But not all toys on the market today offer the opportunities of discovery and delight that our drawers of old pots and pans used to have for children containers of different sizes, lids to take off and put on and wonderful noises to make. I m not saying we should go back to the old pots and pans and get rid of the wonderful new toys available for youngsters today. I am encouraging toys that offer opportunities for growth and extended use in addition to independent and cooperative play. I like toys that encourage language development, eye-hand coordination, imagination, creativity, and a sense of personal satisfaction and success. Even the most basic toys offer multiple growth opportunities.
Some toys offer challenges to match and sort and to string things of different colors and shapes.
You can also use those pieces to make simple or complex patterns. You can count all the circles or just the red pieces. You can make piles and talk about which is bigger or smaller. You can talk about adding or taking away. When pieces come in various sizes, you can arrange them from smallest to largest.