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The Most Popular Baby Toy for 55 yrs!

Shape sorters are classic toddler favourites for a few very good reasons. First and foremost, they are a fun challenge. By figuring out how to drop each piece into its proper hole, kids learn to categorise and eventually name shapes which is a motor skill that babies master around 2 – 3 yrs of age. But Babies start playing with this toy at Age 1yr and parents start playing with it then as well!

I always recommend parents buy baby toys and toddler toys that you are going to want to play with yourself. Lets face it, you are going to be asked over and over, play with me, so get toys you like too! For some of us, buying toys is a fullfillment of a long held childhood fantasy. Perhaps there was something you really wanted as a child but did not get? Now is your chance as you are in charge of what to buy and when.

Don’t be surprised if your toddler just pours out all the pieces at first — s/he may need a little help. Take the simpler shapes, like circles and squares, and show him how they fit into their holes. At first, they try jamming pieces any way they can with no sense of order. Gently guide his hand until each shape fits. Soon, your baby will be sorting like a pro!

Here are some of the major benefits of the humble shape sorter for our babies.

  • Kids Learn to Categorise and name shapes around Age 2-3yrs
  • Until then its just good fun and a little challenging
  • They experience frustration and achievement quickly with this game
  • Cause and Effect is discovered  (If I put this star through the hole, it disappears”) and object permanence (“Oh, it didn’t disappear for good  — there it is again!)
  • But Mostly….its just good fun to repeat over and over!

Between 15 and 18 months, most kids will start to develop the hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills they need to be able to sort. It is amazing as a parent to watch this process unfold. It brings back so many memories of your own childhood and it helps you begin to see how you developed as a person and what influences were at play in your own life at that age.

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