical. And obviously, they aren’t just for entertainment or for keeping kids occupied while parents work. They mean so much more. So dear parents, wouldn’t it be great if you take them to this magical world of toys?

We believe we know your answer. So here are the toys that parents should invest in for their kids and why invest in them?

1. Blocks.

If there’s one toy that tops in the toys-to-buy list for parents, it is blocks. Block is literally the building block of children’s growth and development.

Building blocks, toy blocks, or simply ‘blocks’ come in various types, weights, shapes and sizes. They can be wooden or made of plastics. They can be small, large, light or heavy. Four of the main features of blocks we love are:

• Inclusivity. They can be played by children, teenagers, adults and the elderly. No age barrier. No gender preference.
• Portability. They can be played anywhere: indoors or outdoors. Take them to the beach or to the park for a fruitful day where kids learn while having fun.
• Flexibility. Blocks are suited for playing alone or with other kids and adults.
• Unlimited creativity. Children can build a variety of structures with them. A castle is one example.

Here's a hand-crafted eco-friendly wooden block to start playing with.

2. Puzzles.

Puzzles are literally brainteasers. They test and expect our brains to solve a game or a problem by putting pieces together in a logical manner. Solving puzzles helps our brain engage in a stimulating cognitive activity because they come along with a lot of trial and error. Even the simplest puzzles and the right strategies must be thought-out and developed to approach and achieve your goal while testing your options over and over again. This means the more you work with different parts of your brain, the sharper your brain becomes!

We recommend these puzzles for your investment. Let puzzle solving begin and keep your child puzzled! As a start, have your child learn geography with this amazing world map puzzle.

3. Pretend Play.

Pretend play has many different names such as:

• make-believe
• dramatic play
• fantasy play
• imaginative play

These activities generally involve lots of role-playing or imitation, non-literal behaviour, and object substitution. Toys such as play doctor, play chef or play farmer solicit role-playing. Even action figures stir fantasy play wherein children pretend to be heroes saving victims of evil deeds from villains.

Although most people tend to view these games as just fun with no real educational value, engaging in pretend play hones skills that are important in building children’s developmental growth.

Some of the benefits of pretend play include:

• it helps develop thinking skills
• nurtures the imagination
• helps develop and enhance social and emotional skills
• promotes language development

4. Messy Play

If you’re wondering what messy play means, welcome to the club! One thing I am sure of though. Messy play is about learning through experience. Toys that belong to this category sharpen you and your child’s senses.
In other words, messy play is also known as “sensory play”, referring to the use of the five senses namely; smell, touch, sight, hearing and taste.

Benefits:

• It allows your child to explore materials, shapes, colours and textures.
• It aids your child in expressing themselves creatively.
• It exposes your child to the world of senses where they learn how things feel, smell, or taste.

Messy play materials can include sand, water, clay, paint, glue and many other items that could already be there in your home. One perfect game for this is "touch or smell me and tell me my name". Bring a few assorted jars of nuts, rice, spices, etc. and let your child touch or smell them then have them name each item.

Start a messy play with your child with this Snooplay recommendation.

5. Musical Toys

Musical toys are not only for children who are fond of singing or playing instruments. In fact, singing and playing instruments are skills that are learned. Hence, it’s no wonder why parents provide their kids with musical toys whenever they are ready because they know that early exposure to these kinds of toys can help their children appreciate and pave a path to the world of music.

Check our previous blog about what music does to our brain here.

Benefits:

• Calm and soothe your child’s mind. Children have many fears and anxieties, and music does wonders for these feelings.
• Improve memory. Repeated exposure to music helps children familiarize themselves with the tune, melody and lyrics of the song.
• Enhance vocabulary building.
• Boost motor skills development especially when children opt to learn musical instruments.
• Lull children to sleep. It is even advisable to listen to slow and soothing music while sleeping.

Here are a few musical instruments that you can invest in for your kids.