The shelves of children's stores are overflowing with goods, and it can be difficult to choose the right toy for your child. Modern toys multifunctional, they help in development and bring joy at the same time.
Development tasks
For comfortable development at this age, special care and attention from parents is required.
Remember that you can only give your child age-appropriate tasks: speech development, fine motor skills, motor coordination and auditory memory development.
How does speech develop from the age of one year?
At this age, the child is just beginning to pronounce syllables and words that he understands. He is aware of the relationship between action and sound. For example, when he sees a dog, he pronounces “av” or another sound that specifically refers to the dog.
When playing with your baby, be sure to tell him every action. For example: “What is mom doing? Mom takes the cube and puts it here.” By showing and pronouncing your actions, you help your child master auditory memory skills, develop his speech and coordination of movement. After this simple exercise, invite your child to repeat your actions, and praise him after completing the task. It is through auditory memory and simple actions that the baby develops at this stage of his life.
Pronounce sounds and words clearly. It’s better to stretch them out a little and pronounce them in accordance with the spelling, for example “milk”, instead of the usual “malAko”. The baby will quickly learn to reproduce speech heard from loved ones.
The mistake many parents make is that they speak to the child in the so-called “children’s language”, in other words they distort sounds and syllables, for example “my hoLoshaya”. Communicate with him as an equal, as with an adult, and then the child will be able to quickly pick up sounds and words and learn to speak them correctly.
How do fine motor skills develop?
Fine motor skills - This is a coordinated movement of the hands when a signal is given by the brain. The parents' task is to show that the movements of the hands and fingers should be conscious. Playing with small objects such as buttons or beads should only be done under adult supervision. The baby tastes everything, so he can easily swallow a small object.
Applications made from pieces of paper - a good solution! Let your child tear the sheets into pieces, gluing them one after another in a certain order. Please note that the paper should be thin to avoid cuts on the handles.
They bring special joy to children plasticine coloring pages– it can be rolled into a ball or smeared on the surface of a sheet.
You can create such coloring pages yourself. Take a thick sheet of paper or cardboard and draw a simple design with a felt-tip pen. It could be a tree, a flower or a house. The drawing must be large, without small elements!
There are many ways to develop fine motor skills in children's hands; your task is to choose an option that is interesting for your baby.
How does movement coordination develop over the age of one year?
Tender age from a year requires special attention from the parents. If you do not develop coordination of movement at a young age, then adult life It won't be easy for your child.
Movement coordination– this is the relationship between brain signals and the work of muscle tissue or gross motor skills. That is why its development at an early age is so important.
Movement coordination is trained through active loads and static exercises to develop the cerebellum. The most commonly used equipment is balls, balls and special mats. Simple exercises should last no more than 5 minutes, otherwise the child will quickly get tired and next time he will have to be persuaded to play ball.
You can buy special rugs in the store or create them yourself. They have lines and circles, others geometric figures. The child’s task is to learn to move along them in accordance with the task. Such a rug can be easily made at home using the Twister playing field as a basis. Show your child how to act on this mat: step on each object or step over the elements.
How does auditory memory develop in a child from one year to the next?
Auditory memory– this is the ability to process heard information for its further reproduction. Sound enters the brain through the ear, is recognized and processed. Next, the brain instructs neurons to perform a specific action, which is activated using muscle tissue.
It is easy to understand that a child has problems with auditory memory. Most often, such children are called “inattentive,” that is, they cannot concentrate on one action, they are distracted by extraneous sounds when performing tasks.
Auditory memory develops through joint reading of fairy tales and poems. Ask your child to repeat a word or sound after you more often and don’t be upset if your child doesn’t succeed right away. He just came into this world, your support in case of failures is important to him.
What toys are suitable?
Your child will be delighted with multi-colored cubes, from which you can build small towers or lay them out one after another in a straight line, distributing them by color. It's easy to build houses or castles from cubes.
In stores you can find educational wooden cubes on certain topics with vivid images of objects. Playing with these cubes is easy and fun; they can be sorted by size, color or picture.
The baby will be interested and soft Velcro cubes, from which it is also fun to build houses, populate various animals and people, simply connecting them with each other.
Puzzles- this is a fun activity, and when they look like familiar pictures, it’s even more fun to play. For kids, puzzles can be made of wood, plastic or thick cardboard. They contain no more than 6 elements so that the child can create a picture on his own.
Multicolored developmental sorters Can also be a fun activity for kids. They are designed to develop fine motor skills and coordination. In addition, sorters help to acquire first knowledge about the shape of an object and color. Sorters can be regular or interactive, making sounds when making the right choice figurines.
Educational toy in the form counting table (abacus) will help kids cope with the development of motor coordination, teach them to sort objects by color, and also give them the primary concepts of “quantity” and “color”.
Mobile is a universal educational toy that can be taken for a walk or on the road.
Toys of different shapes, colors and textures help the baby develop coordination, auditory memory, speech and physical activity, because in order to play, you need to reach the toy! They can be mechanical or interactive.
What to buy as a gift?
It is not easy to choose a gift for a child whose interests have not yet been formed. We have compiled a review of some educational toys that can become not only a joyful, but also a useful gift.
- An amazing gift that develops memory, fine motor skills, motor coordination and speech will be books by Matthew Van Fleet. They all have one thing in common - they bring joy to both adults and children! For example, the hardcover book “Oink” by Matthew Van Fleet is a whole journey to a village where the secrets of its inhabitants are revealed to the child. Large images of animals are dim, which prevents the baby from getting tired. A child can stroke a horse's mane, sheep's wool, or chicken fluff. Easy-to-memorize verses help develop auditory memory. This is an amazing birthday gift!
- Educational caterpillar "Umka" is a bright interactive toy for kids. The caterpillar reads poetry and sings songs, pronounces sounds and words: just press the button, each of which has its own color, on its foot. It can also be used as a gurney, with a rope already attached to the front.
- Hasbro Folding Sorter has only 5 colors: yellow, white, orange, blue and red. The sorter is compact in size, so you can take it with you for a walk or on the road. Large figures with animal images and 4 holes for them help the child to concentrate on playing independently.
- Pyramid Bee Hap-P-Kid has three colors: red, yellow, blue. A plastic sorter in the shape of a bee will become an interesting gift. The bee makes sounds when removing or putting on the rings, which delights the kids.
- Bondibon Wooden Dice Set Only at first glance it seems like a simple toy. In fact, this is one of the best educational gifts for children aged one year and older. It helps improve fine motor skills, coordination, and most importantly, imagination! The child decides for himself what to build: a tower or a house. The cubes have different geometric shape and color, some of them have patterns in the form of circles and stripes. 60 bright, different shaped cubes will bring joy to your baby.
- It will be a joyful gift for boys musical tolokar. She not only rolls around, but also makes sounds when she moves. Some pushers also have light elements on the steering wheel or headlights. Parents can carry the child themselves by the handle from behind. Some kids try to move the pusher on their own, pushing off with their feet.
- It will be useful for girls baby doll or doll. Of particular joy are interactive dolls that make exactly the same sounds as your child: “Agu”, “Mom”, “Waah”.
How to do it yourself?
Most mothers prefer to make educational toys with their own hands. Any available means are used: leftover fabrics, beads, laces, buttons, yarn and much more that can be found from any housewife.
Developmental mat
Educational mat is the best didactic manual for a child, on which various elements are located. For example, in production you can use pieces of fabric of various textures, rattles, special children's mirrors (they are made of special plastic and are safe for babies), lacing and other household items. The more you use rustling and rattling parts, the more interesting it will be for your little one.
Sensory box
This is a simple and interesting toy. Take several cardboard boxes and connect them together. You can take plastic boxes with cells inside. Fill the box with sand or any cereal, decorate it colorfully and plant a “vegetable garden”, raise animals “in the fields”. The theme of your box depends on your mom's imagination. You can plant toy carrots in it or look for treasure.
Slingobuses
This toy is easy to create for those who know how to crochet. Large wooden beads are tied with threads of different colors and strung on a string. They can be disassembled and reassembled. They help the child distinguish colors and improve fine motor skills. It is better to play this toy in the presence of adults.
Busy board
The board with various educational elements was invented by Maria Montessori. To make it you will need a wooden board. It can be coated with drying oil and applied with various designs or stickers.
Making a busy board – male occupation. With the help of bolts and screws, locks, sockets, bells or bells, latches, buttons, laces, zippers, rattles and much more are attached to it.
Busy board can be of any shape and size, stationary or static. There are slight differences in bodyboards for boys and girls. First of all, this is the color scheme, as well as the content.
A child grows and develops, and toys occupy one of the main roles in his life. It is generally accepted in society that all toys are created for entertainment, but even the most ordinary rattle that fits into the handle infant, forms his motor skills and coordination, as well as auditory and visual perception. Both teachers and psychologists talk about the benefits of educational toys. For each age, educational toys are selected individually, since what a one-year-old baby enthusiastically plays with is unlikely to be of interest to a five-year-old child.
You can find it in stores a large assortment ready-made educational toys, but many of them are easy to make with your own hands. They help the child develop fine motor skills and abstract thinking, introduce him to various phenomena of the world around him and help him learn new words and learn to read and write.
Educational toys come in different forms - in the form of cubes, books, rugs, etc. If these toys are made with your own hands, then you can show your imagination using various available materials to make them.
From birth to one year
In the first year of life, a child learns to be aware of his sensations and abilities, so it is necessary to develop his grasping reflex, coordination and the ability to focus on something.
At the age of up to 6 months, preference is given to bright, light and textured toys; these can be rattles, beads, rings, fabric balls, educational mats and cubes. For older kids, you can offer a matryoshka doll, toys with musical accompaniment, and sorters.
From 9 months of age, the child will be interested in soft books, finger puppets, cubes, insert toys - all of them contribute to the development of speech, motor activity and fine motor skills.
1-2 years
At this age, the child begins to enthusiastically tinker with toys that can be taken apart and put back together again. It is advisable to select objects that can be generalized by a single characteristic: shape, size, color, or, on the contrary, to find their differences.
From the age of one and a half, a child can already master games of an objective nature - in which there is a plot and logical thinking, these can be pyramids, books, cards and much more.
2-3 years
Starting from the age of two, it is time to improve fine motor skills and develop coordination in the surrounding space. Developmental toys at this age can include various crafts made from natural materials, paper, plasticine, games of a plot and subject nature that test the child’s skills and knowledge, as well as games with simulated situations that teach the child the basics of behavior and politeness.
A little later, when the baby masters the rules story game, parents themselves become spectators of his performances. And this is useful for establishing a strong psychological connection between the child and the mother, since with the help of a fairy tale he will learn to express his feelings. For example, he will clearly show what he is really afraid of and what you need to listen to.
3-5 years
At this age, you can study the alphabet, numbers, time on the clock, seasons with your child, and educational boards, lotto, books, etc. can successfully cope with this. Board games, construction sets and puzzles.
DIY educational toys can be made from the most different materials. You can find them in abundance in every home:
- remnants of fabric of various textures - felt, fleece, knitwear, chintz;
- sewing accessories - ribbons, laces, large buttons, beads, snaps, thermal applications;
- furniture fittings - threaded screws. Latches, locks with keys;
- rustling objects - foil, cellophane;
- rattling objects - various cereals, berry seeds, salt;
- ringing objects - bells, musical toys;
- transparent and shiny objects - bed linen bags, the inner layer of thick foil of juice and milk cartons;
- unnecessary clothes - things that are already small and will not be needed by the child;
- fillers - cotton wool, foam rubber, polystyrene foam.
What types of educational toys are there?
DIY educational toys for children are unique and vary depending on the skills, desires and efforts of the mother.
You can find it on the Internet various options making toys from scrap materials: this is an educational rug, rag books, pillows with a secret, panels, animal figurines, and much more.
In this case, individual plots can be selected in the form of a fairy tale or the actions of an individual character, for example, a hand-sewn book about a “frog”.
All educational toys are divided into two groups: items that a child can do independently and items that require the presence and assistance of an adult.
The first group includes toys that are intended for infants and toys aimed at developing fine motor skills.
The second group includes toys where an adult shows the child the basics of literacy - teaches him to count and read, define the concepts of “more - less”, “right and left”, “down and up”, and also teaches him to name geometric shapes, colors, animals, phenomena nature, body parts and much more.
Options for toys and the skills they develop
Soft beads for newborns
For newly born children, you can make interesting and simple beads from nylon thread, fabric and yarn. The basis is taken from ordinary beads that differ in size.
Each bead must be covered with fabric or tied with yarn of various colors, and then strung on a common nylon thread and tied tightly. The child will touch the beads with his hands, roll individual beads, examine them, all this contributes to the formation of tactile sensations and color perception.
Rattles educational toys
They can be used from the age of two months. To make them, a tightly closed container is suitable, for example, an egg from a children's Kinder Surprise or a container from shoe covers. You can add any cereal, small buttons, beads or coarse salt into it.
Then the “egg” is closed and you can decorate it in the form of some kind of animal, for example, cover it with fabric and attach ears, a tail and eyes.
The finished toy can be attached to a plastic tube like a rattle. This toy promotes the formation of visual and auditory perception, as well as the development of motor skills and coordination.
Educational cube
Self-sewn educational cubes develop a child's fine motor skills and imagination. They can be used even for newborns, but in this case it is not necessary to take a lot of materials to make a cube - ordinary colored scraps will do.
For older children, cubes can be sewn from fabrics that vary in texture and size. You only need 6 squares, and each one should be different from each other. For example: one side of the cube will be made of fur, the other will be decorated with ribbons, the third will have a sewn-in zipper, etc.
The sides of the cube are decorated with beads and buttons depending on your imagination. The inside of the cube can be filled with padding polyester, cotton wool or any other rustling material.
Developmental mat
A children's educational rug, made with your own hands, can become the plot model of an entire fairy tale or world. In its vastness you can create a sea with fish, a forest edge with mushrooms, a sky with sun and clouds, a house with opening windows and a door, and much more.
This rug is made from fabrics that differ in color and texture, Velcro and rivets, and sewing accessories.
It must be remembered that with the help of any plot you can teach a child the rules of behavior in society, politeness and caring for others. A DIY educational mat for children has a positive effect on the development of a child’s imagination, fantasy and speech skills. And simple leading questions from parents contribute to the rapid assimilation and consolidation of acquired skills.
Now in stores there is a huge number of all kinds of children's toys for every age and taste. But homemade “developmental toys” for kids do not lose their popularity among creative parents. You can make anything with your own hands - mobiles and crib pendants, all kinds of rattles, comforters, Stuffed Toys, educational mats, books and much more.
How to make a mobile into a crib
Today, mobile phones for newborns are extremely popular. This accessory not only adds a special charm to a child's room, but is also an excellent educational toy. The baby gets stronger physically, trying to get toys and play with them. Visual functions are also developing, when the child follows the pendants and their movement.
Of course, buying a mobile phone is not difficult, but the prices are quite high. If the family has limited funds or just wants to decorate the baby’s room with some unusual thing, then making a children’s mobile yourself would be a great idea.
Mobile "Birds"
A beautiful, entertaining little thing that will decorate the room of both boys and girls.
For work you will need
- Felt pieces different colors(it’s better to take the rags as brightly as possible).
- Beads – 15 pcs.
- Gold cord (thin) – 4 m.
- Hoop (wood or plastic). Hoops are needed for a round base; if you couldn’t find them, thick wire will do.
- Satin and lace ribbons (you can use scraps from previous crafts).
- Colored threads (you can use floss).
- Filling for figures (sintepon, holofiber).
- The sun is made from a fleece scrap, but you can also use felt.
- Glue (you can use regular super glue).
Description of work
1. First you need to make bird patterns. You can use this template for this:
You can carefully transfer the patterns from the monitor screen or print the template on a printer
Advice: When making bird patterns, if the patches are small, it is better to cut out the bodies and wings (large parts) first. Beaks, flowers and leaves can be made from small scraps.
You should get something like this
2. Now you need to sew the birds. The beaks are sewn in immediately.
You need to leave a small hole to stuff the bird with stuffing.
3. Each bird needs to be filled with padding polyester.
There is no need to stuff the toy heavily with filler. It's needed to add some volume.
4. You need to sew wings through the hole. Sew on beady eyes.
The wings are sewn on with a neat “cross”
5.Now you can sew up the hole by immediately inserting the hanging cord (measure approximately 35-40 cm). The wings should be sewn together with the same neat “cross”.
The bird is ready
You will need 6 such birds. It's better to make them colorful
6. Now you need to make decorations for the cords on which the birds hang. These will be clouds, leaves and flowers. Decorations can be firmly sewn to the cords or glued with glue, gluing two pieces together.
Felt flowers and leaves can be decorated with beads and decorative buttons in the form ladybugs
7. The sun will be in the center. In this model of a children's mobile, it is made of fleece and decorated with floss embroidery (face and rays). You can get by with felt.
You also need to attach a cord to the sun to hang it from the frame
8. Next you need to make a frame from a hoop. We leave one rim from the hoop (outer) and tie the prepared figures to it so that they hang at different heights. Now you need to wrap the rim with satin ribbons, crossing them in the middle of the ring.
The ends of the tape can be cut, carefully tucked under the winding and glued
9. You can cover the rim with lace around the perimeter. All that remains is to hang the mobile above the crib using a cord and a ribbon cross in the middle of the ring.
This is what a suspended mobile looks like, we tie the sun to the cross
The mobile is ready!
You can make not only birds from felt, but also a lot of other simple, funny figures. For inspiration you can use the following ideas:
White bear (you can also make a brown one using the same pattern)
Owl is one of the most fashion trends modernity
Cute kitten
And this is a diagram for creating various frames from thick, strong wire. Points are places for attaching hanging toys.
Delicate mobile for a little paper fairy
Such beauty will not go unnoticed and will cause a lot of admiration among the child and guests of the young family.
This mobile looks lovely and costs several times less than its commercial counterpart.
In addition, making it for the baby with her own hands will give mommy a lot of pleasure.
For work you will need
- A frame in the form of an unnecessary hoop or thick wire.
- Thin wire for the cross.
- Butterfly paper (it is better to use durable and beautiful paper for scrapbooking).
- Scissors or scrap hole punch.
- Thin line.
- A needle with an eye that matches the thickness of the fishing line.
- Super glue.
- Pieces of tulle, tulle, satin ribbons for decorating the base.
Description
1. Work begins with the frame. It can be made from an old hoop or bent into a ring of thick wire. The crosspiece is made from wire of smaller diameter.
The basis of future beauty
2. Now you need to make a lot of butterfly blanks - 110 pcs. If you have a scrap hole puncher, the production of blanks will take very little time. Otherwise, you will have to arm yourself with scissors and use them to cut butterflies out of paper.
You can use this template or draw a butterfly yourself
3. Finished butterflies need to be strung on a fishing line, 5-6 pieces each.
It is convenient to use a needle for stringing on a fishing line. You can securely secure the butterflies with a small drop of super glue.
4. Finished fishing lines need to be tied to the frame and cross. It is better to hang butterflies at different heights.
5. Now you need to decorate the frame. For this, pieces of ribbons and tulle will be used, which can be wrapped or tied in knots around the frame.
Frame decor
6. All that remains is to make a few tulle ribbons and hang the mobile. Ready!
This is such a beauty
A few more ideas for modern mobiles for babies that are easy to make with your own hands:
A mobile made of balls made using the felting technique. Branches as a frame
Felt flowers for baby
Beautiful sakura and paper doves
DIY rattles for newborns
You can also make rattles for babies yourself. It's not difficult at all. Here are the most simple ideas:
A jar of vitamins with a lid and peas or Revit-type vitamins. The lid must be carefully screwed on, or better yet sealed with superglue to prevent the contents from spilling out.
A bottle with beads and water will keep your baby occupied for a long time
For a small child, it is better to find a small bottle (0.25 l) so that it is not difficult for him. This toy will perfectly develop your little one's hands.
Toys of a more complex design will also be within the power of even novice needlewomen.
How to sew a rattle bracelet
To work you will need:
- Scraps of felt or fleece fabric – 9 pcs. different color.
- Threads in color (you can take floss).
- Sintepon (holofiber is also suitable).
- Velcro for fastening.
- Adhesive fabric.
- Needle.
- Scissors.
- Iron.
- Pencil or chalk.
- Cardboard or pattern paper.
- A bell to make the rattle ring (you can use a part from old toys or a fishing bell).
So bright and funny toy The child will definitely like it
Progress
1. First you need to make patterns - a strip for the bracelet (16 cm x 2 cm), circles for the middle of the flower (5 and 3.5 cm in diameter), a piece for the petal.
Patterns for toys
2. Now you need to transfer the patterns to felt. For the bracelet, petals and circles, you need to make allowances to sew the blanks.
We cut out the petals according to this principle
3. From the adhesive fabric you also need to cut out a 3.5 cm circle and two parts for the bracelet, but without allowances.
4. Glue the felt parts with adhesive cloth, after moistening it with water.
5. Sew the petals by folding the pieces in half, turning them inside out, and stuffing them with filler.
6. Sew the bracelet (do not sew up one short side), turn it inside out, and sew up the hole with a blind stitch.
7. Sew on the Velcro.
8. Next, you need to sew a small circle to the middle of the bracelet with the adhesive side up.
9. Now you need to sew all the flower petals to it.
10. Sew a large circle on top of the petals, making it voluminous. Leave a hole, fill it with padding polyester and put a bell in the middle. Sew up the hole.
The toy for the baby is ready!
How to sew a developmental cube for a child
Materials
- Square patches of fabric of various shades and patterns – 6 pcs.
- Non-woven base for squares.
- Filling (foam rubber, padding polyester).
- Pieces of felt, buttons, braid and other accessories for decoration.
- Matching threads.
This cube will be great for developing baby’s motor skills, sensory and color perception.
Description
1. You need to cut 6 blanks from the fabric. The cube can be made small or large. Please remember that seam allowances are required.
First 4 squares
Then two more on different sides
5. Now you need to sew the development from the wrong side. There is no need to stitch the corner of the last edge all the way. Through this hole you will need to turn the finished product inside out and fill the cube with filler.
6. Then carefully sew up the hole using a hidden stitch.
The cube for the baby is ready!
Making toys for your baby with your own hands is not at all difficult, and how much joy it will bring! If there are older children in the family, then you can involve them in making “developmental toys” for the younger family member. This is a great way to spend time fun and usefully.
They are very important for children of any age. And for children 4-5 years old, even more so, since it is at this age that basic skills take root, which are very important for life and adaptation in kindergarten, school, when communicating with peers. Currently, the market producing educational toys is very diverse, but, unfortunately, sometimes the prices for this type of product are such that not everyone can afford to buy them... And that is why we invite you to look at a small selection, which, we think, will help you make toys for your baby. Here is a very simple and inexpensive one, made from wooden clothespins. 
A strip of a certain color is glued to each clothespin. 
The toy will help you learn not only colors, but also their smallest shades. 
This game of clothespins will help you quickly learn words, thereby teaching you to read. 
Children's art. 
Here you just need to stock up on different pieces of fabric and cut them into squares. Assembling such a pyramid by color is very interesting even for children 5-7 years old. 
Together with your child, you can use the disks to make a homemade clock with rotating hands, which will definitely help you learn the time. 
And if you throw small round balls into such a transparent hose, it will probably delight not only a child, but even an adult. 
If you can draw figures on the cardboard from the box with felt-tip pens and cut them out of thick material, you will get an interesting analogue of an expensive game. 
If you take toilet paper rolls, decorate them together with your child, and give them a wire or a thick rope, you can make the most unusual beads in the world. 
For boys, you can very quickly make this construction set called “Put everything in place yourself.” 
A cardboard towel roll, tape, a box, how many small balls, what could be more interesting? 
You can pour rice, buckwheat, peas, beans into a plate, and invite these wonderful hands to arrange the cereal into plates, like Cinderella. 
An unusual mosaic can be created from a colander with holes, a saucepan and sticks. 
See more ideas for educational toys for kids. 
And such gorgeous boards, created by craftsman dads, will not leave anyone indifferent! Kids will simply be delighted with these locks, hooks, latches, screws, numbers, chains, jars, electrical switches, sockets, buttons, wheels and so on. In a word, there is no limit to imagination here! 
In a word, comrades, parents, grandparents, creation
Many teachers and educators persistently talk about the benefits of educational toys. In fact, such entertainment is aimed at developing some kind of skill in the child: fine motor skills, knowledge about colors, sizes, numbers, and so on. For each age, toys are selected individually, because what is interesting one year old child, is unlikely to attract the attention of the five-year plan.
0-12 months
At this age, the baby is just becoming aware of his abilities, so it is important to develop coordination, the ability to concentrate, and the grasping reflex. Toys should be bright, textured and light: beads, rattles, mobiles, rings, rag balls, educational rugs - what is needed for a child up to 6 months old. For older children, you can find musical toys, sorters, nesting dolls, and so on. From 9 months, you can offer glove and finger puppets, strollers, soft books, insert toys, cubes, and so on - they are aimed at developing motor and speech activity, as well as fine motor skills.
1-2 years
Now you can give your child toys that can be disassembled and assembled; by the age of one and a half years, offer your child objects that can be generalized by one characteristic: color, size, and so on. By the age of two, you can play object games - construction games, story games, use various cards, pyramids, sorters, books, and so on.
2-3 years
The time has come to develop not only fine motor skills, but also the ability to distinguish the world around. Educational toys for this age include crafts made from paper, natural materials, plasticine, story-based and subject games to test knowledge and skills, homemade cards that simulate situations.
3-5 years
All possible games for learning numbers, the alphabet, seasons, clocks, children's board games, puzzles, construction sets, lotto, books, educational boards and so on.
What available materials can be used?
Dear needlewomen, you can make toys with your own hands from various materials: scraps of fabric, yarn, old clothes. Using a variety of accessories (Velcro, large buttons, zippers, buttons, buckles, stripes, etc. - the main thing is that the child cannot tear them off and put them in his mouth), candy wrappers, cereals, pasta, bells, foil, fillers such as foam rubber or padding polyester and other things.
DIY educational cube: master class
To make such a cube you will need: 6 equal squares of fabric of different colors, padding polyester or foam rubber for filling, non-woven fabric, various accessories - buttons, ribbons, scraps of fabric, brooches, etc., thread, sewing machine.
You need to cut 6 equal squares from the fabric.
From non-woven fabric, you need to cut squares 1.5 cm smaller than fabric ones. We apply them to the fabric and heat them with an iron so that the interlining sticks to the base.
Each side of the future cube needs to be decorated: make an applique from scraps, sew on beads, snakes, buttons, and so on. The easiest way is to draw a design with a disappearing marker, and then lay it out on the fabric. For example, like this.
When the decorative part is finished, you need to sew 4 squares into one strip.
Then we sew on two more squares.
All stitched seams must be secured and stitched along the contour of the non-woven edges. We sew a development: two edges need to be joined, and the allowance of the third should be folded inward.
You need to leave a hole in the corner of the last edge: turn the finished product inside out, stuff it with padding polyester and sew it up with a hidden seam. You can also put a bell or rustling paper inside the square. The product is ready!
Sew an educational pillow: master class
Educational toys are a rather broad concept; they can also include a pillow, but not an ordinary one for sleeping, but one decorated with voluminous applications and details - an excellent tool for the development of fine motor skills. The Birdhouse pillow will be of interest to children of all ages.
To create it you need multi-colored scraps of fabric, non-woven fabric or soft material like teak, synthetic padding, braid, narrow ribbon, thread, needle. If desired, you can sew on beads and buttons.
From teak we cut out the pillow itself in the form of a house (2 parts), sew it along the edge, leaving a small hole for stuffing.
We sew a pillowcase of the same shape from bright fabric.
From two rectangular pieces, folded in half, we make a roof for the birdhouse and decorate it with braid.
We cut out a round hole in the frame of the house itself, hem the edges and decorate with braid.
Now you can sew a bird (2 pieces for the body, 4 pieces for the wings), and you can also make eggs (two oval pieces sewn together).
We use padding polyester as a filler, after which the hole in the body is sutured. We attach a ribbon to them, and attach the second end of the ribbon inside the birdhouse.
On the outside we sew a pocket into which the “inhabitants” of the nest are placed.
The pillowcase can be sewn together or fastened with a zipper - then the cover can be washed. We put a stuffed pillow in the pillowcase, you can decorate it with appliqués and beads and start the game!
A few more options for developmental pillows:
DIY lacing toys
Children's fingers are still very inept, so it is very difficult for them to perform precise movements and coordinate their actions. Fine motor skills are not only the development of certain parts of the brain, but also the preparation of the hand for drawing and writing. Lacing games are an excellent simulator that you can make yourself without any material costs.
The easiest way is to cut out a shoe-shaped figurine from thick cardboard, make holes using a hole punch, arm yourself with suitable laces and offer your child a new fun activity.
More difficult option– lacing toys in the shape of animals or so-called “sew-on toys” with prepared parts and holes: for example, a tree with leaves or a hedgehog with apples, or cheerful sunshine with rays.
Educational mats for children of different ages
Choose a dense base for the rug: it can be fabric with a padding polyester backing or an old baby blanket - then your child will not be cold crawling on the floor. The background can be made either plain or from large pieces; the easiest way is to place the fabric on an adhesive base - it will last longer. We carefully attach each element, from a button to a piece of fabric, so that the child cannot tear them off. It is best to duplicate buttons from the wrong side. Velcro, rattles, rings, bags with rustling paper inside, buttons and appliques - all this is suitable for decoration. By the way, if you wish, you can knit the rug - who knows what, as they say.
By the way, for older children, rugs can be themed: they can be decorated with animal figures, numbers, letters of the alphabet, or even divided into 4 parts a la the 4 seasons and decorated with snowflakes, leaves and other paraphernalia.
