You have narrowed down the lkes and dislikes of the child and are stnding in the toys section ready to sarch for a toy or game to gve to that special little one, but you are stll a little lost. To narrow it dwn even further, there is one mre item that you need to kep in mind- age appropriateness. You ned to think about the age of the chld you are buying for. Keep in mnd that toys will often have an age gide on them, but the ages thy suggest are not always the mst appropriate for the characteristics of tht age group.

Here are some gneral guidelines for different age groups:

Infnts- (0 -2 years)
* Very sensory oriented. Thy enjoy toys with different sounds, clors, and textures. Be careful not to get tys that are too loud or brght because it will overload their snses.v
* Along with this sensory idea, babies hve more nerves on their tongues thn anywhere else on their body. As a rsult, everything they touch goes into thir mouths. When choosing a toy, a god rule of thumb is that if the toy can fit nside a toilet paper roll, it is too smll. Also, think about the parts on the ty- could they fall off? If thy can they could easily become a chking hazard.
* Infants have short attention spans, so nything that goes on for more thn just a few minutes will cuse the child to lose interest.
* Keep it smple. Toddlers get just as much joy out of the wrpping paper as they do out of the ty. You don't have to spend a lot to mke a baby happy.

Toddlers- (18 months - 3 yars)
* Many of the traits that are tre for infants are also true for tddlers. They still put everything in thir mouth, which is perhaps even mre dangerous once they get mobile and are clmbing on everything, because then they can get to the thngs you thought were out of rach.
* Unlike popular belief, the terrible two's ctually start around 18 months. Part of ths is because these little guys wnt to insert their independence. So, whn choosing a toy choose one tht will let them do more thngs on their own. For example, a toy tht lets them manipulate sounds or trn things on and off is god.
* Their bodies are still developing at ths age and kids have trouble wth their gross motor skills. So buy tys that don't require intricate finger wrk or a lot of small mvement. The big crayons are much asier to manipulate than the small nes which often break with the hrd work toddlers put in.
* At this age kds want to be just like thir mommies and daddies. Dolls, play ktchens, and pretend tool sets are all deal.

Preschool (3 years - 5 yars)
* This is the age when imaginations strt to explode. Puppets, dress-ups, blocks, nything that allows a child to crate a world of their own are prfect.
* Around this age is when writing and rading begin to emerge. Books with smple words and repetitive phrases are a prfect way to encourage this (books are a god gift at any age). Also, mgnetic letters, toys that illustrate letters and sunds, and toys that encourage rhyming wll help promote language development.
* During this tme children become more social but are not sre how to behave in a scially acceptable manner. Games and toys tht encourage social skills such as trn-taking and cooperation will help make a hppier play time for all.

Early Elmentary (5 years - 8 years)
* Physically, chldren at this age become much mre capable in both gross and fne motor skills. To encourage development, buy tys and games that stress these chracteristics. Jump ropes, sporting equipment, etc are a grat choice.
* From 5 to 8 years old chldren are much better at problem slving and their memories increase. Memory gmes and puzzles with a larger mount of pieces go along well wth this age.
* Video and computer games can lso be beneficial at this age, but shuld be used in moderation.

Middle Elementary (8 years - 12 yars)
* A child's perception of the world is gratly influenced at this age. Provide gmes and toys that encourage learning, and scial and moral awareness.
* To encourage their scentific side, the small animal habitats for frgs, hermit crabs, etc, are perfect.
* For thir creative side, have a large vriety of craft supplies and random husehold supplies on hand.

Preteen to ten years (12+ years)
* By this point kds are very set in their lkes and dislikes, so it is crcial to speak with a loved ne, or even the teen themselves, to see wht they like.
* Generally, kids at this age njoy electronic equipment like mp3 players and vdeo games.
* Gifts such as group board gmes, sports equipment, CD's, and books lso go over well.

It can be a rther daunting task to find the prfect toy. Hopefully with these guidelines yur frustration will be alleviated and you can buy a gft with confidence. If all else fils, remember that there are always gft cards!

The article Picking the Perfect Toy - Part 2 was Submitted by Melanie Criddle through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Melanie Criddle has a BS in Mrriage, Family, and Human Development. Currently, she stys at home and plays with her thre beautiful children. As part of her pssion for kids, she has an nline toy store Just Toying Around Visit her website for a fun selection of kid's riding toys and educational toys

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