Gone are the days when a kid had to entertain himself with a cardboard box and a spoon. Today’s kids are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking toys to keep them busy. Like everything else, toys have evolved over the years. Some of the popular categories of kids toys are:
Arts and crafts toys: Arts and crafts have always been a source of entertainment for children. For each age group, there are special types of arts and crafts toys. For example, while crayons are ideal for infants and pre-schoolers, jewellery making kits are loved by preteen girls. Other common types of arts and crafts toys include modeling clay, coloring books, glitter kits and 3D modeling.
Dolls and figurines: This is classic favourite when it comes to kids toys. While traditionally, girls love their dolls and boys favor action figurines, these lines are greatly blurred today. There are many types of dolls a little girl can choose from. These range from Barbies to dolls that can open and shut their eyes to battery operated dolls that can walk. When talking of action figurines, a child’s choice is only limited by the number of characters created for cartoons and comics.
Educational toys: Toys not only keep a child busy, but can also aid in their cognitive development. For infants, this type of toy can take the form of stacking cups or differently shaped blocks that must be dropped in the correct slot. Alphabet and number blocks or an abacus are other common forms of educational toys for pre-schoolers. As they grow older, they may also begin to experiment with science kits.
Puzzles: Puzzles are an entertaining as well as a developmental toy. Puzzles are an ideal toy for children of all ages and even adults. They help improve a child’s visual and spatial awareness and also encourage them to develop problem-solving strategies. Simple puzzles with knobs for infants help them develop their motor skills.
Construction kits: Construction kits are a favourite with boys and girls alike. Blocks could probably be considered the simplest form of construction kits. As a child grows bigger, the size of the elements in these kits grows smaller. This is an ideal outlet for their creativity and engineering skills. Children can be kept occupied for hours when given a set of Lego blocks or Mechanix. Sometimes, it may even tempt adults to join in!
Scale models: Almost every boy will remember his childhood spent with model cars. Scale models are available in many forms ranging from models of cars and trucks to models of houses, helicopters and even entire cities.
Soft toys: Last but not the least is the quintessential favourites – soft toys. Many children never outgrow their favourite soft toys and these toys may even find themselves going to college. Animal soft toys are the most popular and are available in sizes that range from a few inches to life-sized ones.
