Recommended Developmental Toys/Products:
Are you in the need for a great present or just another friendly addition to your own playroom? Take a look below at our Therapist Recommended developmental toys/products for every age group infant to 3 years+.
Infant Toys/Products(Ages Birth-5 months):
1. "Clutch Cube" by Lamaze ~Birth & Up
This is a terrific idea for the
child who is just beginning to grasp objects! This toy is groundbreaking
in it's design offering clutch handles that are the perfect shape, size and
orientation for little hands to grab onto. Young children will not want to
put this one down! It also offers bright and contrasting pictures and
designs which are visually stimulating, along with multi-textured clutch handles
that promote sensory discovery and a delightful interior bell, who's jingle will
delight any young ear! Machine-washable(although the colors do fade
slightly).
2.
A wonderful addition to any
crib. These highly contrasting 
black, white and red images will delight
every new baby. children see these colors and contrasting patterns more
easily and are enticed by studying images of this sort. A definite
attention grabber for new eyes.
3. "Child Play Mirror" by Lamaze ~Birth & Up
Nothing
is more fun than seeing your reflection for the first time! Babies love to
look at themselves and the faces of others. This wonderful prop and play
mirror provides an excellent opportunity to work on developing the upper body
and shoulder girdle and for "Tummy Time"(you can read about the
importance of "Tummy Time" in our archives). It is also a great
way for baby and young ones to learn about their body and how it moves and
works, which lays the ground work for motor planning skills and higher
learning. Best of all babies love this toy.
4. "Carseat Gallery" by ~ Birth to 6 months
This is a wonderful gift
idea for newborn and younger babies. Given the time we often spend in the
car with our little ones, this item offers some quality time even while baby
lounges in the backseat during a quick trip or errand run. It offer
changeable pictures which are placed in vinyl pockets. Each image offers a
wide variety of shapes, lines and contrasting patterns that are fascinating to
young developing eyes while promoting early visual skills. Spruce up your
babies view today!
5. "Whoozit" by Manhattan Toy-Ages Birth & Up
This
lovable stuffed toy with contrasting colors and patterns is a
must have for every new infant. These patterns provide
excellent visual stimulation for the young baby, as they are
easiest for them to see. He offers many arms which are the
perfect size for little hands to grasp. Each arm offers an
enchanting hand disguised as a rattle or crinkly, that entice
touching and mouthing. He also has a flap up nose that reveals a
small mirror for baby to look into. A small Velcro loop allows
this creature to be attached to a variety of surfaces. He is
available in small and large sizes(I recommend the smaller size
for infants). As with any stuffed toy and
small child, they should be used under the direct supervision of
an adult at all time
Infant Toys/Products(Ages 6 months-1 year):
1. This toy will buy you hours of
time eating out as a great 
attention keeping restaurant table top toy. It
offers a bell to rings, a spinner a gearshift and a squeaker which all delight
little hands. It promotes finger isolation skills and pinch. This
toy is available at most major toy stores.
2. "Soft Stack" by Lamaze ~Birth & Up
Another great idea from
Lamaze. This soft stack offers a variety of colors and patterns that
excite and stimulate young developing eyes. The soft texture encourages
children to explore by touch and squeezing. for the older baby it also
offers a lesson in basic perception and size and shape.
3. "Skwish" by ~Birth & Up
Children can't wait to get there
hands and mouths on this toy. Skwish offers a wonderful array of
stimulation to the young baby. Children can squeeze, jingle, stretch and
manipulate this object for extended periods of play. It promotes sensory
awareness, manipulation skills, tactile exploration, and cause/effect
skills.
4. "Soft Shape Sorter" by Lamaze Birth & Up
This soft shape sorter offers
great contrasting patterns for young eyes to focus and explore. It is a
wonderful opportunity for the young child to work on basic shape and perceptual
skills while utilizing a sensory and tactile approach. It is machine
washable a plus for young ones.
5. "Stacking Cups" by Sassy~6 months & Up
This
is a wonderful toy that should be part of every diaper bag! These four
cups are all brightly colored with contrasting patterns, perfect for enticing
young eyes. Each cup offers a different textured rim excellent for hand
and mouth exploration. Once baby gets older these cups are terrific at
promoting eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. Baby can also
practice nesting these graduated cups as an early perceptual game. Pick
these up today!
6. "Dunk & Clunk Circus Rings" by Sassy~9 months & Up
This toy is
excellent in promoting the fine motor, manipulative and eye-hand
coordination skills of the young child. The rings offer a variety
of textures, which is essential for the sensory motor development
of young children. Their shape and size encourage children to
grasp and move objects within their hands. This toy is also nice
because of it's ability to grow with the child. When the child
has mastered dump and fill activities they can then move on to
shape sorting. Available at most toy and educational stores.
Toddler Toys/Products(Ages 1-2 years):
1.
A simpler approach than the Circus Gazebo toy,
this play box offers the opportunity for both shape an color sorting and fine
motor development through key turning. The box is simpler to open and this
toy is more appropriate for the younger baby aged 1-2 years of age.
2. "Cheerio Book" by ~1 years & Up
This is a great book for little
hands! It provides several simply drawn pictures that require hands to
fill there spaces with cheerios. It is a fun way to incorporate fine motor
skills and the development of a child's pincer grasp into a mealtime
routine. This book offers chunky, laminate pages that wipe clean easily
and withstand the occasional chomp or spill. Available at most grocers and
bookstores.
3. "Pound a Ball" by Children's Development~1 year & Up
This
toy addresses a variety of developmental areas. Children will love
pounding the balls into the color coordinated openings. This toy enhances
learning color matching, cause & effect, visual tracking skills and muscle
strengthening. It also provides an excellent source of deep pressure and
proprioceptive input for the sensory child! Price~$15.
4. "First Steps" by VTech Toys~9 months & Up
This
is an excellent toy for promoting baby's emerging mobility skills. This
push type walker offers a nice wide push handle the perfect size for little
one's hands. In addition to encouraging gross motor skills such as pulling
to stand and walking the front of this toy offers a removable play zone with
many enticing buttons, sounds, lights, music and games great for baby's fine
motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
Toddler Toys/Products(Ages 2-3 years):
1. "Circus Gazebo" by ~2 years & Up
This busy toy offers children a
variety of fine motor opportunities. wrapped up into one great toy.
although the key function appears a bit too advanced for the younger child, they
can still enjoy exploring the different shapes and shape sorting
opportunities. The older child can hone their in hand manipulation and
eye-hand coordination skills by trying to open the various doors with
coordinated key shapes.
2. "Play-doh Fun Factory" by Hasbro~2 years & Up
Play-doh
has been a favorite of children for many years. It offers
many opportunities for fine motor and sensory motor development
as well upper body strengthening. The fun factory has a lever
that encourages children to use their upper body muscles to their
fullest capabilities. Encourage children to push down large
pieces of Play-doh through the chute as this also provides
excellent sensory input. Incorporate the various cookie cutters
using a small rolling pin to flatten the dough. This helps
children to improve their two handed coordination. Play-doh is
readily available at most discount, toy and department stores. Cost of this product ranges from $5-10.
Toddler Toys/Products(Ages 3 years+):
1. "Wiggly Giggly Ball" by Hands on Toys ~3 years & Up
This
is an excellent ball choice for toddlers!! It provides delightful fun
sounds when it is shaken, thrown, or dropped, which provides excellent auditory
feedback to the child while encouraging hours of play. As with any ball
throwing, this activity promotes eye-hand coordination, visual skills and two
handed integration. Price ~ $15.
2. "Wiggle Pen"~3 years & Up
This makes a great sensory and fine motor combination toy. These pens offer a wide body for little hands to hold on to while offering a delightful wiggle experience. This vibration provides excellent sensory input to the hands and fingers helping them to work better together. This vibration also causes the pen to jump and squiggle making all sorts of crazy designs and writing. Children love this pen! It also comes with several different color pens to use. Wiggle pens are made by various manufacturers(Squiggle Wiggle Pen, and Dizzy Doodler) and are available at a variety of discount, toy and department stores such as Genovese, CVS.com, Walgreens, Toys-R-Us etc... Cost ranges from $6-10 at most stores.
3. "Bugs in Goo"/"Aliens in Goo"/"Worms in Goo" -
by Basic Fun~3 years & Up
This is one slimy, messy activity that young kids love! This product derived from the ever famous concept of "goo" captivates children with it's texture. It is excellent in promoting sensory motor and tactile skills in the preschool aged child. Have them try and find the objects sunken in the goo with their eyes closed for an added challenge that works on their tactile discrimination. Available through a variety of therapy catalogs including Therapro and Southpaw, as well as in certain novelty and party stores. Priced at around $5.00. You can visit Basic Fun at their website www.basicfun.com.
NOTE: Child's Play does not receive any compensations from the companies listed above