The first toys in a child's life make a difference.
Play is, first of all, the child's language; it is the way they communicate. Children can express a wide range of emotions through play, much more than talking; it's important to provide them with educational toys that stimulate learning and development.
It is also essential to know that play changes as the child grows so we can choose what it's appropriate for their age and stage of development.
This blog post focuses on the importance of interactive learning for kids under three years old and choosing the appropriate toys. The first years of a child's life are the most important for their development, so giving them quality toys that encourage their development is crucial.
At this early age, it is vital to introduce sensory play. As Dr. Maria Montessori has said, sensorial experiences start at birth. The child plays with various textures and materials, discovering their environment and making it part of their learning. Sensory play provides an interactive way of learning which stimulates different areas of the child's development (cognitive, social, speech, fine motor skills, and gross motor skill development)
In this post, I bring a list of five different types of interactive toys you can introduce to children under three years old. You can learn how each of them stimulates different areas of development.
At Sensory Toys Box, we created this unique, interactive, colorful toy that aims to explore and curiosity of the little ones. As they turn and rotate their sensory bottle rattle, your child's motor coordination develops, attention to detail, and the sound refines their auditory senses. The bottle is decorated with ribbons on the outside so that the child can touch and feel different textures.
One of our best sellers is the My First Toy Sensory Bottle Rattle, composed of neon pom poms, bells, chenille stems, and decorated with colorful ribbons on the outside.
- Calming bottles:
These bottles contain glitter and other interesting objects such as shells, pearls, and confetti that slowly rise and fall as the child moves it. They encourage interactive learning, concentration, coordination, and a state of calm and rest.
Our bottles are of an ideal size and weight to be easily handled by the little ones.
One of our best sellers is the North Sensory Bottle. This bottle is composed of snowflakes and stars confetti, glitter, and water beads, making you feel like you're in a lovely, peaceful snowy landscape.
- Hand Kite:
Hand Kites are a great toy option for children 0-5 years old, but they are a big hit, especially with small children. This toy provides an excellent opportunity to encourage interactive learning and early childhood stimulation to fascinate and engage your child.
Its colors and sound make it a beautiful object for the little ones making it the ideal toy to generate curiosity, creativity, and joy in the tiny ones. It also promotes learning since the child can touch and feel different textures, move the ring in search of sound, dance, run with it, and see its movement.
At Sensory Toys Box we have different options of Hand Kites with or without sound for those children who are hearing sensitive.
- Sensory Bags:
Another great option to promote interactive learning on the little ones you can make at home is sensory bags. These are bags that contain different materials inside so that the child can touch and discover while playing. For example, they can have paint, shaving foam, pasta, rice, beans, and pom-poms.
This toy is an excellent way to keep your little ones entertained during tummy time. Professionals recommended that babies spend at least a few minutes a day on their tummies. This position can help them strengthen arm, trunk, and shoulder muscles, develop motor skills and improve bowel transit.
- Sensory Boards
Another excellent idea that You can also do at home with a bit of creativity is the so-called sensory boards. It consists of a large piece of wood or cardboard where we can place different fabrics, objects such as buttons, lids, ribbons, and things you have at home.
This interactive toy favors the child's motor and cognitive skills as each object has different functionality, encouraging the child's exploration. While playing, the child quickly learns how these objects work by touching and manipulating them.
They can start using this toy from six months and have fun until around the age of three. It is a toy that, once made, lasts for many years and can be kept in the child's room but can also be moved, for example, when you go on a family trip.
Here I share a website that shows some ideas of sensory boards to awaken your creativity and give you ideas to start creating.
These are excellent activities to fascinate and engage your child, encouraging early childhood stimulation.
Inspire curiosity and imagination by inviting your little one into a new world filled with magic!