Development toy ideas for 5 to 8-year-old kids

Children play from the moment they are born. It is how they learn about new things. Every parent wants to utilise this in the best way. Kids around the age range of 5 to 8 are beginning to understand and grow. Getting them suitable toys is imperative to boost their physical and mental development.

Now, with the wide varieties, it can get confusing to choose toys for 5-year-olds. However, learning about their needs and activities helps. This is crucial to ensure they benefit from the games based on their growth stage.

Outdoor: Playing outside is the best way to boost physical growth. Children enjoy running around, crawling, playing catch, etc. You can give their unstructured play direction by introducing toys like a ball, play tents, jump rope, rollerblades, ping-pong, badminton, etc. These games induce exertion, which is required for physical development. Five and eight-year-olds are hyperactive who get to channelise their energy through such playthings.

Construction: Open-ended and constructive games help kids learn about patience, problem-solving, empathy and other skills. It is essential to include them in your child's play. Some examples are - building blocks, train set, roller coaster builder, puzzles, Lego bricks, etc. These toys are also helpful in developing motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Make-believe: Pretend play is an important aspect involved in growth years. It shapes up the mentality in kids. Kids do it by imitating others around them, re-enacting scenarios and playing in groups. Here, the 5-year-old games to give them are dolls, stuffed animals, puppets, etc. For slightly older kids with better understanding, magic kits, kitchen set, make-believe professional equipment, action figures, dollhouses, etc., are a good choice.

Learning: If your focus is on the educational aspect of toys, there are many options. You can choose between memory booster games, electronics, and interactive playthings. Word, spellings, and shape charts are great for young children. However, the 8-year-old toys are slightly advanced like puzzles, video games, human body model, science kits, etc. These encourage activity-based learning among kids, which is effective compared to reading books.

Arts and crafts: Developing creativity and imagination is important besides academics. It enables children to become intuitive thinkers. This helps them in their school years when they face complex challenges that need quick solutions. Some crafty toys for 8-year-olds include crayons, playdoh, model vehicles, musical instruments, colouring tools, papercut art kits, swing sets, etc. These games require you to guide and involve in child play.  

Listening: During the development stages, kids explore new things. They learn about language, words, phonic sounds, etc. You could boost their learning by giving them rhythmic toys, rhyming activities, dolls with tunes, etc. These toys are entertaining and teach kids about new sounds and musically appeal to them. Your kids are sure to get obsessed with them in no time. It may get noisy, but it is essential to make them aware of new sounds.