Toys for School Age Children



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Primary school age children (6, 7, 8 year olds) developmental milestones and their abilities and interests:

Physical Development

large muscle abilities and interests include jumprope, hopscotch, stunts and climbing (trees, trapeze), ice skating, roller skating, riding bicycle, water sports, ball play (but most not ready for competitive team sports)
small muscle abilities and interests include printing, drawing with pencils, simple sewing (can sew straight line), simple carpentry (can saw straight line), weaving, braiding, string small beads, cutting out paper dolls, jigsaw puzzles
will practice in target games or to improve a skill

Mental Development

interest in reading, spelling and printing activities and games
interest in simple arithmetic activities and games, and in time, calendars, weights, value of coins
interest in nature and in simple science activities and experiments
interest in collecting things and in hobbies
interest in the line between fantasy and reality-likes magic and "tricks"
interest in producing finished products (art, models, crafts, sewing, carpentry)
beginning interest in other times and other places

Social Development

great interest in the peer group and in "belonging" - enjoys special friends, cliques, gangs, secret languages and passwords
prefers to play with same sex peers
great increase in ability to play cooperatively with others - enjoys group activities
interest in "fair play" and living up to standards (own and group's standards of excellence)
continues interest in dramatic play (puppets, dolls, paper dolls, dress-ups, war games, cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, space games) - by age 8 increased interest in producing shows and plays
beginning interest in the wider community

ALL TOYS for Primary School Age Kids

Child primarily interested in goal rather than means or process

Experimentation becomes increasingly "scientific'

Child less dependent on concrete object for concept

Child can

sort and classify using more than one criterion
increasingly make use of reading, writing and simple arithmetic in games and toys
do simple sewing, weaving, braiding, ceramics, jewelry kits - has greatly increased fine motor control
use simple mechanical toys (cars, trains)

Child is interested in

time and seasons and in toys marking time
collections of things
line between fantasy and reality (likes tricks and magic and disguise kits)
producing products in arts, crafts, woodworking etc
kits (science, craft, models) and can follow simple directions
adult roles and likes realistic costumes and props for character play
rudiments of sports and skill development

Children show increasing variation in interest and abilities

Reading interests vary but child beginning to be able to use dictionary

Beginning of interest in giving "shows"

Great interest in "fairness" but hates to lose and will cheat to win in games

Toys should have no sharp points or edges

No electrical parts without adult supervision

Active Play

Push and Pull Toys

not suited to age group

Ride-On Toys

two-wheeled bike (sized to child - child should be able to straddle male bike with both feet on ground)
push scooters
battery-powered rude-ons

Outdoor and Gym Equipment

complex gym sets with rings, bars, swings, ropes, rope ladders, slides
complex climbing structures
jump ropes

Sports Equipment

regular baseball bat and ball
basketball (junior size for ages 6, 7)
soccer
regular flying disks
adult-sized football
roller and ice skates
ski equipment
hockey equipment
badminton equipment
ping pong (age 8)
horseshoes
croquet
sleds, including ones with steering mecha-
nisms and handbrakes
toboggans
simple swimming and underwater equipment

Manipulative Play

Construction Toys

large sets of blocks or bricks (80-100 pieces)
construction sets (wood, plastic, metal) - complex, can manipulate tiny nuts and screws
sets with motorized parts
complex gear systems
can copy or build models following
instructions-prefer sets that produce realistic models

Puzzles

jigsaws (50-100 pieces)

three-dimensional puzzles

map puzzles

more complex tangrams

Pattern-Making Toys

design/pattern toys
various types of materials to produce products
- wood
- plastic
- paper
- cardboard
- beads
- ceramic tiles
- cloth
- block printing
kits to produce design products

Manipulative Toys

complex lock boxes
balance scales (5-7 years)
small number rods and blocks
math models-illustrating concepts like fractions and arithmetic
mechanical models-levers, pulleys, pendulums, etc

Dressing, Lacing, Stringing Toys

stringing beads of any size, including pottery, glass, or other fragile beads
simple sewing, weaving, braiding
making simple clothes for dolt
jewelry kits, spool knitting, sewing kits, handloom, braiding materials

Sand and Water Play Toys

working models of boats
elaborate sailboats
realistic working boats
battery-operated boats
remote-control boats
sandbox tools and molds of all sizes

Make-Believe Play

Dolls

likes lots of accessories, clothes and special equipment
big baby dolls or dolls of own age, fashion dolls and teenage dolls, collector dolls, hair cutting dolls, paper dolls, fantasy character dolls/action figures, doll house dolls

Stuffed Toys

small collectible toys
large, floppy stuffed toys (some interest in oversized animals)
very realistic toys
replicas of famous animals
unusual, unique stuffed toys

Puppets

puppet theater with curtains and scenery
soft hand puppets, rod puppets, puppets with arms, jointed puppets

Role-Play Materials

wall and hand mirrors
realistic accessories for role play that really work
adult role dress-ups and elaborate make-up
magic and disguise kits
props for dramatic play (store, school, library, office, war games, robots, space, etc )
cooking and sewing equipment that really works