(StatePoint) Whether you’re celebrating your own child’s big day or shopping for a friend’s birthday party, some of the best gifts for toddlers and preschoolers are those that inspire imaginative play.
“Gift-giving for this age group should reflect the tremendous opportunity that play time offers for supporting early childhood development,” says Dr. Lise Eliot, early brain development expert and member of the Expert Panel at VTech, a world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children.
With that in mind, here are some fun gift ideas that will add value to children’s play time.
Arts and Crafts
Inspire creativity and foster fine motor skills with gifts for budding young artists. Watercolor sets, finger paint, stencils and markers are great age-appropriate selections. Just be sure any art supplies are non-toxic and washable. A great gift set idea? A blank smock and fabric paint — kids can design their own artist’s smock, which will inspire them to do even more art projects in the future. Offer to hang or frame your children’s favorite creations so they can proudly see them on display.
Thoughtful Toys
Choose toys that are safe, fun and engaging. For example, the Go! Go! Smart line of toys from VTech features its innovative technologies that bring the toys to life, letting children explore cause and effect relationships while teaching first words, letters and more.
Consider the Go! Go! Smart Wheels Treasure Mountain Train Adventure, which allows kids to discover spatial play by building train tracks, and features its first motorized train that can climb hills on its own. When the train is placed over one of the nine “SmartPoint” locations on the playset, it will respond with lights, sounds and music.
Toddlers can create a whole kingdom featuring princesses, princes, fairies and unicorns with Go! Go! Smart Friends playsets, encouraging children to discover through imaginative play while building motor and language skills. Even more stimulating activity is encouraged with the turning telescope, swinging hammock, and secret trap door found in the Go! Go! Smart Animals Happy Paws Playland. For more information, visit vtechkids.com.
“The vehicles, animals and characters spark children’s imaginations while keeping them engaged, promoting listening skills and encouraging their fine motor and cognitive development,” says Dr. Eliot.
Learning Experiences
The big wide world offers plenty of opportunities for fun and learning, so consider gifting an experience to the birthday boy or girl. Whether it’s a puppet show, a day of exploration at the zoo or aquarium, or hands-on learning workshop at a children’s museum, the experience will not soon be forgotten!
For young children, make birthdays and special occasions count. Great gifts can be both educational and fun.
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