It is a well known fact that children learn through play. This principle applies to babies as well as older children. But what forms of play and what types of toys and games are suitable for which age groups?

The department for children, schools and families (in the UK) have produced what is described as ‘A framework to support children in their early years’ which is entitled ‘Birth to three matters’. It is aimed at practitioners, by which I think they mean those involved in looking after very young children, which must mean every parent of young children.

Young kids are naturally curious. Initially they may be content to simply feel things and stare at them but they quickly move on to find out what they can do with them, what they taste like, what they sound like when bashed etc.

Household objects, packaging and boxes are often found to occupy and interest a child far more than the expensive toys that were contained within. They will often happily gather items and put them in a box only to tip them out and do it over again. This activity strengthens cognitive development as well as psychomotor skills development through their own investigation of the objects and their own physical attributes.

The term ‘Heuristic Play’ was coined by Elinor Goldshmied and Sonia Jackson in their book ‘People Under Three’ to describe how to provide a structured learning experience that engages children in these types of activities. Heuristic play is intended to give the young child the opportunity to experiment and learn through doing.

Adults don’t get involved in heuristic play sessions. They allow the children to make their own decisions and discoveries. Interestingly heuristic play can be a very social experience for young children. Although each may be engaged in their own activities they are often very aware of what their peers are up to and this can help them develop their social skills.

So what sorts of toys are right for young children? Many toy manufacturers make grand claims about how beneficial their fancy plastic toys will be to your child’s development but many of these toys are very limited and don’t provide much scope for imaginative, creative play.

A plentiful supply of stationery and markers, paints, crayons, chalk and blackboards is always good, as well as the space in which to play messily with these things. Facilities that allow and encourage kids to climb and balance are also an excellent way to help develop physical confidence and psychomotor skills. Pretend play is particularly good for older toddlers and some suitable props such as safe kitchen utensils, dress up clothes etc. can be very beneficial. Dolls, model animals, teddy bears and other related props can also be useful in this context.

Games are also a great way to encourage children to interact. The game may be something simple like passing a ball or playing skittles. Bathtime can be a great learning opportunity for little children, enabling them to gain confidence in water through bathtime play and a few well chosen toys can help enhance their bathtime experience and make it less of a chore for the parent.

It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that their child has access to well resourced indoor and outdoor learning environments. But this doesn’t necessarily mean spending lots of money. The play resources need to be adequately versatile and safe. They may include household objects, found objects, fir cones, plant pots, pebbles and the like.

There are, of course, many reputable toyshops that sell genuine learning toys that will benefit toddler’s development. These include the well know Early Learning Centre, the less well know but excellent Anara Toys and my personal favourite and highly recommended Mulberry Bush. Mulberry Bush have an excellent selection of Traditional Wooden Toys which are far more appealing than many of todays plastic imitations. They also have some excellent Learning Toys which will encourage creative, imaginative play and enable parents to provide the learning environments that their young children need.

But it is worth remembering that you don’t need to spend lots of money to ensure that your young child has access to stimulating props and playthings that will encourage investigative, creative play. Things that have interesting and varied textures, things that make a noise, things that can be stacked, knocked down and rebuilt don’t have to be bought from expensive toy shops!