Age Appropriateness - You Know Best

Let's talk about toys and age appropriateness. Selecting the ideal toy for a child can be difficult. We want a child to have toys which are primarily entertaining and also offer the ability for the child to learn through play. With so many toys on the market all with glowing descriptions it is easy to get overwhelmed. We have recently launched a Gift Buying Guide with age brackets. The age recommendations are designed to offer a broad direction when buying a gift but it is important to remember each child's development is distinct.

Most parents will have looked to another child and questioned why their child isn't doing the same thing. Someone else will be looking at your child thinking the same thing. It is important to remember you are doing a great job. As caregivers we are individuals and we impart our knowledge and experience on the little ones in our lives they become an image of the combined individuality in their lives. Whilst there may be pressure to buy the perfect toy a child's developmental is influenced more by interactions and experiences than material possessions.

Age recommendations of toys should be seen as flexible guidelines. Some children may show an early interest in puzzles or problem solving, others may prefer more imaginative play. Tor has an obsession for colour from an early age and a lot of his first words have been identifying colours. Some of his friends prefer shapes and others are more physical. The most important part of playtime is play. Toys which aide developmental milestones do this by first serving their primary purpose of being fun.

I fell in love with the Wooden Rainbow Stacker and have given this to Tor to play with since he was a little over one. Whilst he has played with it most of the time he is wearing the pieces as a hat. As he approaches two he is starting to stack the pieces but we are still a little way off him creating some constructions which I seen our customers tag me in. This toy will grow with him as he gets older and it is serving it's main purpose which is fun.

Montessori toys are designed to encourage creativity through open-ended play. Independent play and problem solving are important Montessori principles. With each child being an individual it is important to remember the Montessori principles are just one option and a flexible approach to toy selection is required.

Our toy guide is designed to offer helpful advice primarily to people other than parents. The guide should not be seen as definitive rules. The last thing we would want is a parent or caregiver to look at our guide and question where their child is in their own development. We have been there ourselves as parents and have to remind ourselves that we, like you, are doing a great job.