Your toddler is full of energy and curiosity and it can be quite challenging to choose toys that satisfy and stimulate your child. At this age, children are just discovering their abilities and the things around them; they love climbing, running, jumping, and maneuvering objects with their developing motor skills and muscles. They are also becoming interested in sensory stimulation, and in imitating grown-up activity.

When choosing toys appropriate for your toddler, it is important to keep their needs and interests in mind, and to think about what skills a toddler needs to develop as he or she grows up.

At this age, toddlers need:

• Sensory stimulus
• Creative outlet
• Freedom
• Supervision
• Companionship
• Challenges

Appropriate and Allowable Toys for Toddlers
Toddlers are active, curious, restless, and very playful. They need a great deal of supervision and interaction, and when choosing toys for their development and enjoyment, a lot of factors must be considered.

It is an exciting age of development. Toddlers are a pleasure as they embark on difficult boundaries and flexing muscles, especially those cognitive and creative. The whole lot is a fantastic new knowledge for toddlers. All you require to do is continue to supply to them with assorted tools for creative growth, and they will flabbergast you.

In this age, toddlers are energetic and take pleasure in running, climbing, and jumping. They also are involved in doing things with their hands as the small muscles in their fingers become more developed. However, toys for this age group should be straightforward and needing little coordination. During this stage, toddlers become attracted in playing with others and in copying adult actions. Toys like dress-up clothes would be ideal for them to learn new tricks.

In this age, toddlers also are very much interested in sensory resources such as crayons, paint, play dough and chalk. They just love to scribble and blend colors.

Recommended toys, tools and kits for toddlers include tables with limitless paper and crayons, chalk and chalkboards, paint, clay blocks, construction toys and plenty of chances for pretend and make believe.

The following sections categorize toddlers into various age groups and discuss their needs, skills and correspondingly appropriate toys.

• 1 year - 1.5 years old: Many children begin walking around their first birthday, and are very eager to use this new skill to explore their surroundings. Toddlers are very goal-oriented, and this is also the time when they are developing large muscles and improving their motor skills.

  Appropriate toys: Stuffed animals, pail and shovel, water toys, building blocks, push-up toys, paddle toys, swing sets, cars and trucks big enough to ride, toy wagons, simple musical instruments, etc.

• 1.5 years - 2 years old: Now children begin using their imagination towards having fun and solving problems. They learn to match objects by size, shape and color, and follow simple instructions. This is also a time of 'vocabulary boom', when toddlers learn an astonishing number of new words.

  Appropriate toys: Puppets, dolls, playhouses, balls and bean bags, balloons, puzzles, miniature appliances, costumes, storybooks to read together, swings and climbing structures etc.

• 2 years - 3 years old: During this time, children love to expand their imagination, imitate grown-ups, and develop coordination and control. They also learn to draw and express their worldview, take on new challenges and build upon their social, motor and verbal skills.

  Appropriate toys: Puzzles, tricycle, tea set, sandbox toys, peg boards, blocks, blackboard and chalk, crayons, finger-paints, puzzles and creative materials like clay and modeling dough, dress-up clothes, dolls and stuffed animals, boxes and books with simple stories, water play toys etc.