Toddlers learn to move co-ordinately, to gain body awareness, and to feel confident in their ability to move one way or another. One of the more natural ways they can explore is through play. The toddler years are filled with learning experiences in which children learn to use their hands, bodies, balance, and engage with objects around them. Select toys which promote children’s active exploration and make daily play meaningful and fun. Having a grasp of the difference between fine vs gross motor skills can help parents select the types of toys to enhance a particular area or skill. Fine motor skills are the smaller movements of the hands/fingers, and gross motor skills are the bigger movements involved in walking, climbing, crawling, balancing, and jumping. Both can be encouraged in the best toddler play environments, through simple and age-appropriate activities.
Why Motor Skills Matter During the Toddler Years
Toddlers practice their gross and fine motor skills over and over. Although being able to pick up a block, fit it on a tower, crawl through a tunnel, or move around an obstacle that is soft may seem like simple play, it is actually activities that involve coordination and body control. Through fine motor activities, children can practice controlled hand and finger movements. These skills can then help with everyday activities like holding and using cutlery, turning pages, drawing, dressing and touching things. On the other hand, gross motor activities enable toddlers to improve their balance, strength, coordination and body awareness. The benefits of activities which allow for natural practice of these skills include climbing, pushing and pulling, and walking across a variety of surfaces.
Selecting Toys for Physical Activity
Open-ended toys are especially beneficial because as the toddler’s skills grow, the toy can be utilized for a variety of different purposes. Big building blocks, soft climbing apparatus, stacking toys, tunnels, and simple sensory materials can all encourage people to participate to be active. At first, a toddler may just touch or push the soft block. May carry, stack, climb on, or use it in pretend play as skill builds. A toy that is “flexible” can also provide a variety of supports for development over time.
Physical Play for Gross Motor Skills
Soft climbing structures can inspire toddlers to move about obstacles, balance, step, climb, and crawl! Low foam blocks/ramps can be used to create simple play routes which allow the child to practise direction change and transfer of body weight. BanaSuper conducts its soft play products in keeping with the activities of climbing, crawling, balancing and building. Take its Softpark playsets for instance, which mix together various foam shapes that can be organised in various forms of active play.
Building Fine Motor Control Through Play
Playing with and stacking toys is a simple but great way to promote hand-eye coordination. Using a block to pick up, move with precision to position, and place on another piece requires controlled hand movements. Alternate opportunities can be provided with shape sorters, large puzzle pieces, stacking rings, and manipulation toys that are age-appropriate. Toddlers can experiment and not have to do an activity “just right”, parents can allow for space.
Sensory Experiences and Movement
Sensory exploration is very much linked to motor development. Toddlers learn by placing their hands on things, moving, balancing, seeing things, and feeling when their bodies are pushing on or pressing something. Soft play equipment can offer a number of these experiences in one. Climbing onto a low foam object or pushing a soft block (lying on a mat while crawling) provides a child with information about what their body is doing and can do and encourages freedom of movement.
How to make play more exciting
By altering the way familiar toys are played with, they can be made more interesting. Come autumn, a handful of foam blocks can be a mini obstacle course, and then a mock house or bridge the next fall! Small prompts can help bring out the exploration without the play being lesson-based. Parents may enquire, “Can you crawl through the tunnel?” Or, “Shall we build a tower together?”. A good approach is to offer the toddler a choice of what to do next after demonstrating an idea.
Work safely!
The child’s age, size and capabilities must always be taken into account when choosing a toy. It is important that parents supervise ‘active play’ and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, especially for climbing equipment or toys where movement is involved. Check toys for loose parts, rough surfaces, exposed materials, and other safety concerns frequently. A safe play space provides freedom of movement for toddlers and peace of mind for parents.
Maintain the joy of developmental play.
Developmental toys are not for the sake of completing exercises and reaching milestones when the toddler is asked. Children also grow at their own speed, and their hobbies can vary greatly. One day, a toddler could be in the mood to climb, and the next day, they might be in the mood to stack blocks or explore textures. Both of these types of play prove to be valuable experiences. The best toys to choose are ones that get kids moving, tactile, building, experimenting, and imagining. Parents can encourage motor and sensory development with careful choices of toddler toys, but also give their child freedom to push and pull, crawl, swing, try things out, and be a kid, enjoying the whole process of discovery.