What’s so special about puzzles? Why are they such a perennial classic, a winning gift that every child is happy to receive? They are the antithesis of open-ended play, the approach that we champion here at 100 Toys. And yet they have a unique magic that captivates children for long stretches of time. What’s their secret? […]
While we don’t want to encourage parents to wilfully put your child in dangerous situations, we do also believe that children who are allowed to assess and take their own risks make more confident, curious learners, who can confront their fears and understand they are in control of their own destiny. So much of the
As children approach school age they begin to participate in cooperative play. This is the final stage of the six stages of play and the most sophisticated. It’s the kind of play you get when children play together, assigning roles and agreeing the rules of the game, however arbitrary they may be. You will find
Sometimes I think the 100 Toys approach to play is a bit like the Paleo Diet. I find myself wondering how children would have played before there were any toys. The impulse to explore would still have been there. Toddlers would have enjoyed schema play. Babies would still have dropped their food on the floor.
The Paleo Diet for Toys Read More »
As your baby becomes accustomed to life outside the womb, you’ll find that she starts to take an interest in the world around her. At first, that’s not much more than the difference between light and dark or your face coming into view (from no more than a foot away). But even though her vision
Perceptual development in babies Read More »
Long before your child utters her first words she has developed both a rich vocabulary and a sophisticated understanding of syntax. It’s all in there, waiting to come out. But there are other factors in play, such as the co-ordination required to form the sounds that make up our speech. Only the simplest sounds can
Language development Read More »
Press your finger into playdough and make a hole. Turn a key. Hold a pencil. Cut a circle out of paper with some scissors. These are fine motor movements, movements of the hands and fingers. These skills are essential for everyday tasks, like doing up buttons and zips, and also help children get ready for
Fine motor activities Read More »
And so we’ve reached the end of the 100 Toys journey. As Maurice Sendak might have said if he’d run a website for the under 5s: Through birth, in and out of the toy box, over five years and into the light of our very own imaginations. It’s been fun. But now we must part.
Roadmap: Getting ready for life Read More »