Foot-to-floor ride-on toys

Why your child will enjoy this toy now:

As your toddler develops better coordination and balance, ride-ons offer great practice. Climbing on and off, pushing forward and back—such actions strengthen leg muscles right along with motor skills. And of course, getting from one place to another is an excellent way to foster independence.

What you can do to help your child learn more:

• At first, you may need to put baby on the ride-on. Eventually, she'll be able to get on and off by herself, but it will be reassuring to have you right nearby for her first experiences.
• For her first trips, clear a path behind the ride-on: children push backward before they move forward because it takes more strength and coordination to move forward, a skill that will come in time.
• To encourage her to move forward and enhance her self-confidence, prepare a "route" for your 1-year-old to follow. Clear a path, then stand a few feet in front of her and say encouragingly, "Come this way, come over here." And then move a few feet further, encourage her to reach another guidepost, and so on.
• Help her understanding of directions by using simple words to describe actions: stop, go, get on, get off, go forward.
• Allow your child to take the ride-on when you go on walks around your neighborhood. This activity provides an excellent opportunity for exercising large motor skills, coordination and her sense of balance.
• In the months to come, your child will want to incorporate this "set of wheels" into her baby play activities, including her role play adventures. She'll want to right it to the store, school, or wherever her imagination takes her. Encourage her play by waving bye-bye, wishing her a safe trip, helping her to steady a doll or stuffed animal on the seat, or perhaps even sending her on an "errand."

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Toys to enhance physical development and coordination

Why your child will enjoy this toy now:

Your child is proud of the physical milestones she's achieved, and pleased by the growing independence that accompanies her increasing mobility and coordination. Toys that encourage your child to keep on trying not only enhance physical development, they also bring a big smile to a little face!

What you can do to help your child learn more:

• As her balance, mobility and coordination increase, your 1-year-old will want to move around more and will have better control of the action. Sit next to her as she plays, and take turns trying different features or activating sounds and lights so she can experiment with action-reaction. Chances are, she'll be happy to move around and investigate the different sides of the toy and its features, and that will exercise her large motor skills.
• At this age, your child will quickly grasp how to make the action happen. It's fun to make a game of activating the lights or sounds—she takes a turn, then it's your turn. As she engages in these baby play activities, label her actions with words. For example, "You pressed the button and you made the lights go on!" "You opened the door and it made a sound!"
• Using toys with action-reaction features, give your child a clue that something exciting is about to happen by saying, "Here we go!" Build the excitement—and her cognitive skills—by asking, "What do you think is going to happen?"
• If the toy has adjustable features for speed, volume, etc., introduce these concepts as you play. Narrate with words as you do this: "This is faster; this is slower."

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Musical toys

Why your child will enjoy this toy now:

Early speech and the all-purpose pointed finger aren't your toddler's only means of communication. Children soon learn to express themselves in the way they control toys and make unique things happen, such as starting a song or making lights light up. Musical toys and instruments provide a means for this communication and self-expression.

What you can do to help your child learn more:

• You'll boost your child's confidence if you let him play with the toy independently. Be there to help him if he needs you, and to offer your encouragement: "You can do it … go ahead."
• You might show your 1-year-old how to play with certain features, but first let him work out his own approach. Play a game with your child to make up a song—make a sound with the toy and ask your child to mimic you. Or, you could follow what your child does.
• Attach words to your child's movement with the toy, and also to the toy's features. Say "back and forth" or "side to side" as your child moves the toy. If your child is playing with a toy that makes different instrument sounds, point out the names of their names as the sounds are made. "That's the piano sound. Now let's play the violin. Would you like to hear a harp?"
• Encourage your child to play and enjoy the toy by clapping or singing along; you may even want to accompany him on another instrument. These "I can" play activities get filed away in your child's memory bank and boost self-confidence.
• To inspire even more self-expression, play a variety of music for your child. You'll also be paving the way for a future appreciation of music.

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Animal-themed playsets

Why your child will enjoy this toy now:

New experiences—like a trip to the farm—feed a child's need to explore while inspiring imaginative play. As they interact with fun-filled activities in this playset, children create a special place where they're in control. And that helps young minds prepare for creative thinking and new discoveries!

What you can do to help your child learn more:

• Activate the animal sounds in your playset, or make your own for each animal. Reinforce your child's animal recognition skills by helping him practice the animal sounds he hears. Eventually, challenge your your child's memory and thinking skills by showing him each animal and asking him to make that animal's sound.
• "If you could walk like the animals, talk like the animals … " Your child will love imitating you as you walk like an elephant or flap your arms like a bird. Invite your 1-year-old to do more than imitate by asking for his ideas: "What do you think a bear looks like when it walks? "
• Show your child where each animal lives in your playset. Play a simple matching game with them: "Who lives here? Let's put the polar bear in his home." As your child gets a little older, exercise his memory skills by pointing to the different parts of the playset and asking your child, "Which animal lives here?"
• Extend your 1-year-old's perception of each animal by pointing out parts for your child to focus on: "See the elephant's trunk?" "See the lion's mane?" Reinforce recognition of these parts you've introduced by pointing them out in pictures of real animals.

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Community vehicles

Why your child will enjoy this toy now:

These interactive vehicles stimulate imagination as they help your child discover all the different ways to make things happen. And as your child grows, they'll steer him through the play stages—from imitative, to role-play, to using his own imagination for creating brand new play activities and adventures.

What you can do to help your child learn more:

• Use the characters that come with these vehicles (or characters of your own) and have them talk to you or engage your 1-year-old in a "conversation," or have them talk to each other. You'll be surprised how quickly your little one will chime in, and you'll be helping him learn about the give-and-take of conversation.
• Read picture books to your child about cars, trucks, trains and other types of vehicles, and point out the real vehicles when you see them. Building his receptive language skills is very important now, so be descriptive as you talk about them and compare them to his toys.
• If he wants you to play with him, join in. Beyond great together time, you'll be showing him that playing with others can be lots of fun.
• If your 1-year-old owns another playset, you might suggest "work" that needs to be done there with his vehicles. After all, kids love to be able to move from here to there. Maybe you could use a cement mixer to pour a driveway, or a garbage truck to haul away garbage.
• Take these toys out to the sandbox and help your child create his own little roadway or set of tracks. Can you think of any other "props" you have that would extend your child's interest and help him play in a more creative way?

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Neighborhood vehicles

Why your child will enjoy this toy now:

Vehicles that are just their size put kids in the driver's seat, letting them control the action. When children first play with toys that prompt them to reenact familiar scenes, they'll imitate things from their world; this helps them make sense of things. As children get a little older, such toys are props for acting out scenes they haven't experienced—scenes created by their own imaginations.

What you can do to help your child learn more:

• Who are the faces in your neighborhood? As your child begins to explore the big world, he'll encounter many unfamiliar faces and experiences. One way to help him make sense of his experiences is by talking about various community members and the roles they play in keeping your community operating. You can use toy characters to go along with the vehicles as examples.
• Use these vehicles to start conversations with your child about real life. "Some day, a school bus will take you to school." "I wonder where the firefighter is going? Firefighters have such important jobs to do; don't you think so?" Compare your toy car or van to the way your family gets from here to there.
• Give your child lots of ideas for making his own decisions: "Where are the mom and baby going in the car?" "How many passengers should ride the bus?"
• You might also give your 1-year-old some practice at listening to and following directions by setting up little tasks to complete. This will also help him think about problem solving. "Some children are waiting to be picked up for school. Can you get them there on time?"
• Help your child make the link between words and their meanings by using descriptive words as you play: "The fire truck's ladder is going up." "Open the door on the school bus." "The stop sign is popping out." "The van is turning around."

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