Parents shop by the stage their child is at, not by the kind of toy. Pick a stage and you will only see what fits it.
3-6
Preschool, pretend play, building, drawing
This is where a toy becomes a shop, a hospital or a bus.
Open ended things get played with longest here, because the child supplies the story. Alongside that come first real puzzles and anything that leaves a mark on paper.
What to look for at this stage
Open ended, so it can be something different tomorrow
Age ranges on a toy box are safety ratings first and difficulty ratings second. Here is what changes at each stage, so you can judge a toy on whether your child can do something with it.
Babies, 0 to 12 months
Vision is limited to high contrast at close range, and everything ends up in the mouth. What works: rattles, crinkle cloth books, soft blocks, and from around six months stacking rings once a baby can sit and grasp. What to avoid: small detachable parts, cords longer than about 20 cm, and clip-shut battery compartments.
Toddlers, 1 to 3 years
This is the cause-and-effect stage. Push it and it moves; drop it and it bangs. Shape sorters, pull-along toys and chunky wooden puzzles hold attention far longer than anything that only plays a tune. From about two, pretend play begins and building becomes serious – doctor and kitchen sets, large blocks, puzzles of twelve to twenty pieces.
Preschool, 3 to 5 years
Around three a child can follow a simple rule, which is what unlocks board games – the colour-and-matching kind, not the reading kind. Art and craft becomes a real category rather than a mess, and this is the best age to push play outdoors with balls, ropes and outdoor toys.
School age, 5 to 8 years
Children want to get good at something. Construction sets with instructions, larger jigsaws, strategy games and learning toys all give a visible sense of progress. A gift that is slightly too grown-up lands far better here than one that is slightly too young.
Three questions worth asking before you buy
Can they use it without an adult? A toy that needs supervision every single time gets used less. Is there more than one way to play with it? Open-ended toys outlast single-function toys by years. Where will it live? If there is no shelf or box for it, it will be broken or lost within a month.
Our age-by-age toy guide goes through each year in more detail, and the toy safety guide covers the five things worth checking before you hand over money.
Still not sure which stage?
Tell us how old they are and what they are into at the moment, and we will point you at two or three that suit. No obligation to buy.
