With the holidays quickly approaching, I thought it would be helpful to gather a list of gift ideas. Not just any “gift” ideas but those that are meaningful and encourage development.
I enlisted the help from my colleagues, and together (as experts on development as pediatric occupational, physical, and speech and language therapists) we were able to identify our Top 10 Favorite Christmas Gifts to Encourage Development for Ages 1-3 (and an abbreviated list of skills they encourage.)
| Item |
Skills |
| Baby Dolls |
- Fine Motor (i.e. clothing fasteners), Language/Cognition, Self-Help, Caregiving, Imaginative Play, Social Skills
|
| Play Kitchen (and accessories) |
- Fine Motor (i.e. manipulating handles and knobs, play food, hand to mouth), Gross Motor (i.e. pulling to stand, endurance in standing, navigating spaces), Language/Cognition, Self-Help, Caregiver, Imaginative Play, Feeding/Eating
|
| Board Books |
- Language/Cognition, Fine Motor (i.e. turning pages, pointing)
|
| Helper Tower |
- Gross Motor, Self-Help, Feeding/Eating, Prosocial, Participating in Routine and Family Roles
|
| Fischer Price Little People Sets |
- Fine Motor, Language, Social Emotional, Role Playing, Imaginative Play
|
| Sorting Games and Sets
Examples:
Farmer’s Market
Stack and Sort Board |
- Fine Motor, Visual Motor, Cognition/Language (i.e. in/out, color/shape identification, matching, similarities/differences)
|
| Stacking Games and Sets
Examples:
Stacking Cups
Spin Stacking Toy |
- Fine Motor, Visual Motor, Cognition/Language (i.e. on/off, counting, colors, matching, letter recognition)
|
| Balance Bike |
- Gross Motor (i.e. balance, coordination, left and right)
|
| Toy Cars |
- Fine Motor, Language/Cognition (i.e. directions, cause and effect)
|
| Fill and Spill Toys |
- Fine Motor, Visual Motor, Language/Cognition (i.e. in/out, concepts, sequencing, counting, naming)
|
What gifts have you loved for your littles?
