Match toys to age and development

0-1 year

• Development focus: sensory exploration, body movement development, establish object causal relationships
• Recommended toys: cloth books, contrasting colour picture cards, teethers, press-to-sound toys, rattles

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1-3 years

• Development focus: motor coordination, hand manipulation, matching concepts, pre-writing, pretend play
• Recommended toys: push carts, balls, building blocks, threading toys, sorting toys, crayons, cooking set

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3-5 years

• Development focus: movement coordination, hand manipulation, tool use, creativity, role-playing, social skills, problem-solving, build up frustration tolerance
• Recommended toys: balls, balance beam, puzzles, construction sets, balancing stacking toys, craft sets, medical play set, simple board games

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6 years or above

• Development focus: motor coordination, response speed, logical thinking, strategic planning, social skills, frustration tolerance, creativity, develop specific interests
• Recommended toys: balls, jumping rope, model assembly, strategic board games, craft sets, scientific experiment sets

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Safety precautions: avoid toys with small parts (for children under three), splinters, sharp edges or long cords.

Myths about toys

• Use toys to replace companionship: Toys are just the medium; quality parent-child interaction is key to healthy child development
• Over-intervention and guidance: Let children explore freely, and learn through trial and error
• Keep buying new toys: Put away some toys and rotate every one to two weeks to keep things fresh, and help children focus on exploring