Top Ideas for Preschoolers this Christmas
Christmas is just around the corner and if you are looking for gift ideas that will surely make any preschooler jump for joy then take a read below.
There is so much to consider when purchasing for your preschooler, their attention spans are notably longer than when they were toddlers and you can take advantage of this by choosing a toy that will not only catch their attention but also help to develop their mental, social and physical capacities.
Preschoolers are a very curious and sociable bunch. They enjoy experimenting and figuring out the world that surrounds them as well as playing alongside others.
With these in mind, what toys could you possibly consider giving this Christmas? Here are our top ideas that preschoolers will surely love!
Puzzles
Puzzles are great for developing the problem solving capacities of preschoolers. Think about blocks that stack together, pieces that match with each other and jigsaw pieces that fit within a frame. They are great for a variety of reasons.
Puzzles are available in a variety of topics and themes such as shapes, numbers, colours, alphabet letters, animals, fruits and vegetables. The colourful puzzle pieces encourage the development of their spatial awareness and increases their understanding of such topics and themes.
Every child is different but puzzles can be a medium to which their cognitive skills will be enhanced at their own pace and the more they play with the puzzle pieces, the faster their likelihood of understanding numbers, letters and other topics would be.
Since puzzles set a single goal to be achieved, preschoolers are challenged to think outside the box and develop strategies to solve what’s in front of them. By involving the problem solving capacities and reasoning skills of children, that sense of achievement can later be sent into their adulthood.
Since puzzles come in a variety of shapes and colours, preschoolers are engrossed with picking up the pieces, pinching or gripping the knobs, moving around the pieces or manipulating the pegs to fit into their rightful places. These activities help develop their fine motor skills, as well as their hand and eye coordination.
Puzzles are also great for cooperative play. As preschoolers work together to complete a puzzle, they will learn how to communicate with each other effectively, decide which pieces would go and why, take turns in making the move, support each other if they find the puzzle too difficult to complete and share the joy of being able to solve it. Since the accomplishment of finishing puzzles feels good, they can give preschoolers the sense of pride and satisfaction which they can later bring when they grow into adults.
Balance bikes, trikes, scooters, swing car and ride-on toys
These are toys that are great for developing their growing muscles and their sense of balance. Just like puzzles, balance bikes, scooters, trikes, swing cars and ride-on toys can help develop the fine and gross motor skills of preschoolers.
Depending on the preference of the child, these toys can be played alone or with friends. If played alone, it can foster a deep sense of self-confidence and independent play. If played with other friends, it can contribute to the improvement of their social and emotional faculties, as well as encourage them to share a single toy, take turns to play it and engage with others to make it as fun as possible.
Since these kinds of toys require physical activity and effective manipulation, it will also help develop their spatial intelligence, allowing them to navigate their immediate environment in a safe manner and solve the obstacles that are presented to them.
Toys for building and pretend play
There are a variety of toys under this classification. Think about pull along play sets, magnetic mazes, fishing games, food cutting sets, wooden lorries, afternoon tea sets, puppet theatres and train sets.
These toys are specially designed to develop their mental, social, emotional wellbeing. For instance, magnetic mazes require its users to reach the end of a maze by navigating through a series of paths. This challenge requires the problem solving abilities of any child.
Pretend play toys can also fire up the imagination and self expression of preschoolers. For instance, when playing with afternoon tea sets, preschoolers are encouraged to create their own perfect idea of an afternoon tea, share those plans with a friend and create a scenario that all of them could enjoy.
When it comes to self expression, toys like food cutting sets allow preschoolers to pretend working as a stay-at-home mum or a chef in a restaurant while wooden lorries would encourage them to think like a fireman or ambulance driver.
Just like puzzles and ride-on toys, toys for pretend play and building stimulates their motor function and spatial awareness. These toys are also great for solo or group play so their sense of independence or teamwork can also be developed.
By creating scenarios that bring their ideas to life, preschoolers can create something truly unique, allow their creativity to flourish and foster their emotional growth.
Toys that allow pre schoolers to be creative
These kinds of toys allow pre schoolers to reach out the deep crevices of their imagination and self expression. Think about art sets and musical instruments like pianos or xylophones.
Aside from stimulating their sensory development, these toys are also helpful when it comes to improving their numeracy and literacy, as well as the ability to express themselves through art, creating music, singing and dancing.
Pre schoolers are adept in identifying sound patterns and are most likely to learn faster through repetition, anticipating what comes next in the sequence of a pattern (for instance, knowing what comes next after letter A and B or knowing what is next to number 5). By exposing them to words and music, they will develop a mastery over these developmental milestones.
Now that you have an idea what toys are great for pre schoolers, which ones are you eyeing up to buy your little one this Christmas?