Toys for Older Toddlers - Toddler Development



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Older Toddlers (2 year olds) developmental milestones and their abilities and interests:

Toddler Physical Development

skilled at most simple large muscle skills.
lots of physical testing - jumping from heights, climbing, hanging by arms, rolling, galloping, somersaults, rough-and-tumble play.
throws and retrieves all kinds of objects
pushes self on wheeled objects with good steering.
by 2 1/2 to 3 years, good hand and finger coordination.
lots of active play with small objects - explores different qualities of play materials.

Toddler Mental Development

interested in attributes of objects-texture, shape, size, color.
can match a group of similar objects.
plays with pattern, sequence, order of size.
first counting skills.
first creative activities (drawing, construction, clay) - process still more important than final product.
beginning to solve problems in head.
imaginative fantasy play increases - continued interest in domestic imitation.
fantasy play alone or with adult - child also makes toys carry out actions on other toys.

Toddler Social Development

main interest still in parents, but begins to play cooperatively with other children (especially 30 to 36 months).
uses language to express wishes to others.
engages in game-like interactions with others - also some pretend play with others.
enjoys hearing simple stories read from picture books, especially stories with repetition.
strong desire for independence - shows pride in accomplishment.

ALL TOYS for Older Toddlers

Beginning of cooperative social play.

Increasing interest in pretend play.

Love of physical active play.

Child prefers action toys, toys that produce movement or sounds by child's own efforts.

More realism preferred

begins to pay attention to qualities of objects
prefers toys with working parts.

Toys should be lightweight enough for easy lifting, carrying.

Bright colors preferred.

Toys should meet safety regulations for age

sturdy, unbreakable, not likely to break into small pieces and strong enough for child to stand on or in.
nontoxic materials.
no sharp points or edges.
too large to be lodged in windpipe, ears, nostrils.
no detachable small parts.
no parts that could pinch or entrap fingers, toes, hair.
not put together with easily exposed straight pins, sharp wires, nails.
no electrical parts, unless supervised by adult.

Active Play

Push and Pull Toys

pull toys with strings.
doll carriages.
wagons.
small, light wheelbarrow.
interest in push toys that look like adult equipment - lawnmower, vacuum, shopping cart.

Ride-On Toys

interest in realistic-looking ride-ons - tractors, motorcycles.
ride-ons with storage trays or bins.
ride-ons propelled by bouncing up and down.
when children begin to pedal (around
2 1/2 - 3) small tricycle.

Outdoor and Gym Equipment

all gym equipment needs adult supervision-
tunnels.
climbing structures and slides.
stationary rather than moving outdoor equipment.
swings with curved, soft seats and restraining straps.

Sports Equipment

sleds sized to child (shorter length than child's height).
spinning seat.
pool toys (tubes, mats) with adult supervision.
balls of all sizes, but especially large balls (All balls given to this age group should be at least 1-3/4 inches (44 mm) in diameter, however, if any object appears to lit easily in the child's mouth, keep it away from the child.)

Manipulative Play

Construction Toys

solid, wooden unit blocks.
large, hollow building blocks (cardboard, wood, plastic).
large plastic bricks (2-4 inches or 50- 100 mm) to be pressed together.
plastic interlocking rings, large plastic nuts and bolts.

Puzzles

fit-in puzzle
- 2 to 2 1/2 years, 4-5 pieces.
- 2 1/2 to 3 years, 6-12 pieces.
puzzles with knobs easier (knobs should be firmly attached).

Pattern-Making Toys

peg boards with large pegs.
color cubes.
magnetic boards with shapes, animals, people.
color forms (from around 2 1/2).

Manipulative Toys

fit-together toys of 5-10 pieces.
nesting toys with multiple pieces, including barrel toys that require screwing motion.
number/counting boards with large pegs.
shape sorters with common shapes.
pounding/hammering toys.
smelling jars.
feel bag or box.
color/picture dominoes.
simple lotto matching games based on color, pictures.

Dressing, Lacing, Stringing Toys

large colored beads. (All beads given to this age group should beat least 1-3/4 inches (44 mm) in diameter, however, if any object appears to fit easily in the child's mouth, keep it away from the child.)
lacing card or wooden shoe for lacing.
dressing books and dolls.
frames, cubes for lacing, buttoning, snapping, hooking.

Sand and Water Play Toys

bathtub activity centers.
nesting tub toys.
tub toys with removable figures, accessories.
linking tub toys.
small boats (no metal pans).
small and large sandbox tools (with blunt edges).
water/sand mills
sprinklers

Make-Believe Play

Dolls

soft-bodied and rubber baby dolls.
more realistic dolls with hair and moving eyes.
dolls to fit in child's arms, also small, realistic dolls.
talking dolls operated by pulling string.
large peg dolls.
doll accessories - simple and sturdy.
caretaking accessories-bottle, blanket.
simple removable garments (hook and loop, large snap fasteners).

Stuffed Toys

soft, pliable animals.
mother and baby combinations.
preference for realistic animals, replicas of familiar characters.
toys with music box inside.

Puppets

small hand puppets (hand-and-arm puppets too large).
lightweight, sized to fit child's hand.
puppets doubling as stuffed toys.
puppets representing familiar characters.

Role-Play Materials

dress-ups and costumes.
equipment should be realistic-looking.
child-sized equipment - stove, cooking board, refrigerator.
doll equipment.
all housekeeping equipment - cleaning sets, pots and pans, bath and laundry.
toys that can be pushed - vacuum, lawnmower, shopping cart.
full-length mirror.

Play Scenes

familiar, realistic-looking scenes - farm, garage, airport.
scenes with multiple pieces but not highly detailed.
preference for moving parts, parts that make noise.
interior of scenes easily accessible.
vehicle sets with figures.

Transportation Toys

small, realistic cars (not metal).
vehicles with moving pans.
large trucks (metal too heavy) -- moving parts, parts operated by large lever (with knob on end).
cars, trucks with removable figures, accessories.
small trains with simple coupling mechanism - no tracks.

Projectile Toys

not suited to age group

CREATIVE PLAY

(arts, crafts, music)

Musical Instruments

all rhythm instruments - bells, rattles, cymbals, drums, triangle, rhythm stick, sand blocks, xylophones.
horns and whistles (around 21/2).

Art and Craft Materials

large crayons.
non-toxic paints (finger and tempera) and short handled brushes with blunt ends.
clay.
sturdy markers.
blunt-end scissors.
chalkboard, large chalk.
colored construction paper.

Audio-Visual Equipment

operated by adult, tapes, records, CDs.
hand-cranked music box if crank is large and easy to turn.

LEARNING PLAY

Games

lotto matching games based on color pictures.
dominoes, especially giant dominoes.
board games based on chance - only a few large pieces or pairs.

Specific Skill Development Toys

simple teaching toys for
- matching/sorting, shapes, colors, letters/sounds, numbers, concepts.
- all electrically powered toys need adult supervision.

Books

sturdy books with heavy paper, cardboard pages.
short simple stories with repetition and familiar subjects.
simple pictures with clear color, few details.
pop-up books.
hidden picture books.
dressing books.

Adapted from the CPSC Which Toy for Which Child booklet