why is it importand to give children the appropriate toys for their age and developmental level?

Answer 1

"appropriate" only springs to mind with very tiny babies in view of small and sharp parts... as we all discover our kids play happily with packaging moreso than the actually gift. We may find girls playing with tanks and boys playing with dolls though we shouldn't be alarmed, its all part of the discovery of growing up. They are, after all, PLAYING. Psychologically, what your child plays with can affect his/her thought pattern. Though parental love and tuition should go hand in hand with school based knowledge to assure a child fully understands his/her role in life.

Answer 2

I'm sure there are many, but one major one is so they do not get frustrated. When you are trying to teach someone something - whether it's their shapes, colors, driving a car or a calculus problem, you have to teach them at THEIR level. Take the new puzzle craze Sudoku, most everyone when first starting out will choose and easy one until they get the hang of it and then will move to the more challenging ones. If you gave someone the most challenging puzzle first , they would most likely get frustrated and not want to solve the puzzles anymore.
With a child, you want to give them successes they can build on. If they are constantly frustrated by the toys they are given they will have emotional problems (tied to self esteem) and they will not learn the skills they are supposed to because they will not DO the activities.

Obviously if you give a three year old little girl a fancy doll house with intricate pieces she's not going to know what to with it besides eat it. She does not have the capacity to "play house" or have her dolls play house. At that age, she just wants a doll she can carry around and be friends with. (and occassionally suck on an arm or leg)

I do hope this is more of a question for a college paper rather than a parent looking for the answer.

Answer 3

The reason why children need these types of toys is because they can be too stimulating. What I mean by stimulating is that a toy can make a child feel more excited or feel like they need to do 2 or 3 things at the same time. An example of a stimulating toy would be a book with lots of words and pictures or one of those see and say spinners. Those toys would be more appropriate for older children such as preschool. Children need toys that are age appropriate because if they are small/toddlers they like to put toys in their mouths and it could break and they could choke. Same with small toys.. a toddler could put them in their mouth and such. Smaller children like to touch with their mouth.. that is where their nerves are more promenent on their lips.. That's why babies like to put things in their mouth when they test them out for the first time or play with them. You will also find that Toddlers will do the same thing. For that reason you will need toys that will clean fast and are sanitary. A puffy plastic book, big plastic play foods and such like that would be a good ideal toy for toddlers. For Preschool and above you could change the size of toys and you can have somewhat harder puzzles and such because Preschoolers are more capable to handle those such of toys. They will be more

But mostly the reason for appropriate toys for children depending on their age is for brain development. It wouldn't help if you give a toddler a leapfrog intended for a 2-3rd grader. The toddler won't benefit from it.

Answer 4

If a toy is too simple, the child gets bored with it. If the toy is above the child's cognitive level, the child will get easily frustrated and reject the toy. Toys should be within the child's zone of proximal development... where they can use the toy themselves with little or no help from an adult. Otherwise, the toy becomes unusable to the child.

Answer 5

It means the child can enjoy the toy. If the deveolpment level is lower than the child's ability then the child will not be interested in it because it will be boring, if it is too hard then the child will be become frustrated with the toy and may become very upset.
It is important that children are stimulated to encourage learning, and that they enjoy learning.

Answer 6

its all to do with health and safety...you have to be careful with toys you give to new borns, as parts could come off in their mouths, as young babies tend to put everything they can in their mouth! however, if your child is 2, and is fully supervised, then i dont really see why they cant use toys for 3+....although you have to be aware of the difficulty, cause some toys can scare children by being too grown up for their mental age, and you dont want them to be scared of learning. if they are given the right toys at the right times for their mental age and ability, then they get the most pleasure and fun out of them.

Answer 7

Stimulation, to allow their minds to grow as well as their bodies. The development of play is a serious study and play therapy will work with children who have problems. Their imagination can be stimulated through play, far better than being plonked in from of the electric Nanny.

Answer 8

definitely for safety reasons - but if they're not right for their developmental level they can still play with them and enjoy them. i had a game that i didn't understand when i was young and used the counters from it on my toy record player.

they can always play with the box! stimulating imagination is cheap and often more fun that those expensive things you can get x

Answer 9

When childrens are small they learn the most, by playing with learning toys they will learn and they will have a better time, when they start preschool

Answer 10

If you give them toys that are for older children, they may not have the skill or knowledge to play with them safely.

If you give them toys that are for younger children, they may not play with them for long.