A toddler (1-3 years) is an interesting little thing aren’t they! For example, they only want spaghetti. And then they don’t want spaghetti ever again, and it’s YOUR FAULT for not knowing that changed. And then later on……… “Why don’t I have spaghetti”. Oh, how we laugh (we’ll later on we might laugh).
It’s fair to say that Toddlers are renowned for changing their minds. They can be demanding, throw tantrums, pick fights with siblings, and flat our refuse to do as they are supposed to (like eat). But all that being said, they are adorably cute and so funny.
This is a huge learning stage, and for such a little human. There is frustration as they try to say words, but they just don’t come out right and the big people are not understanding correctly. Or when they try to join in games but just don’t have the skills – like falling over while they are trying to kick a ball.
These resourceful little characters are developing in several areas: Gross motor skills - walking, running, climbing. Fine motor skills - feeding themselves, drawing. Sensory skills- seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Language skills - saying single words, then sentences. Social Skills- playing with others, taking turns, doing fantasy play.
So what are some great toys and tools to help with that?
Toddlers love learning by mimicking adults’ behaviour. Baby dolls are a great option for this type of play and learning as this gives toddlers a chance to role play and practice valuable social skills and language skills.
Sports toys like balls are a great way to practice and develop physical skills.
Books are magical, and toddlers love spending time looking at board books and picture books. It’s a great way to start identifying different things like animals, shapes, numbers, colours.
Sand and Bath toys can fill hours of play time and is quite often the fast favourite with many toddlers. The amount of learning opportunities from waterplay is amazing and it’s all FUN.
Then there’s puzzles, games, ride on toys, cars and trucks, ride on toys, and on and on and on and on the list goes. We just hope you like the selection we’ve put together for Kiwi toddlers and find the right toy for the toddler in your life.
