The Best Toys For School-Aged Children

Once children turn seven and eight years old they are no longer going to be interested in little kid toys. You might even hear them say those are baby toys. Choosing the right toys for this age group can be rather difficult because they are at an in-between stage when it comes to development.

One thing that is great for this is toys that allow your child to develop their gross motor skills. Children at this age are learning to run, jump, climb, swing, and balance. Buying those for this age group that encourage their active play is a good idea because the toys will be able to keep up with your child being on the go. Two wheeled bikes are good for this stage because children are learning how to balance. If they are not ready for a two-wheeler, you can always attach training wheels to the bike until they are ready to try riding by themselves. When choosing a bike you are going to want to size the bike to the child. You child should be able to straddle the bike and place both feet on the ground when they are sitting on the seat. Scooters and battery powered ride-on toys are also great for physical activity.

Children in this age range are also interested in toys that require manipulation. These types of toys will encourage your child to work on their hand-eye coordination, but they will also help your child improve their fine motor skills. Construction toys that allow children to be creative and build are great for this age. When choosing construction toys you should choose construction sets that come in a variety of materials, wood, plastic, and metal. You can also buy sets that have small nuts and screws because they can manipulate those small parts at this age.

Puzzles are another good choice for children this age. When choosing puzzles you want to choose puzzles that are fifty to one hundred pieces, nothing with more pieces than that, unless you have been told that they are ready for the next level. When looking at puzzles you can choose three-dimensional puzzles, which will add a challenge for those that have mastered the one hundred piece puzzles. Map puzzles are another option because they can teach your child about world geography or state geography depending on what map puzzles you buy.

Pattern making toys are also still popular with this age group. Toys that allow you to use colored pegs or tiles to make designs are popular. If you are choosing this type of toy for your child, you need to look to see if they come with patterns and if you can buy refills for the patterns. Children can also use the pegs or tiles to create their own patterns.

Art kits are also fun at this age. You can buy kits that do painting by the number or kits to make sun catchers. There are numerous kits available to choose from, what kit you decide on is going to depend on what your child is interested in. The art kits can use paint, sand, or even wax to create the projects. When choosing art kits you will want to check the age level on the kits because some are designed for older children.

The important thing to remember when figuring out the best toy to give as a gift for a child who is seven or eight years old is to know the child. If you know, what they are interested in you can find something that will intrigue them in one of the above categories.