Tips for age-appropriate toys

    Von Sabrina
TIPS & TRICKS

Growing with wood: The ultimate guide to choosing age-appropriate wooden toys

We often remember our favorite toys for the rest of our lives, toys that have encouraged us, accompanied us and helped us grow. For a toy to become your child's favorite, it should be suitable for their age and stage of development.

This article will help you find the perfect wooden toy for your child.

Why are age-appropriate toys important?

Age-appropriate toys are toys that optimally accompany your child in their current development and encourage them, but do not overwhelm them. It is easy for toddlers to become overwhelmed when using toys for preschoolers and older children quickly become bored when playing with toys for two-year-olds, as they are underchallenged. However, if the toy matches the child's age and ability level exactly, maximum encouragement and fun is possible.

Another aspect that underlines the importance of age-appropriate toys is safety. For example, toys for small children must not contain small parts that can be swallowed. By choosing an age-appropriate toy for your child, you are also ensuring that the product you purchase does not pose any undetected dangers for your little explorer.

What should you look out for when buying age-appropriate toys?

Whether it's age-appropriate toys for a baby, toys from the age of 2 for a boy or toys from the age of 4 for a girl: There are always a few things to consider when buying. We would therefore like to give you some basic tips for buying age-appropriate toys.

Your checklist

In general, you should consider these points when choosing toys

Safety 🔐: The aforementioned product safety comes first.
Make sure you choose a product that is free from harmful ingredients and does not pose a risk of injury.

Material 🌳: The material from which the toy is made should be durable, robust and of high quality.

Suitability ✔: The product must match your child's current abilities and be suitable for their age.

Interests 💡: Ideally, the toy should pick up on your child's individual interests.

The superpowers of wood

When it comes to materials, wood has numerous advantages. The natural raw material is considered a sustainable material option for toy production, is absolutely harmless to health and is extremely durable.

Wood is particularly suitable for making age-appropriate toys for babies and toddlers. This is because the little ones can safely put the material straight from nature into their mouths without having to worry about harmful substances and plasticizers.

Another superpower of wooden toys is the antibacterial property of the material, which makes cleaning wooden toys particularly easy. Parents, teachers and children themselves are also enthusiastic about age-appropriate wooden toys because of their look and feel. The natural product offers interesting stimuli for the sense of touch and knows how to impress with its unbeatable natural aesthetics.

Fun right from the start: Wooden toys for children from three months to one year

Age-appropriate toys for babies from the age of three months are usually very simple, albeit visually appealing. They offer visual and tactile stimuli that stimulate the baby's senses and should definitely be free of harmful substances. Our baby rattles and play bows, which are tailored to the needs and abilities of babies, meet all these criteria.

From the age of one, toys that train motor skills take center stage. This is when baby walkers and pull-along toys are interesting as age-appropriate toys for toddlers from the age of 1. At the same time, you can start to develop your child's musical skills, for example with age-appropriate wooden musical toys.

Ingenious Eichhorn wooden toys for children aged 2 and over

Age-appropriate toys from the age of 2 should challenge your child's cognitive abilities without being so demanding that they far exceed their current skills. Wooden puzzles with large pieces are sometimes suitable. Our Peppa Pig learning clock combines easy-to-grasp wooden pieces with cheerful motifs, helps to improve fine motor skills and playfully introduces your child to their first numbers.

Age-appropriate toys from the age of 2 should challenge your child's cognitive abilities without being so demanding that they far exceed their current skills. Wooden puzzles with large pieces are sometimes suitable. Our Peppa Pig learning clock combines easy-to-grasp wooden pieces with cheerful motifs, helps to improve fine motor skills and playfully introduces your child to their first numbers.

The most popular age-appropriate wooden toys from the age of 2 also include construction toys that promote motor skills as well as concentration, logical thinking and patience. How about our 200-piece wooden construction set, for example, which will turn your child into a creative master builder?

The world of wooden toys for children aged 3 and over

Age-appropriate toys from the age of 3 motivate little boys and girls to gain lots of new experiences and push the boundaries of their already acquired skills. This is achieved on an emotional and creative level with doll's houses, for example, which open up imaginative play worlds and at the same time allow your child to play out everyday situations and process them in a child-friendly way.

Onthe other hand, intensive development of imagination, spatial orientation and motor skills is at the forefrontwhen playing with our trains. Thanks to the freely combinable track elements, your child can create new train routes again and again, while practical sets such as the Eichhorn  circle train set are ideal for starting a career as a little train driver.

Your child's development with musical toys can also really take off at this age. Your child now has sufficient motor and cognitive skills to try out simple children's instruments such as the  Peppa Pig wooden flute or the  Peppa Pig ukulele. While making music, they will develop a feeling for harmonic tone sequences and rhythms, can express their feelings musically and expand their social skills by practising easy songs together.

Learn more about Eichhorn wooden toys for children aged 4 and over

Age-appropriate toys for boys and girls aged 4 and over can be even more complex. It often makes a lot of sense to focus on fine motor skills, which can be wonderfully combined with creative activities . For example, if your child is busy with the products from the crafting & painting category and strings small, colourful beads into bracelets, this is perfect fine motor skills training, at the end of which your child can be proud of the jewelry they have made.

As the cognitive development of children from the age of 4 is in full swing, more complex building sets have also proven to be age-appropriate toys. The Eichhorn Constructor wooden building sets from climate-neutral production encourage your child to use their logical thinking, put their problem-solving skills to the test and further improve their ability to concentrate.

Eichhorn toys: the right thing for every age

Age-appropriate toys are tailored to the needs and abilities of children of the respective age groups. This results in a safe and stimulating play experience that encourages but does not overwhelm.

If you want to consciously choose age-appropriate wooden toys for your next toy purchase, Eichhorn is the right place for you.
Take your time to look around our store and discover a wide range of toys for babies, toddlers and older children.

Authors
Sabrina
Our blog is all about the latest and exciting products from Eichhorn. I also share practical tips & tricks and useful advice with you here.
3 months ago