7 Toys That Help With Cognitive Development
Play is one of the many important aspects of development that children go through. And while most people understand that play is a valuable part of growing up, some people may not realize just how important it is for the cognitive development of a child.
Toys can actually help to play a major part in your child’s cognitive development by giving them time to explore independent play while engaging in motor skills, emotional development, and more. It’s important to develop these skills early, and with the help of toys, the process will be easy and fun!
Are you curious to find some options you might want to introduce to your child? Read further below to find out more!
Benefits Of Toys For Young Children
Everybody likely knows the necessity of providing toys for young children. They provide comfort and entertainment for children to keep them busy and engaged during independent play time. But beyond the obvious benefits, toys can help benefit children by developing some of the cornerstones of their childhood development!
The importance of games and toys are recognized by doctors as an aspect of early development that should not be undermined or undervalued by parents. The benefits of engaging with toys as a part of play brings many benefits, even beyond enhanced cognitive development.
These benefits include:
- Physical activity
- Learning
- Problem solving
- Comprehension
- Increased curiosity
- Sensory development
- Motor skills
- Abstract thinking
- Imagination/creativity
- Emotional development
- & more!
Play is an essential aspect of growth that should always be encouraged, and never overlooked as anything less than an essential learning tool for children to engage with. For a selection of toys that facilitate learning experiences, check out our collection of 7 toys for cognitive development below!
Manhattan Toy Skwish Rattle & Teether
Suitable for newborns and teething infants alike, this hybrid rattle is a beautiful and tactile toy sure to provide plenty of stimulation for a young infant. Fabricated out of flexible elastic strings and colorful wooden beads, the Skwish is made to collapse and reform as your child applies pressure to its structure, providing a fun sensory experience to explore!
With bright colors and an attractive design, your child will enjoy the experience of handling and manipulating this pleasant little toy. It will help your child develop fine motor skills, sensory perception, and their sense of curiosity and exploration. With its bright colors, your child will also develop familiarity useful in learning their colors.
With an easy-to-hold design, the Skwish is attractive to babies, providing plenty of visual and cognitive stimulation.
Magic Moves Electronic Wand
Providing 26 tunes, 90 commands, and plenty of flashing lights for increased fun, the Magic Moves Wand is the perfect toy for providing auditory and visual stimulation for young children. Your kid will have a ball watching the flashing lights synchronize to the music giving them lots of fun and excitement for times when the energy levels are running high.
The wand also interjects with commands and directions to instruct you kid to “dance”, “freeze”, “swoop like an owl” and so much more! This makes the wand a great toy to pull out when you kids are feeling extra “wiggly” and could use some physical activity! Plus your child will have the opportunity to learn some new vocabulary while they play!
Crayola Light Up Activity Board
The Crayola activity board provides fun new ways for kids to learn and play! Designed to help with shape recognition, color mixing, problem-solving, and tactile dexterity, this is an exciting activity board like no other!
This board introduces fun activities like drawing using shapes, coloring, and tracing! And with its attractive light-up designs, your child is sure to be enticed into devoted fun time with this creative toy. This activity board comes with washable markers, so it can be reused over and over again.
Leap-Frog Count-Along Basket & Scanner
This cute basket and scanner turn into a roll-away cart perfect for active play! This toy includes a talking scanner kids can use to learn all about food groups, colors, shapes, and numbers. And with plenty of fun and engaging phrases and songs, this interactive play shopping buddy is a great tool for expanding vocabulary, and learning to count!
This count-along basket comes with three play modes: learn, count, and game mode! Each mode comes with unique features for your child to interact with. Parents (or kids!) can even record their own stories or messages for playback, so you can come up with your own custom stories for you kids to take part in during playtime.
This toy is a great tool for cognitive development and will engage all of your child’s senses so they get the most out of their playtime.
Playmobil My First Train Set
Intended for children 1 year and over, this beautiful train set is a great introduction to creative independent play. This set comes with a cast of figures including a train conductor, a man, a woman, a child, and even some animals to encourage creative role-playing and imaginative solo play.
Your child will have fun laying foundations of rail, loading the wagons, and getting away from the station, utilizing a track designed just by them! This train set gives children plenty of opportunities for creative storytelling and should be a favorite for any train-obsessed youngster.
Speed Stacks
Great for independent play, Speedstacks help to train hand-eye coordination, speed, and mental quickness. Essentially speed stacks are specially designed cups that are designed to be stacked, unstacked, shuffled, and quickly rearranged in a variety of ways for sport. Small children may not be able to grip the cups properly, so this toy may be better for children 3 years and older.
Still, Speed Stacks are a popular toy, even amongst older kids, so if your child really latches on to it, these can become a productive hobby for years to come. In fact, some schools even use speed stacks as a teaching tool! Stacking cups might not initially seem valuable, but once you see the level of skill some people reach, you might second guess that notion.
Conclusion
No one should overlook the importance of providing children with thought-provoking and engaging toys, even from a very young age. We hope that the options listed above give you an idea of what to look for, or even better, make their way under the Christmas tree this year!
