Besides being safe, it is the prime requirement of an ideal toy to match the stages of development and emerging abilities of the concerned kids. Although each kid had his/her own pace of development, it is never a bad idea to assist them to achieve their milestone with the help of some good books and toys. There is a range of age categorized toy which helps kids to have fun while learning.

The Best Growth toys for 1 to 2-year-old kids-

Now since I have already discussed the kinds of toy you can offer to your little ones falling under the age of 1 year in the article- ''Best toys for baby’s growth'', here I am going to discuss beyond that. The children below one year of age mostly like sound and light toys, which immediately grabs their attention.

  • Beyond 1 year of age, since they start learning about their surroundings, they focus more on interactive and exploring toys.
  • The kids beyond 1 year of age can be given water toys to have some fun while bathing, simple wooden jigsaw puzzle or wooden pegboards to boost their brain along with enhancing their hand-eye coordination (although we don't expect them to solve it).

The Best growth books for 1-2-year-old kids-

  • Choose Board books or linen/cloth book with simple illustrations or photographs of real objects which will help them learn day-to-day things.

  • Go for separate Board books with illustrations of- alphabets, numbers, animals, birds, fruits, flowers etc. This will help them in categorizing things easily. You may even command your kid to sort the books of fruit among many.
  • Laminated books are great for children at this age. Since they start to scribble, it is very important to offer the right material. Markers and laminated books make a great option as they can be cleaned and wiped after every use and thus are sustainable. You can also go for jumbo crayons that enhance good grip and hold.
  • Don't expect a tripod grip from children of this age. Mostly they are going to use the whole of their palm to hold a pencil or crayon. Purchasing a big ball-shaped/ teardrop shaped crayon is a good idea.
  • Purchase good storybooks for them with fewer words and more pictures. Audio-visual assistance is a great way to teach them things.

  • There are numerous musical books too available in the market, which will prove to be a blockbuster during a bedtime story. Nowadays 'Kids Caravan'- a small musical device with recorded rhymes is also available in the market, which helps in a great deal to make children learn the rhymes.

The Best growth Toys for kids of 2-3 years of age (toddlers)

  • Children of this age have already gained the majority of their hand-eye coordination, so simple gym activities to enhance their physical growth can be introduced. Simple hang-ups, Hula-Hoops etc. may help them to have a fun gross motor time.

  • Since now, they are capable of arranging pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, they can be given some wooden jigsaw puzzle with familial illustrations as vehicles, animals, fruits etc.
  • Lacing toys are not to be missed in children of this age. Start with the toys having bigger holes to pass the lace, gradually decrease it to a smaller size.

  • The kids of this age often enjoy pretend play with their family members and friends, so providing them with a doctor set, shopping cart, kitchen set, the mechanic set is a good way to make them learn the role and responsibilities of different professions.
  • Children beyond 2 years of age also start developing an interest in arts. They can be given a sand table to create different shapes they like. This will not only help strengthen their fingers but will also help in writing.

The Best growth books for kids of 2-3 years of age (toddlers)

  • Books with reusable worksheets are great for this age. These books assist writing to young children through a step wise approach. They contain a collection of illustrations encouraging drawing standing lines, sleeping lines, slanting lines, curved lines, zigzag lines etc. Thus, they are like a preschool writing practice for the kids.
  • The storybooks with a limited number of words and big illustrations still work with children of this age. Apart from listening to the stories from elders, they now try to create and recite stories by their imagination. So purchasing a big illustration storybook helps a lot to give wings to their imagination.

  • Stamping books are again a great way to encourage them to color since they are still too young to hold crayon/color pencil properly. Creating various patterns with stamps will help greatly sharpening their artistic minds.
  • Sticker books are a must purchase for kids of this age. Many of us may skip this part, but believe me; they help a lot in enhancing their fine motor skill. Sticking a sticker within a boundary of the illustration is not very easy for every kid to do.

The Best growth Toys for kids of 3-6 years of age (preschoolers and kindergartners)

  • Larger Jigsaw puzzles with little tougher illustrations is a great pick. Low climbers, tunnels, easy gym activities are good for physical growth for kids of this age.
  • Pretend play still serves a great role in this age group too. Either they will continue playing with their older pretend play toys in a newer fashion or will demand a different role.

  • They can now be introduced with any kind of musical instrument like piano, drum set etc.

  • Bowling pins and Dart-game also offers great motor skill development.

The Best growth books for kids of 3-6 years of age (preschoolers and kindergartners)-

  • Since these children are in the best of their brain development phase, they tend to ask lots of questions and explore lots of things. 3 E's- Explorations, Experimenting and Engaging are key elements one must look for while purchasing for the kids of this age.

  • Picture books with an increased number of words and more detailed pictures than toddler books are the ideal pick. One can also gift them books with 3D glasses that develop their interest in reading. It is important to encourage them to read books at this age.

  • Coloring sets, art sets, activity books, sticker books, coloring books are the must-haves in a bag for preschoolers and kindergartners. This age group of children can be introduced with blunt-ended pair of scissors too to create beautiful artistic patterns in the art books.

These are the all-important growth toys and books you can offer your little ones to help them achieve their milestone effortlessly. Sort the right ones for your kiddo and buckle up for a great purchase. Happy Parenting!!