Finding the right gift for toddlers is no childs play

Gifting shopping for kids can sound fun but it is a challenging task, especially after when toddlers become preschooler. At this stage kids will truly anticipate, understand, and revel in all the attention they’ll receive on his big day. Shopping for toys changes after child turns 3. They start paying attention to things, try and understand the pattern. They take interest in exploring new things.

So what can you gift these little curious bouncing heads?

Let us focus on skills that can be developed through thoughtful gifts.

Reading and Recognizing
By this age, kids are outgrowing the simplest board books, and they’re ready for advanced picture books. Look for the books that have easy-to-follow plots and rich, colorful illustrations. This is also a good age to start working on "sight words" -- frequently used words that children will need to recognize quickly -- and there are many excellent books with large, simple text. When you read, follow along with your finger to help your child notice patterns.
As language development becomes more sophisticated, your child will be able to follow longer stories, figure out the outcomes, and ask to hear the same book over and over again (but that is okay...it is normal). Knowing exactly what will happen next in a favorite book gives kids a sense of control. At that age, children depend on predictability. While repetition may seem boring to us, young children are growing and developing so quickly that every time they experience that book, they’re discovering new things.

Learning and Solving
A lot of toys promote learning, but the most valuable educational toys are the ones that teach indirectly with lots of fun. A toy cash register is a fabulous prop that can teach children basic math concepts. Toy computers and anything with a keyboard help children be familiar with the layout. Magnetic letters and numbers can go on the fridge and are a simple and low-tech way to learn the alphabet. Wooden puzzles with letters, numbers, animals, and shapes are another favorite for teaching problem solving and developing fine motor skills. Some even offer multiple this enhances creativity and sharpens thinking.

Creating and Crafting
Art is a lot about the thought process and the development of fine motor skills as it is about exploring senses, increasing attention spans, and building self-esteem. Young children often don’t know how to communicate their feelings and art allows them to express themselves and cope with frustration. And creating a work of art leads to a great feeling of self-accomplishment.
While gifting art related materials, look for simple kits that incorporate a variety of materials and textures, like mosaics, clay, origami, and weaving. Buy some big containers of washable tempera paint and some brushes and enjoy mixing up new colors. Art is sensory, and materials that look or feel unusual will hold more appeal than regular markers or crayons.

Pretending and Imagining
Kids have the need to work their imagination as much as they need to work on running and jumping. The best way is through open-ended play that children this age loves most. Dress-up supplies are absolute favorite, so invest in lots of role-play sets and collections that might have an assortment of professional costumes, like a police officer, firefighter, astronaut, or chef, and some fantasy-based ones, like a fairy, princess, pirate, or knight. Add accessories like silly glasses, hats, shoes, and a soft sword or two. The sets encourage children to mix and match, like pairing a stethoscope with fairy wings.

All these are the fun way through which kids can develop and learn new skills. But kids who have preferences, their choice may differ and parents should not try and influence kids to buy things they don’t like.

Well…gifting is certainly hard but taking a mental note that toys and books can help kids and engage them in the right manner will definitely help in faster and better selection.

Happy gifting!!