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Electronic Toys for Kids by Age Group
Electronic Toys for Kids – The rise of technology has brought about a new era in the way we do things.
We now have a lot of products to help us do our everyday activities faster and easier. However, with the technological changes, some cons may emerge too.
One of these is the tendency to use gadgets too much. While most people think this is especially harmful to grow children, technology can be used to an advantage.
They can even stimulate development when used appropriately.
The Right Electronic Device for Every Milestone
Electronic Toys for Kids – With Parents Guidance
Electronic toys for Toddlers
Just like traditional toys for kids, there are appropriate tools for every stage of development. Often, we start simple when a baby is under 1 year old, because he is still observing the environment around him, and learning to move around it.
When the toddler starts to relate with other children, he will need more tools to help him with verbal and non-verbal communication.
Age appropriateness is the same concern that we should keep in mind with electronic devices. We have to consider their developmental stage when we introduce them to a new object.
Specific things to consider when deciding what is appropriate for a child’s age according to the book Screen Time: How Electronic Media – From Baby Videos to Educational Software – Affects Your Young Child are content, context, and the individual child.
Parents and educators should ask themselves how the device will help the child learn, explore, imagine or express himself. They should also think about what kind of interactions are happening during the time of use.
The device should be given only when it complements the context and does not disrupt the natural learning and play patterns of the child.
Lastly, they should consider the needs of the child at the moment. Here’s a guide on what to expect during each stage of development.
Electronic Toys for 0-6 months
During the first few months of the child’s life, babies are attracted to sounds and movements. They are in the stage where they are discovering themselves, their bodies, and the sensations around them.
Their senses are just starting to appreciate stimulation, so there is no need to overdo it.
At this time, secure parental attachment is needed as they like to recognize faces. An electronic mobile above their crib would do the trick. A speaker will also help you expose them to soothing music.
Electronic Toys for 6-8 months
Babies are now more aware of their environment. They recognize cause-and-effect relationships now and are fascinated by them. They tend to repeat actions.
Simple toys that they can hold with their hands should be their tools at this point in life. Make sure that the toys don’t have small parts that could be choking hazards to the babies.
Remember, this is the stage when they like to put everything in their mouths. Electronic toys for kids that make sounds can be a good source of entertainment and brain stimulation for them.
Toys with different textures will also be appreciated.
Electronic Toys for 8-12 months
During this time, children can start to recognize the names of people and objects. They can also begin to comprehend the concept of object permanence.
A Jack-in-the-box type of toy or an interactive doll can help them with this. They now like to experiment with what they have. They especially like electronic toys with different colors, sizes, and shapes.
They begin modeling what they see so it is a crucial time to expose them to good models. They will now appreciate simple educational videos with lots of movement and music.
Getting a big-screen TV for this will be great for the kids. Just make sure they don’t stay too near the screen, and that they don’t spend too much time watching.
Encourage them to follow the dance and sing along, as opposed to just passively watching. Other kinds of toys that come in cups, blocks, push-pull, sorters, and simple 3d puzzles can also be very helpful.
Electronic Toys for 12-18 months
When the child turns 1, reading to the child will be very helpful. They will now understand simple stories and will appreciate animation when being told.
Audiobooks, tablets, or computers (Chromebooks for kids) and TV screens can help you tell your stories to a child.
Great speakers will make for a wonderful experience as well. This is also the stage where the child can appreciate paper and different materials.
You can expose the child to a digital drawing pad or tablet from time to time.
Allow them to use their fingers to create shapes and drawings. Apps that simulate writing sounds are also a plus. Make sure they are supervised during this time because babies love to bang things together at this age!
Electronic Toys for 18-24 months
From 1 and a half years old to two years of age, kids will have developed their imagination. This is the perfect time to encourage pretend play.
Dressing up, mimicking certain people, and pretending they are in different places is healthy.
At this point, having interactive electronic toys like speaking and moving dolls, electronic pets, and robots can help them with their imaginative play
Using interesting but simple electronic toys for kids like a telescope, a “functional” kettle, or a little remote-control vehicle that an adult can operate can stimulate their creativity.
Allow them to imagine more, though, so virtual reality and AI should not be an option yet.
Electronic Toys for Kids – Playing Together
Electronic Toys for 2-4-year-old
At two to four years old, children may already go to pre-school. During this time, they will be exposed to other children, so they have to work on interpersonal relations.
Social skills like sharing, recognizing distress in others, and taking turns are things they will learn during this stage. Toys that can encourage this are welcome.
They may be able to share one tablet when playing a video game. Pretend play is still encouraged so dolls, robots, action figures, and pets that interact with them could help.
Digital drawing pads are also still encouraged as they will have to practice their fine motor skills. Electronic musical instruments will also be very much appreciated at this stage.
They love to make noise at this time so guitars, drums, and other toys that make sounds will help their cognitive development.
Stories and commands from a portable device will furthermore please them too, as they can bring these around to entertain themselves.
Games and apps that allow them to sort colors and shapes, to identify differently from like objects, to recognize rhymes and melodies, and to name objects will be great for their learning.
When they turn three, they will have a better grasp of small parts like buttons and levers. They will be able to manipulate toys with these now.
3d or digital puzzles will also help their mental development and fine motor skills. Toys with sensor motor components will be great too.
In the drawing pad, they might be able to copy shapes already. At four, they will be looking for the company of their peers, so two-player toys and games will be handy.
Toys that sing out nursery rhymes or say out loud the alphabet or letters can help out with recognition as well. Electronic counting toys can also help with their early math skills.
Baby computers or devices can be used now that they are introduced to basic school concepts.
Electronic Toys for 5-year-old
At 5 years old, toddlers are more likely to comprehend and grasp concepts. They will pick up actual song lyrics and memorize dances better.
To improve these, educational videos on TV screens or their little screens with great speakers will be beneficial. Still, viewing should be done with the guidance of an adult.
They now have a good idea of what is real and what is not. Though they will still do a lot of pretend play with their dolls and action figures, they will separate it from reality.
Kids will be more independent at this stage so, toys that allow them to explore and be creative will please them. A kid-friendly smartwatch with GPS will also be useful for kids that tend to get lost in public places.
They can now converse and even tell stories. Apps and Audiobooks that allow them to create stories and pictures will stimulate their cognition. Tracing pads can help with their fine motor skills as they can now make shapes and people at this stage.
Electronic Toys for Older Kids
Everything is alright in moderation. When used to their potential, electronic toys and devices can help with the growing needs of a child.
Parents and educators just need to be more mindful of the kinds of devices they expose their kids to, and how often.
Play will still be a crucial part of development as an individual goes through middle and late childhood.
Encouraging them to be creative and to use their critical thinking skills will benefit them greatly.
There are a lot of tools they can use to stimulate these. Some may prefer traditional toys but others can also reap the same benefits from electronic toys.
From digital applications and software to interactive dolls, robots, and handheld devices, there are many things to choose from.
The Right Way to Use Electronic Devices for Kids
Parents, teachers, and kids can always enjoy advanced toys and devices. These are the guiding principles that they have to keep in mind to facilitate healthy growth.
When used appropriately, technology can be a great tool for learning and education. Even more, its use can also be a way to provide access to all children of different backgrounds, locations, and conditions.
Technology can also be very helpful in fostering good relationships with other people. Most importantly, the use of technology is most effective when adults are present to guide the children.
This guidance will help the kids be more mindful of their choices when they, later on, gain more independence.
Here are some of our electronics suggestions throughout the milestones.
Electronic Toys for 6-8-Year-Old Kids
Electronic Toys for Kids – 6 to 8-year-olds
During the first few years of big school, the child undergoes the middle childhood phase. At this point, kids are now more independent with self-care.
They have better command over their fine motor skills. They now want to foster friendships and meaningful relationships with people around them.
They want to be accepted by their peers. They may even begin to think of what they want to be when they grow up and start to be aware of their place in a social environment.
Since they are now exposed to a world outside their home, they are more curious and their brains are more curious and eager to absorb information.
They are now in school so they will show faster cognitive development. They will begin to learn different approaches to doing things.
The best toys to give kids in this age group are those that can allow them to imagine and socialize but move at the same time.
Toys they can experiment with, style, or build will be great.
Remote-controlled cars and other vehicles, electronic coding toys, robots, electronic 3d puzzles, interactive dolls and toys, digital memory games and other board games, designing tools like bedazzling or bling machines, and mechanical jewel and bead hair styling toys are a few picks.
This is also the time to introduce virtual reality and well-protected child-friendly tablets for interactive and virtual games.
Electronic Toys for 9-11-Year-Old Kids
Electronic Toys for Kids – 9 to 11-year-olds
During this time, the child is slowly transitioning from child to tween. Their interests are more apparent at this stage, so encouraging these would be best.
The child would also typically have a consistent group of friends at this point and would tend to gravitate towards the same gender.
They will begin to feel peer pressure and would begin to feel that they have to keep up with the trends.
Girls will tend to begin puberty during this stage. Academically, kids at this phase would be more challenged as schoolwork would begin to get more difficult.
Their attention span would also increase, so complex activities that need more focus would be welcome.
Electronic toys that children of this stage might be attracted to include items that help them express themselves and their specific hobbies.
Girls might want to use child-friendly sewing machines to create costumes and nail stampers to do their nails.
They might also express a desire to design their personal space, so Bluetooth printers will come in handy. Lamps and speakers with funky designs will also make them light up.
Boys might still want to play with vehicles, but racecars and airplanes powered by smartphones might be more their thing in contrast to remote-controlled ones.
Some kids with specific interests will love simulation toys that feature science experiments, electronics, and robotics.
Of course, these kids would want the latest music devices, computers, and smartphones as well. They would want to keep up with whatever is new and at the same time use these for online learning.
Electronic Toys for 12-14-Year-Old Kids
Electronic Toys for Kids – 12 to 14-year-olds
These kids are now growing up and will be experiencing a lot of changes during this phase. Their bodies and environments will probably make them experience physical, mental, and social changes.
As they undergo puberty, they will be trying to find themselves while feeling the need to belong to their peers. During this time, these young teenagers will be more conscious about how they look.
Their cognition will continue to develop. This time, however, they will be more aware of what their academic strengths and weaknesses are.
They are now capable of abstract thinking and innovation. They are also more capable of verbal expression.
The electronics that these kids will want won’t all be toys. They would now be more attracted to gadgets and cool-looking devices.
They would want to start establishing their identities so items that allow them to customize and personalize will be a dream to them.
Little machines like label makers, LED marquee boxes, and Polaroid cameras will help them express their creativity.
Charging docks, LED strip lights, and color-changing lamp and speaker combos will also be of good use to this age group.
Some of these kids might also want to listen to music in private. Bluetooth wireless headsets or earphones will be their go-to.
Electronic Toys for 15-17-Year-Old Kids
Electronic Toys for Kids – 15 to 17-year-olds
The late teenage years represent the time the children get ready to be adults. Their behavior will now be more mature, and some of them might even act like an adult already.
Some of these kids will have puberty by this time and will be thinking more seriously about life. They will still be focused on their relationships with others.
Hence, social media will remain in their lives. Smartphones and laptops will be a need at this point. Their mental skill and behaviors will be more precise.
They will begin to have work habits and show more interest in careers. They will be able to reason logically and will have their own opinions already.
Teens this age are more brand-conscious as they will already have a good idea of their preferences based on research and experience.
Mobile phones, laptops, and other gadgets will matter more to them.
Since they are almost adults, they might want subscriptions to streaming platforms that provide access to music, video content, and audiobooks.
They might also have more value for digital pens and smartwatches to go with their main devices.
A mini projector, portable photo printers, a mic, and more professional gaming and camera equipment will also be on their wish lists since their interests will be more pronounced.
References
- CDC. (2018, September 24). CDC’s Developmental Milestones. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/
- Frank, C. (2007). Choosing the Right Toys for the Right Age. WebMD; WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/
- Guyton, G. (n.d.). Using Toys to Support Infant-Toddler Learning and Development. Bankstreet.edu.
- Office of Educational Technology. (2016).
Office of Educational Technology. Office of Educational Technology. https://tech.ed.gov/earlylearning/principles/ - CDC. (2019, February 5). Positive Parenting Tips. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/
- LaScala, M., & Maglente, S. (2020, November 24). Fun Educational Toys for Kids That Let Them Learn as They Play. Good Housekeeping. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/childrens-products/
- Lord, M. R. U., Joe Osborne, Sarah. (2021, May 11). 31 tech gifts for teens that won’t end up in a desk drawer. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/
- Office of Educational Technology. (2016). Office of Educational Technology. Office of Educational Technology. https://tech.ed.gov/earlylearning/principles/
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