The best educational toys for children up to a year

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Barely born, the baby begins to explore the world. At first, he simply observes what is happening around him, the actions of mom and dad, and then he himself seeks to touch the objects around him, pat them and taste them. Modern parents have wonderful helpers - educational toys for children. Up to a year, a child learns a lot, and this process of learning is very important. Let's take a closer look at which toys from the huge assortment offered by stores are really worth attention.

Pendants and music mobile

These are educational toys for children under one year old, which are among the very first to be used. A mobile, or carousel, is hung over the baby's bed, fixed on a special bracket. He is usually equipped with several colorful toys that vary in color and possibly size. They move in a circle, and this is accompanied by a light, unpretentious melody. The kid learns to follow the toys, watches them move, and then tries to reach them. Later it will be possible to remove the pendants from the base of the mobile and use them separately. They can have light effects, rustle or ring.

Development mat

If the mobile is hung over the crib, then the rug is just on the floor. It is also equipped with hanging toys. The kid reaches for them, gets them, explores. If the child lies on the rug on the back, then he sees those pendants that are on the arc, but if he rolls over on his tummy, he won’t get bored either, because the base is usually attached to ropes that you can pull, rustling animals, or maybe, even the mirror, of course, is completely safe for the child. Often, educational toys for small children (pendants) can be selected separately for the rug, because they are removable, like the arcs themselves.

How to choose pendants

- Musical educational toys for children should not sound loud. The melody should be unobtrusive, light and pleasant.

- Pendants can have different shapes, sizes and textures, but they must be bright and have a pleasant shade. It is better if it is one of the colors of the rainbow. But in no case do not take toys with acid tones, they can irritate, which will contribute to the overexcitation of the child or his fatigue.

- There are several toys available, with different shapes, tactile sensations and sounds. It can be both wooden educational toys for children, and plastic, soft ones, etc. But you don’t need to hang them all at once on the rug. It is better to alternate them so that the baby does not get tired of them.

- When buying, pay attention to the fact that toyscorresponded to real images. For example, a bird should look like a bird, not a hybrid of an elephant and an ostrich. And it is better if those who fly in nature will fly over the baby: birds, butterflies, bees, and let elephants and dogs remain on the ground.

Rattles

Since ancient times, people have been using such educational toys for children up to a year old. First, the mother shows the baby a rattle, rings it, removes it from the child's field of vision and checks how he reacts to extraneous sounds. And then the baby himself, barely begins to confidently hold something in a tiny hand, takes a toy, tastes it (no way without it), examines, shakes and rejoices at his first achievements.

Rattle promotes the development of auditory and visual perception, concentration. Some of them help with fine motor skills.

For a very tiny baby who was born just a month ago, it is better to choose small rattles on the handle or on the ring. It will be convenient to take them with a small fist and not hard to hold. Later, you can already introduce the child to other types of this toy. For example, for a change, you should purchase a rattle with beads or a “rattle”. It not only sounds, but also allows the baby to develop fine motor skills, as he can pull the strings, move elements, and fiddle with details. And most often such toys do not make ringing sounds, but tapping or rattling.

Pyramid

According to many parents, pyramids are the besteducational toys for children. They are suitable for those who are already six months old. This toy helps to develop sensorimotor coordination in such a small child, and older children can use it to learn colors, sizes and shapes.

For a baby up to a year, choose a pyramid of 3-4 rings, no more. It will be difficult for him to arrange a large number of elements in the correct order. The rod should be short so that it is more convenient for the child to remove the rings. It is better if the pyramid is plastic, so it will be easier to wash it, and the mother can be calm when the baby pulls it into her mouth.

Inserts

Many teachers of different times, including the Nikitins, Zaitsev, Montesorri and others, believe that the best educational toys for children must include inserts in their list. They can be of two types: frames and bowls. The first are voluminous boxes or frames in which cuts of various shapes are made. Inserts themselves are inserted into them, in turn. Usually these are wooden educational toys for children. Bowls are a set of gizmos of the same shape and different sizes. More often these are cups, cubes, halves of a ball, etc. They are inserted into each other or build a pyramid out of them.

Playing with inserts, the baby gets the first knowledge about the size, learns the ratio of the size and shape of objects, coordination of the actions of hands and eyes. These toys are very useful. They contribute to the development of imagination, because you can play with them in different ways. Again, you can arrange a first acquaintance with color. Fittings -bowls in the sandbox, in the bathroom, and even for an impromptu tea party.

Dynamic children's educational toys

For children, such toys bring new discoveries and joy. Take, for example, Yulu. It is worth lightly pressing on her handle, as she spins. It is easy to imagine the delight and surprise of the child. Thus, dynamic toys are those that respond to a purposeful effort. So, for example, modern robots do not belong to this category, because they are turned on with a button or remote control, while the baby does not learn anything new for himself, cannot correlate the action with the reaction.

On the contrary, a dynamic toy helps to establish the relationship between the impact on it and the emerging "surprise" - movement, sound, etc. This contributes to the development of cognitive activity. The best educational toys for kids in terms of dynamic ones are:

- Yula. Popular at all times. To set it in motion, you need to press a button or a knob. It is important for a child that he can do it himself, without the help of adults. He is aware that his action entails something unexpected.

Tops are different. Some simply spin, others make sounds, others are equipped with lighting effects, and the fourth combine several functions at once. Musical educational toys for children are suitable for very young children. In this case, mom or dad will spin the top, and the baby will watch it and listen to the melody.

Also interesting are the toys, inside which there are figures of animals or a rider on a horse. ATin the first case, when moving, a visual effect of a round dance is created, and in the second, it seems as if the rider is jumping over obstacles. This "animation" of the characters is the key here.

- A tumbling acrobat. This is a figurine of a clown sitting on a ladder. It is worth moving it to the top step, as it begins to somersault, going down. The most interesting thing is that it does not fall.

- Tumbler. Everyone remembers this "childhood friend". Previously, these were standard nesting dolls, but today they can be various little animals. The bottom line is that if you tilt the toy, she gets up again and does not want to go to bed. A nice bonus is the sound that the tumbler makes when moving. Such a toy can be presented even to the smallest child - it is very easy to activate.

Shape toys

Developing toys for children up to a year are also a variety of dolls and animals. With their help, the mother builds a certain plot, tells the baby fairy tales. Such games affect the social and emotional positions of the child, contribute to the development of his personal sphere. If you choose a baby doll as such a toy, then the baby will gradually begin to compare himself and her. All this will help the child to enter the big world of people in the future.

For the first games of a baby up to a year old, plot (figurative) toys such as:

- kolobok;

- tumbler;

- baby doll, - porcelain doll;

- animal figurines(including plush and rubber).

For physical development

This is one of the largest group of toys. But this is not only sports equipment like balls. This includes pendants, stretch marks on the crib. They contribute to the development of coordination of movements.

The same balls can also be different. So, for the crumbs, a small ball is perfect, which he will learn to hold in his hands. Practically from birth, children have been doing gymnastics on a fitball, and at an older age (after six months), a massage ball will come in handy.

It will be interesting for the baby to play with "smart" toys that "run away" from him. They encourage crawling. As soon as a child hits a toy, it rolls away from him and again “waits” until they catch up with her.

When discussing educational toys for children (a photo of a number of them is available in the article), it is impossible not to say about wheelchairs. If the baby is learning to walk, he will need a stable cart with a handle. Anyone who is not even thinking about the first steps will like a wheelchair on a rope. Well, if the child already walks more or less well, a wheelchair on a stick will do.

Conclusion

As you can see, toys are not only entertainment, but also indispensable helpers in the development of the baby. However, it should be noted that it is not necessary to buy half the store in order to provide your child with everything necessary. Of course, only real craftsmen can make musical educational toys for children on their own. But some things can be quite "reclassified". For example, frombracelets with large buttons will make excellent toys for developing motor skills for children. True, you should not leave the child unattended when he plays with them.