A mother’s work is never done… Or so it seems when it comes to buying toys. Taking a 5-year-old into any toy shop may seem like a trivial situation but, I have to say, the supposedly 10 minute stop into the toy shop never lasts 10 minutes. If I say to my 5 year old ‘only one toy’, this will mean he then spends an age debating over what Lego set or action figure he prefers. It can be a rip your hair out moment.
However, I always try to guide my child towards the toys that will keep him stimulated for an hour or two. Not only does this give me some time to myself, but I also believe the high interaction helps in child development. Proven that play is very important in the early years of a child’s life, I do try and steer my boy towards toys which will make him think. I enjoy buying toys that the whole family can join in with, from the classic toys of Playmobil to Lego.
Due to the construction aspect of these types of toys, they are great for developing dexterity and social skills in children. Not only this, but I secretly love it and it means the whole family can help. There are a number of iPad apps and electronic games which are great in aiding development in writing and listening, but I think it’s important to offer your child a mixture of toys to boost different areas of development.
My boys have both always been into building types of toys. They love Legos and even as babies, they loved blocks and things like that.