How Do Toys Affect a Child's Development?

It’s Screen-Free Week here at Jaques of London. What better time to insist that all of your devices are low on battery, as we prepare for a week of glare-free joy. Play time for kids is all about fun, fun and even more fun. But this shouldn’t mean seeking childhood entertainment at the expense of the educational gains to be made from playing with the right kinds of toys. So, join Jaques of London, as we teach the world to play and ask, How Do Toys Affect a Child’s Development?

Baby Play

Baby toys are all about creating a sensory experience that allows the newest members of our families to engage with the world around them. At this age, studies show that children’s playtime can have a strong bond to the personality traits they go on to develop, encouraging play that may be cooperative or solitary in nature.

Toys for Toddlers

As babies begin to toddle, the great evolution of the toybox has already begun. The simple joys of chewing on comforting toys are long gone, replaced by the desire to indulge in infant investigation. Pacifying pacifiers give way to building blocks and baby blankies give way to little lessons in letters. At this age, experimentation is key, so be sure to provide plenty of stimulation, making toddler time non-stop fun.

Term-Time Toys

By the time our kids have made it to school, they are ready to engage with a far broader range of toys and games. At this stage, toys can be used to tie home-time into the activities our little learners are enjoying in their daily lessons. Whether xylophone tapping to progress pitch (and learn the peculiarities of English spelling) or taking to the art easel to draw and write, learning doesn’t have to stop when the bell rings.

Montessori Miracles

Here at Jaques, we are keen proponents of the Montessori method of learning; one which plays a key role for any age of rapidly developing kids. By offering children the chance to learn at their own pace and in a comfortable environment, early learning becomes a free-flowing and experimental process – One which puts the fun in the fundamentals of education.

The best Montessori toys are jumping out of the toybox to show off all that they have to offer to assist in your child’s development. With the excitement of play at the heart of their design, educational Montessori toys provide learning opportunities in basic mathematics, spelling, colour and shape recognition, problem solving, creativity and much more.

Better still, with such emphasis on the sensory discovery afforded through play, Montessori toys are bursting with bright colours and physically invigorating designs. With Montessori, the more you play, the more you learn.

Let’s Get Physi-Cool

Of course, toys aren’t all about playrooms and indoor dens. With the sun threatening to keep its hat on for longer than 24 hours and the doors of lockdown being permanently unlocked, kids have never been more eager to get back into the great outdoors.

With a healthy body, comes a healthy mind, making outdoor toys a garden guarantee of childhood development. Whether running, jumping, ducking or diving your way through a sports day assault course, getting out and about will keep children’s bodies healthy, whilst boosting bone strength, mobility and gross motor skills.

Outdoor toys also present the perfect reason to partner with fellow pint-sized pioneers. Indulging in collaborative play from a young age is vital to early social development. In playing with others, children learn to adapt to different personalities, share, engage in teamwork, and develop trust and empathy for others.

Whether seeing a kite soar, or conquering giant tasks with our Giant Jenga Outdoor Tumble Towers, the great outdoors is play perfection!

With the many benefits that toys have for the development of our children, Screen-Free Week has arrived just in time. So, the next time you wonder how toys affect child’s development, look no further than Jaques of London.