Toys should not just be entertaining. For children, playing is life. Why not take this chance to help them develop their cognitive or problem-solving skills? A creative play toy box is not limited to just arts and crafts. Toys that spark their imagination or promote role-playing are just as good. The best creativity toys are those that kids want to keep on playing with rather than those they easily get tired of.
Puzzles
Puzzles allow kids to problem solve at their own pace. You might be tempted to help them, but step back and let them come up with their own strategies. Puzzles exercise the mind and challenge the way of thinking. Playing puzzles develops their cognitive and problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination and fine motor development. Accomplishing a puzzle can bring satisfaction to them, boosting their social skills.
Building toys
Building blocks are great open-ended toys for children. Since they are open-ended, they promote open-ended play. They spark their imagination, develop their fine motor skills and allow them to solve problems. It is better to have them play with open-ended building blocks rather than those they will assemble to form a specific figure. Watch them create structures or combine blocks with other toys.
Artists tools
Kids love to write or draw whatever they like, so give them writing instruments to let them express creativity through art. Larger crayons or markers are great for smaller kids. Choose washable variants to minimize mess. Craft sets can be easily bought, and they are worth the investment.
Moulding dough and clay
Play-dough is another open-ended toy that encourages children to think while enjoying. The advantage of using this toy is that they can easily mash it together if they do not like what they created. It develops not just creativity but also fine motor skills, social skills when played with other kids, and even their sensory and language skills.
Dress up toys
Dressing up offers benefits that you might never have thought about. It fosters imagination, allows children to explore themselves, helps establish their identity and improve their communication. Help them enjoy role-playing by gathering materials and accessories that reinforce the experience. They can put together a show and play with other kids, which also develops their social skills.
Pretend play toys
Toys such as food sets, kitchen items and the like all encourage imaginative play. Children love playing with food toys because they are exposed to food every day. This also allows them to imagine and combine things. This is best done with other kids to enhance their social skills. Dollhouses and dolls are girls toys that also foster creativity.
In the same way, toys which encourage kids to be curious about their surroundings provide a lot of stimulation. Kids see their parents using power tools and want to use play power tools like a toy lawn mower, fostering a love of practicality.
You should enhance their creativity first, before teaching kids to be innovative. Toys that foster this are certainly worth the investment. They teach children to be creative, to think flexibly and solve problems. As parents, it also pays to play with your children. Creativity always starts at home and is not only limited to arts and crafts; anything that exercises their minds and sparks their imagination helps kids become creative thinkers.
Image: Pixabay.com
