Toys aren't just for playing, they are actually learning tools for your child. Providing your baby or toddler with hands-on games through manipulative toys or even a simple game "hide and seek" will help optimize your child's brain to learn.
As the first teacher of your child, you are responsible for nurturing and maximizing his overall development - mental, social, and physical. I strongly believed that every child is a genius but in a different way. Agree? Of course, with our proper guidance, we can help bring out the best in him. Who knows? He can be a future Scientist, a future Musician, a future Artist, or maybe a future Hollywood Actor. So allowing him to manipulate with different stimuli (toys) will help you determine his best potential.
Here are some of the best educational toys that I would like to recommend for babies ages 3 months to 1 year old.
This toy will help your child identify colors, shapes, and numbers later on. It will also encourage logical thinking, creativity, and sequencing by stacking, unstacking, sorting out, organizing, and combining two shapes to form another shape or any idea your baby can come up with.
2. Musical Instruments
3. Plush Toys
4. Picture Books
5. Ride-on Vehicles
6. Shapes Fit Puzzle
7. Balls
Final Thought:
Toys don't necessarily be available in the baby's toy shop, there are in fact available just within your house such as real-life accessories - your ladle, spoon, cardboard boxes, remote control, cans, empty plastic containers, drinking cup, and some unused stuff which are even more fun for them than their expensive toys. Anything he held tickles his imagination. Just always keep your eye on him as one of his habits is putting things in his mouth. So what's your role as a parent? You are his biggest fan who always appreciates as you watch him learning.
Want to have a musician wannabe? Then include any musical instrument in your baby toy's list. Babies are very much attracted to different sounds. When they hear a piece of music, they respond to the rhythm by dancing or rocking their head. According to studies, there is a correlation between academic performance with children who are exposed to music. It vitalizes parts of the brain that are related to reading, math, and emotional development."
3. Plush Toys
Aside from entertaining, it also develops interaction and communication skills for your baby.
4. Picture Books
Introducing this early to your child will help her identify texts, colors, and objects fast. Babies love looking at pictures and turning the page from one to another as if they understand and know how to read.
5. Ride-on Vehicles
No kid who doesn't love riding. He would love to explore the "OUTSIDE WORLD" aside from the four corners of your house. At this age, you can let him ride a trike (three-wheeled vehicle.) Aside from developing his gross motor skills, he will gain confidence as soon as he learns to run the trike by himself.
6. Shapes Fit Puzzle
Aside from helping babies to learn different shapes, it will also help develop their logical thinking skills and make them become persistent problem-solver. It doesn't matter when your baby cannot shoot the right shape to the hole because he would love to try out things again and again until he gets the tricks. Just be cautious that some shapes are small for your baby to put in her mouth.
7. Balls
Babies love to follow objects in motion. Once they grasp a ball, they love throwing, rolling, and kicking it, then he will pick it up to throw, roll, and kick again. It is just fine because you are helping to develop his gross motor skills (eye-hand coordination). You also help him to develop his physical skills.
Final Thought:
Toys don't necessarily be available in the baby's toy shop, there are in fact available just within your house such as real-life accessories - your ladle, spoon, cardboard boxes, remote control, cans, empty plastic containers, drinking cup, and some unused stuff which are even more fun for them than their expensive toys. Anything he held tickles his imagination. Just always keep your eye on him as one of his habits is putting things in his mouth. So what's your role as a parent? You are his biggest fan who always appreciates as you watch him learning.