“Play is the work of childhood, ” according to Jean Piaget, a 20th century educational researcher and theorist. Piaget described four stages that children pass through as they grow. Each stage accomplishes a new skill that builds on the learning of the previous stage. These stages are the sensorimotor, the preoperational, the concreate operational and the formal operational. This article will discuss the benefits of educational toys within each stage.

Sensorimotor: Newborn To 24 Months

The first stage that a child goes through is the sensorimotor stage. This stage lasts from birth until about 24 months of age. In this stage, the child moves from the reflexes of an infant to the understanding that objects remain even when they are out of sight and the ability to think symbolically. At each point along the way, the toys given to a child must be appropriate for the substage that the child is progressing through.

Newborn babies through about four months old need simple toys, such as teething rings and other toys that are safe for the baby to put in his or her mouth. At about four months old, babies are starting to notice that things exist outside of themselves. Rattles and toys that they can shake and which give the same reproducible results each time are excellent for children of this age. By the time a child is about two years old, he or she has learned that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. At this point, stacking, pulling and other toys that allow the child to experiment with the toy to achieve different results are good choices. All of the educational toys given during the sensorimotor period should be safe for the child to explore with his or her senses.

Preoperational: Age Two To Seven Years

The age of magical thinking and imagination. Children in this stage cannot yet think logically, but they have wonderful imaginations and enjoy role play, dress up and other educational toys that stimulate creativity and introduce basic academic concepts, such as number sense, reading and social skills, such as turn-taking.

Concrete Operational

From ages seven years through 12 years old, children pass through the concrete operational stage. They can use simple logic, but their thinking is still very concrete. Toys that foster imagination, work to develop critical thinking skills, such as puzzles, chess or other games, as well as toys that enhance academic skills are good choices for this age group.

The Formal Operational Stage

From the age of 12 onward, the child’s ability to thinking more logically develops. Children can think abstractly. More and more time will be spent on academics and less time on play. Socializing and peers will take the place of toys. Particular passions and hobbies will emerge and should be encouraged through shared or supported activities.

Lifelong Benefits

Every child has the right to the benefits of educational toys. Researchers have shown that these types of toys impact the child all the way into his or her late twenties. Children who are provided with educational toys, when compared to children who are not, show IQ test scores that are 32-50 points higher. Playing is not a waste of time or a way to keep children occupied. It really is the child’s work and the best thing adults can do to help that work is to give the child the educational toys that will stimulate and encourage growth.

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