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- Age 7 - 12 Months
Age 7 - 12 Months
All Toys
- Infants 7-9 months interested in longer and more extensive exploration of toys. Infants of this age like to:
- bang
- insert
- poke
- twist
- squeeze
- drop
- shake
- bite
- throw
- open and shut
- empty and fill
- Infants 10-12 months show beginning interest in object mastery and like many objects to explore. Infants of this age like:
- stacking.
- putting in and taking out.
- fitting one object into another.
- opening and closing.
- pressing levers.
- turning things (not unscrewing yet).
- push balls and cars.
- Generally, infants in this age range are interested in:
- operating simple mechanisms.
- containers and the container/contained relationship.
- appearing and disappearing objects.
- As at earlier ages infants enjoy producing effects by their own actions:
- safe for mouthing.
- non-toxic materials.
- no sharp points or edges.
- nonbreakable; no glass or brittle plastic.
- no small parts to be lodged in throat, ears, nose.
- no parts to entrap fingers, toes, hand.
- no long strings.
Active Play
- Push and Pull Toys
- push toys without rods (simple cars, animals on wheels or rollers).
- Ride-On Toys - not suited to age group
- Outdoor and Gym Equipment
- infant swings (with adult supervision).
- soft low climbing platform for crawlers.
- Sports Equipment
- transparent balls
- chime balls
- flutter balls
- action balls
- All balls given to this age group should be at least 1-3/4 inches (44 millimeters) in diameter; however, if any object appears to fit easily in the child's mouth, keep it away from the child).
Manipulative Play
- Construction Toys
- soft blocks.
- rubber blocks.
- rounded wood blocks.
- Puzzles - from about 10 months:
- brightly colored, lightweight crib and playpen puzzles (2-3) pieces
- Pattern-Making Toys - not suited to age group
- Manipulative Toys
- teethers
- light sturdy cloth toys
- toys on suction cups
- small, hand-held manipulables.
- disks/keys on rings
- squeeze/squeak toys
- roly-poly toys
- activity boxes and cubes
- pop-up boxes (easy operation)
- containers with object to empty and fill
- large rubber or plastic pop beads
- simple nesting cups
- stacking ring cones (few rings and safe stick)
- graspable (unbreakable) mirror toys which can be held and played with
- Children lose interest in crib gyms and toys suspended above when he/she can sit up and move about (crib gyms can create a strangulation hazard; stop using when child can push up on hands and knees at about 5 months of age)
- Dressing, Lacing, Stinging Toys - not suited to age group
- Sand and Water Play Toys
- activity boxes for bath
- simple floating toys
Creative Play - Arts, crafts, music
- Musical Instruments
- rubber or wood blocks that rattle or tinkle.
- Art and Craft Materials - from about 12 months
- large paper.
- large crayons for scribbling.
- Audio-Visual Equipment (Adult Operated)
- records, tapes, or CDs (simple songs, lullabies, music with simple rhythms).
- music boxes
Make Believe Play
- Dolls
- soft baby dolls, soft-bodied dolls, or rag dolls - all with molded (not loose) hair.
- Stuffed Toys
- small plush animals.
- music box animals (operated and monitored for safety by adults).
- grab-on soft toys.
- big soft toys for hugging and roughhousing.
- Puppets
- soft hand puppets - child may handle but must be operated by adults.
- Role-Play Materials
- low mounted mirrors (large, unbreakable) to see self sit, creep, crawl, etc.
- Play Scenes (Including Small Figures) - not suited to age group
- Transportation Toys
- simple push cars (one-piece).
- Projectile Toys - not suited to age group
Learning Play
- Games - not suited to age group
- Specific Skill Development Toys - not suited to age group
- Books
- cloth books.
- plastic books.
- small cardboard books.
Note: Some Children enjoy "Lap Reading" (being read to) from this age onward. When adult-held, paper picture books are appropriate.