This time around, why don't you get your little niece a toy that she will enjoy and will help her develop too!

Shopping for kids isn't that difficult, if you go with the age-specific toys available in the market.

For instance, you cannot expect a two-year-old to build a ship using the small blocks as her fine motors i.e., the finger muscles, are not completely developed.

Hence a set of big blocks will help her develop that. Through toys, children learn about their world, themselves and others.

Toys can teach children to;

• Figure out how things work.
• Apply their mind, solve problems and pick up new ideas.
• Build muscle control and strength.
• Develop eye-hand, eye-hand and leg coordination.
• Co-operate with others.

Good toys are;

• Appealing and interesting to the child;
• Proper for the child's physical capacities;
• Appropriate for the child's mental and social development;
• Suitable for use in groups of children; and
• Well-constructed, durable, and safe for the ages of the children in the group.

There are different kinds of toys available in the market and can be classified into various categories.

1. Hands-on toys build eye-hand co-ordination, encourage ideas about how things work, and foster cooperation and problem solving.

Hot Favourites

• Push and pull toys like small wagons, strollers, trains
• Jigsaw puzzles (age 3 up to 20 pieces, age 4 - 20-30 pieces, age 5 up to 50 pieces)
• Pattern-making toys like beads to string (preferably thin, long and stiff string)
• Peg boards with small pegs
• Big and small blocks (wooden or plastic)
• Magnetic boards
• Matching toys by colour, shape, or pictures from age 4 and up
• Number rods, number boards with small pegs, simple counting toys, lock boxes, etc.

2. Art materials foster creativity and build skills that lead to reading, writing, and general observation.

For most art and craft articles, make sure you supervise your kid to make sure that they don't eat the paint or the clay.

Hot Favourites

• Large crayons in a variety of colours, easily washable paints, adjustable easels, brushes of various sizes and doodle boards
• Clay including modelling clay and tools
• Chalkboards and chalks of various sizes
• Kiddie scissors, paste and glue, craft book, a cut and paste activity book
• Simple block printing equipment
• Colouring books, water-colour paints
• Sewing kits with large blunt needles, etc.

3. Construction items contribute to muscle strength and help children learn about science and number ideas.

Hot Favourites

• Large hollow blocks, different types of interlocking building systems (plastic, preferably), sets that make realistic models.
• Durable toys like hardwood unit blocks that teach children geometry, gravity, shapes and balance, workbench hammers, nails and saw (with supervision)
• Large and small sandbox tools
• Bubble makers, wind-tip bath toys, bath activity centres, etc.

4. Active play equipment builds strong muscles and confidence to meet physical challenges. However, adult supervision is a must for outdoor activities.

Hot Favourites

• Outdoor and gym equipment like stationary outdoor climbing equipment, slides, swings, seesaws, balance boards, etc.
• Sports equipment like balls (large, preferably), speed-graded roller skates (with plastic wheels, no ball bearings for reduced speed), soft, lightweight Frisbee disks, flat nosed Velcro or magnetic darts, inner tubes, kickboards, etc.