Shumee Suggests 5 Toys You Must Buy To Develop Fine And Gross Motor Skills In Your Child

For babies and little ones, everything they do is an opportunity to grow. But as always some opportunities are better than others. From kicking their feet to grasping a rattle and from crawling on the floor to riding on the bike and kicking a ball, it is about development and growing your motor skills.

Motor skills like every skill improve with practice and patience. For instance, when you first give a child a crayon or a stamp to print, it will go all over the place. The same crayon will slowly stay within the lines and eventually be more controlled. But repeating the same activity over and over may be boring and the child may lose interest.

A mix and match of common household items and some carefully designed toys that encourage free play and stimulate their interest are a good way to keep the interest alive.

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Nesting blocks – All blocks are good. Build a tower out of cubes or just let all of them hide in one. Nestling cubes also come with pictures and letters. Some even come with colour coded shape sorter that enables your little one to match colours and shapes as well. These help in learning letters and words and understand concepts of size, shapes and colours, all while having fun. It enhances fine motor skills.

Shape sorter – Recognising shapes is not all that children learn from shape sorters. They also build fine motor skills as little ones grasp them with their tiny fingers and try and push them into the appropriate slots. There are some great buys in the market with clever combinations of some classic toys like the truck, a xylophone and an animal sorter.

Building toys – For slightly older kids toys that have small parts and encourage building are great at developing motor skills. When they have to figure out parts that go into one another and have to be bolted together, it not only develops their thinking skills but also enhances fine motor skills. Toys that come with simple tools, for instance, are creative toys0 that they can take pride in building.

Balance boards – Great for building core strength even for adults, balance boards are perfect for developing gross motor skills and athletic abilities in older children. There are many pretty balance boards for instance to improves balance and coordination. It builds leg strength. Enhances gross motor skills, encourages physical activity and pretend play.

Bikes – Balance bikes are a great way to learn cycling the right way and develop motor skills along the way. It is the perfect first two-wheeler for your toddler. Easy to balance and reach the ground with the feet these bikes eliminate the need for training wheels enabling the child to be in control and to learn to ride by themselves.

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There are several other toys like jigsaw puzzles and balancing clocks or stacking rings. A croquet set is a novel way to develop gross motor skills as is the ubiquitous cricket bat. Stamp sets and colouring aids help enhance fine motor skills. Just ensure that the toys you get for your tot are eco-friendly and child safe. Stay away from screens and toys that have set patterns and paths. Let your little one explore the world through natural play and it is a win for all!

You may also like: Guide to Essential Scissor Skills 

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