Spending Quality Time With Your Children: Playing Game

One of the first concepts that come to our mind when it comes to children is “game”. Because the game is indispensable in childhood. Especially if we are at home with family, how about turning this into an opportunity for our children?

The first game process that babies start by exploring their own hands is peekaboo. After child walk and be more active, their game world develops. First, babies play on their own, then play games with friends, then games with rules come into play. Game materials are very important as the effects of the game on child’s development are important. Toys, while developing the child’s sense of selection and evaluation and creativity, at the same time, enable to decide on their own and gain skills in certain areas. Let’s take a look together to the importance of the game and toy.

While parents choose toys for their children, they usually can be enchanted by technology and not considering children’s needs, succumb to their own preferences. They may want to eliminate the longing to toys and gifts which they couldn’t own in their childhood. At this point, we can state that they are trying to raise a child suitable for the toy by not getting a toy suitable for the child.

The Importance Of Toy By Age Range:

The newborn baby’s toy is its body. He has fun by waving his hand and bringing his feet to his mouth. Over time, babies like sudden changes like sound and light. For this reason, the toys that will be taken in infancy should be mostly moving, voiced, colorful toys that will be hung in the cradles and placed on the surfaces. Of course, the most prominent is the safety of the baby.

6-7 months: Moving area of the baby expands as it starts sitting. So babies, animals, colored rings made of flexible plastic, soft rubber that can hold in the child’s hand etc toys can be given from the month when the child begins to sit. Also, one of the most interesting toys for children in these months is the rattle with pictures or bell. It is interesting for all babies because the rattles move and make noise. In addition, babies teethe in this period, so teether or plastic rings that are safe can be given too.

8-12 months: While babies starting to crawl and walk, the toys that hit and come back, moving by pushing and pulling are the most suitable. Such toys make the babies very happy. One of the toys that attracts the attention of babies about one year old is “loading-unloading” toys.

18+ months: In this period, it is a pleasure to make different sizes of blocks, boxes and shapes. Audiobooks will also be of great interest in this period. During this period, your child enjoys doing everything again and again. Providing plenty of illustrated objects and animals books to your baby will be a good decision too.

2-3 years old: The child is now seeing social life and imitating them. In their games, they become parents, they feed their children. For this reason, toys, which children can dramatize life, should be bought. Dolls, mini room sets, puppets, repair tools, animal sets are ideal.

3-4 years old: It is a little more difficult to deal with children who have incredible energy during this period. It is very difficult to sit and play for a long time, because they are distracted very quickly. Therefore, it is useful to direct the energy to the toys or games that will be used correctly. Tricycles, rocking horses, trolleys, large cubes and blocks will be great choises. In this period, also cubes, blocks, construction materials, which can be assembled / disassembled, can be arranged from small to large are the most preferred and popular play tools for children.

4-6 years old: Children especially enjoy playing outdoors and playing table games in this term. The development of hand muscles is very important for your child who has reached the preschool age. If you want him to adapt better to school; You can do activities that support talents which will be useful while painting, pasting, making shapes from paper, joining parts. Materials such as watercolor paint, pastel paint, cardboard and rope can be preferred. Since the dream games are at the peak of 6 years old, house, grocer, doctor games and babies suitable for this period, home and doctor sets, carpentry tools, puppets, cleaning and kitchen sets, garden tools, animal sets, shops are the most preferred play materials by children. .

After the age of 6 (School Age): In addition to the preschool game activities, the children will be able to reveal their skills as much as possible, such as checkers, chess, lotto, basketball, cycling, skating. In later ages, they prefer adult activities such as cinema, theater, watching television and doing sports. In addition, children of school age enjoy different reading materials.

Pay Attention To Toy Choice:

The selected toy must be suitable for the child’s age, skill, interest and developmental period in order to contribute to the healthy development of the child. Toys below the age and skill level do not enjoy them, they can remain in the child’s interest for a very short time. If the toy is above the child’s age and skill level, it may create a sense of failure, which may lead to more serious developmental effects in the child. The toy should be sized and weighted in proportion to the child’s muscle strength. The toy should be functional for the child’s development, should not be overstructured and its creativity should not be limited. For example, a flatbed truck is much more functional than a milk truck. Because the child can carry what he wishes by placing it in the empty box of the truck. In addition to the toys that children can play alone, toys that they can play in groups should also be bought. The toy should be washable, durable, rounded and solid, so as not to endanger the health of the child. The toy should be at a level where children can easily grasp and operate its structural feature and usage. There should be no gender discrimination when buying toys. If a boy wants to play with a girl’s toy, or if a girl wants to play with a boy’s toy, it should be allowed. In order to improve their skills, the boy has no objection to playing with the baby and the girl with the truck. Finally; The importance of the toy cannot be overlooked in child development. Children learn by playing and toys are learning tools. We do not do anything good by giving children every object that belongs to adults. Because toys are prepared according to the age of the children. The materials have been tested according to ages and used safely. Adult objects can only be given to children under supervision.