top of page
Search
kristiaansinclair
Nov 16, 2021

Toy Gift Guide for Children Under 5!

Looking for the perfect educational toy for your child? Something developmentally appropriate, or perhaps open ended? We watch our little ones growing so quickly before our very eyes, from that first tummy roll, pushing the walker to taking steps on their own, matching shapes, painting walls, those sweet little giggles and a thousand 'Why's?' Play is the essence of learning for children, and providing the right educational toys paves a path for learning the different skills they will need in their lifetime.


Growing Kind is a small business with a focus on big play! With an incredible range of resources from newborn to 12 years, they advocate for promoting creativity, kindness, mindfulness, and resilience through play, and their educational toys will provide hours of stimulation, and a whole lot of learning! Growing Kind's focus on teaching kindness is embedded in their company philosophy, with their monthly donations to charities (this month is a Foster Care Toy Drive for Anglicare) so you can feel even better when shopping small.


From your babies first peek into the world to those first few years, over a million neural connections are formed every second. By selecting age and developmentally appropriate toys for your child, we can help to nurture their developmental milestones, stimulate their creativity and problem solving abilities and educate through play.


So here it is, a gift guide with our top picks for each age group, with educational resources your child will love! (Code BOHO for 10% off storewide!)


Age: 0-1 yrs

From those early newborn days, your baby is learning to live in their new world. Every month brings exciting new developments as they learn more about their bodies and the world around them. They are exploring, reaching for objects, listening to their parents voices, bonding with their family and learning so many skills - isn't that first smile just the most beautiful moment! They are well and truly engaging all five senses to learn all about this strange new world, so sensory play and toys promoting cause and effect thinking are beneficial for developing their problem solving skills and motor skills.




Age 1 - 2.

The transition from baby to toddler opens up a whole lot of learning as they become more mobile and those little personalities start to shine through. At this age, toddlers are taking an interest in building and knocking down objects, scribbling with crayons, banging objects together and copying the movements of mum and dad. You'll start to hear those first words, and then sentences. We can help their language development through singing, imitating animal sounds, and naming shapes, objects and colours. Their mobility will be increasing, and it wont be long till they are they off exploring as fast as their little legs will take them. There's a whole lot of learning going on and a most exciting age as a parent - to see all those firsts!




Age 2-3.

The age of big feelings and independent little beings. The cognitive development opportunities are endless as they start to match shapes and colours, build with magnetic blocks, take an interest in dressing up and role play, and learning new motor skills in their physical play. Provide resources that will encourage those fine motor skills and problem solving abilities - paints, puzzles, blocks, sensory sand, and gross motor skills with balls, hoops and a trike. They've got a lot of energy, and big emotions, so navigate this age (and every age) with quality time spent together, filling their cup.




Age 3-4

We see lots of emotional development in this age group, as children learn to navigate their own feelings and start to develop friendships. Their imaginations are blossoming and they are engaging in pretend games, so providing materials for dress up and role play are usually well loved. Nurture their imaginations by providing themed toys that they show interest in, and let those builders, pirates and fairies run wild. This is also the age of a hundred 'Why?s'. They are curious little creatures, exploring every facet of the world around them, and what a beautiful world it is! Encourage their exploration and critical thinking with books, natural resources and a whole lot of creative play.




Age 4-5

These independent little humans are able to do much of their daily routine by themselves and many are fans of 'make believe' creative play with their friends, learning to express themselves, socializing, and forming relationships with the people around them. They are active little beings with an endless amount of enthusiasm, climbing, tumbling, rolling and bursting with the energy we wish we still had.



Whether it be a birthday, Christmas, or a gift for a friend, I hope this guide bought you joy and clarity on how each age offers such a special gift in itself, the gift of watching our children grow and develop into the unique little beings that they are! I hope we were able to offer some guidance on gifts that will encourage development at each precious age with quality resources to pass on to siblings and friends.

And in this magical time that is childhood, play in nature, show love, celebrate uniqueness, and above all, teach kindness!



Like, comment and subscribe if you loved this Gift Guide, and stay in the loop for future posts. Thankyou you for taking the time to read! Love and light x



Product Links to Growing Kind


Age: 0-1 yrs

3. HABA Chimes $42.00


Age: 1-2 yrs


Age: 2-3 yrs


Age: 3-4 yrs

4. Wooden Tool Box $56.99


Age: 4-5 yrs

2 comments

2 Comments

Guest
Nov 16, 2021

this is fab! APPRECIATE IT!

Like
Guest
Nov 16, 2021

Great read. Some perfect gift ideas for my little 2 year old!

Like
bottom of page