14 Toys for Enhancing Development Skills in Children

As a parent, there are plenty of things to worry about when it comes to our children, one of those being whether they are on track for development. Although there is a wide range of normal for many of the major milestones, it is still important to make sure your child is not falling behind. Some of the important development markers are outlined for each age range below.

Toys have been known to be tools that can help children develop their talents and skills. We can utilize these toys to enhance their potential. It is up to the parents and adults to inspire, stimulate, and bring out the innate creativity in our children, making them into more well-rounded people. 

Puzzles, balls, crafts, open-ended toys – these are only a few of the toys that provide the gift of creativity and artistry. Here is a list of toys that you can check out as gifts to nurture kids’ creativity.

Alex Toys Floor Standing Puppet Theater with Clock

This is a perfect gift for kids who love to perform. Little performers will have hours of creative fun putting on a puppet show, serve guests at a tea party, and more – anything is possible! This playhouse is lightweight and sturdy; it also is easy to assemble and move around. Messages and show schedules can be written on the chalkboard in front, and kids can manually control the clock at the top. This wooden theater is 58 in. high, 29 in. wide, and 14 in. deep and is equipped with curtains, rod, and ties. This playhouse is great for children 3 years or older.

LEGO Classic Bricks

Imaginations will run wild with a LEGO Classic Brick Box! This toy set includes 33 LEGO bricks in different colors, keeping your kids busy for hours on end. Encourage your children in the art of imaginative building through this challenging toy by helping them create the models shown on the box or new ones they imagine. This toy also comes with a brick separator and a sturdy box for storage. Stimulate open-minded creativity through this classic toy. This set also makes a good supplement to other LEGO collections; highly recommended for kids 5 years or older. For more reviews of the latest LEGO kids sets, check out BrickPals.com.

Craft-tastic Inspire Poster Kit

Craft-tastic is a free-form style of crafting that encourages communication and positivity. It lets kids create a poster as a daily reminder of words or phrases that inspire them. They can choose a quote, design the poster, and arrange them in any way they want. Divergent problem solving is also stimulated since they get to visualize the poster before it is even created. Finished products can make good decorations for all occasions, such as for birthdays or in bedrooms. This poster kit is highly recommended for children 8 or older.

Crayola Inspiration Art Case Kit

Give the gift of creativity and imagination to kids with this art case kit! This portable all-in-one art studio contains dozens of crayons, pencils, markers, and drawing paper — keeping kids preoccupied for hours. This makes it possible for the kids to create masterpieces anytime and anywhere, wherever they happen to find inspiration. This art case includes 20 short colored pencils, 40 washable markers, and 64 crayons. It also comes with 15 sheets of paper. This art kit contains everything your child needs for their next art project.

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magic Set

Aspiring magicians will love this magic set that will provide them with everything they need to perform like real magicians. The act of preparing and performing magic acts helps boost confidence and stimulate creativity. The set contains easy to master tricks for the beginning illusionist which can improve hand-eye coordination. The set consists of 10 magic tricks:

• Disappearing Ball
• Magic Coin Box
• Secret Silks
• Great Escape
• Magic Number Prediction
• Money Maker
• Egyptian Prediction
• Vanishing Zone
• Cylinder Squeeze
• Vanishing Coin

This is the perfect toy for teaching kids to perform on stage and foster their love of magic.

Disruptus

This toy is inspired by the concept of “disruptive thinking” or the art of disrupting opponents to your advantage. Through this game, players are encouraged to come up with ideas that can create, improve, or disrupt an opponent’s thinking. Redirect your kids’ disruptive tendencies to a productive game and help them improve their own critical thinking skills. This game is recommended for children 8 and older.

Kitki Three Sticks Game

Get kids to discover the beauty of geometry. An ideal gift for 8-year old kids and older, this is the perfect gift to stimulate creativity. Winning this game is no simple feat — it takes creative thinking to win! This highly compelling game also presents new challenges and obstacles designed to amaze and baffle the audience. Witness how children can learn practical geometry and other skills while still having fun. This set is ideal for children 8 years and above.

Klutz Stencil Art Book for Kids

Even kids who are not naturally gifted in art will love this art kit. There are 72 stencil shapes they can use to aid them in their masterpieces. This case also comes with 8 markers and 14 sheets of stickers. The 48-page instruction book will help them get started in their artistic creations. Kids are assured of an enjoyable and stimulating time, crafting fine pieces out of their imagination.

Magformers Basic Set Magnetic Building Blocks

A wonderful toy that is composed of 62 pieces of unique geometric shapes, making it possible for kids to design 2D patterns and create 3D towers, rockets, castles, and large “magic balls”. This game challenges the children to design concepts using their innovation and creativity. It is a useful and imaginative tool that can boost spatial skill as well as divergent problem-solving. Children get to visualize what is wrong with their creation and replace it with other parts to make it better, making it a great toy for kids 8 years or older.

Melissa and Doug Fashion Design Craft Kit

Do you have a budding clothing designer, obsessed with style and fashion? This is the perfect tool for your little one to create fabulous drawings through stenciling designs. This toy consists of 9 double-sided fashion plates, 4 pencils, 1 crayon holder with crayon and a storage box. This kit is also handy and lightweight, making it easy to carry around. A great toy for kids aged 5 years or older.

Melissa and Doug Food Groups

Feed the kids’ imaginations and get their creativity flowing with this beautifully crafted wooden food set! Kids can combine foods and serve them up as pretend meals. It teaches kids about the basics of make believe, counting, grouping, and sorting. Help them differentiate the 5 food groups and learn about the basics of nutrition. This would be a great addition to a play kitchen, allowing your kids to cook, just like the adults do. This toy is suitable for children ages 3 years and older.

My Very Own Coloring Playhouse, Cottage

A perfect gift for aspiring designers, this playhouse lets kids explore their creativity as they create  and decorate their own custom homes. Kids can color, paint, or glue things to the outside and inside of the playhouse. This set can easily be folded and measures 56” in length, 36” width, and 49” height. It is also made of materials that are child-friendly. Bio-degradable, formaldehyde-free, and eco-friendly pieces create a safe yet fun play experience. It comes with eight washable markers and is great for kids 5 years or older.

Deluxe Roominate

A wired DIY modular house building kit, this toy brings together creativity, engineering, and fun. This house building kit teaches confidence, teaches hands-on problem solving, and stimulates creativity. Designed for early spatial skill enhancement, this toy comes with modular building pieces that fit with other building kits. The intuitive circuit building encourages simple integration into realistic and dynamic creations. This game is highly recommended for kids 8 years or older.

Zometool Creator 1 Construction Kit

Treasured by kids and Nobel prize winners, Zometool’s brilliant shape-and-color coded system offers endless possibilities for fascinating play and discovery. The Creator 1 contains 246 precision-made components that can be used to build hundreds of models, from simple shapes to complex creations. Endless possibilities of creating or constructing can now be explored with this kit. This toy has also been mentioned by Forbes and Time magazine as “Top Toy That Kindle Kids’ Creativity” and “Toys That Will Make Your Kids Smarter.”

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Experts believe the impact and benefits of choosing the right toys to help kids as they go through their stages of development.

“Open-ended toys and games that can foster creativity are always great toy ideas,” says Dr. Andrea Atkinson, an education expert. Dr. Jeannie Ito, a developmental psychologist, says that “Toys that inspire creativity are worth the investment”.

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Guest Post By: James Hirlehey of BrickPals.com