Seeing your children engage in creative play is enjoyable for both you as a parent as well as for them. There are several kinds of toys that encourage their creativity. Take a look at a few of these below!
Pretend Play Toys
Children love to pretend, and dress up clothes can be a lot of fun! It gives them a chance to use their imagination when they are pretending to be a princess, firefighter, superhero, or funny clown. Costumes are great for all year-round playtimes! You can often find used costumes at thrift stores or children’s consignment sales if you want to save money. Other costumes could be home made if you love to sew. Other types of pretend play toys could include a mini kitchen, doctor kit, or tool set for kids. Also, do not discount the value of an empty box for pretend play. Children love to sit in a box, put a box on their head to be a monster, make little buildings with several smaller boxes, or make a pretend car out of a box. They can use markers to draw on the outside of the box. There are so many ways to have fun with pretend toys!
Building Toys
Lego bricks are great for learning to build specific things. They can either follow directions in a manual, or they can make their own creation. Building with interlocking bricks helps train their memory, since they may first build, then take apart, then build again. Being able to repeat patterns in building planes, cars, or whatever their imagination tells them, will give them confidence. Children’s big building blocks are also great because the opportunities for creating something new are endless. The life-size scale gives them new channels of creativity. Children of all ages can spend hours playing with blocks!
Art Toys
Play-dough, modeling clay, crayons, markers, paper and scissors, and finger paints are just a few of the art toys your children will enjoy using. Young children enjoy magnetic doodling toys. They can draw a picture, then erase and do it again. It is so much fun for them! Give an older child a few markers and a whiteboard, and they can have a great time drawing pictures and practicing writing their name.
Outdoor Toys
Soccer balls, baseballs, playground balls, badminton sets, bikes, and scooters are all great ways for children to have fun outside. They really love to get out and move around, and they need to do so for normal development. Kicking a ball, balancing on a bike or skateboard, or learning hand-eye coordination with a badminton set are wonderful activities for children. You may want to get out and play with them, too!
Keep It Simple
Usually, the simple toys are the best. They help inspire creativity, and children will enjoy these toys for hours! Home-made toys and classic children’s toys allow them to pretend play, create, and move around outdoors!