October 20th, 2012 
Let’s go deeper into your child’s development, shall we?
From the age of two onwards, your child is already showing a little bit of their personality and what they will be like as they grow older. Their environment plays a major role in how they will turn out. I’m sure that, as a parent, you’re careful about what kind of environment your child sees. The atmosphere of a home has a big impact on the development of children. If they are in a constant, caring environment (with heavy doses of laughter once in a while), they have a better chance of growing up to be well-balanced, mature, and responsible adults.
The right atmosphere can work wonders
But giving your child the right atmosphere to stimulate their mental, physical, and emotional growth is easier said than done. Sometimes we can’t help it if we have a tense environment due to daily stresses or worries. The child picks up on that and files it away unconsciously. However, you can augment a stressful or tense time with some occasional good vibes. The playtime your child has also makes a difference – the kind of toys they have will have a lasting impact on their growth.
My older son is a precocious, endlessly curious toddler who likes to initiate friendships with other children in the playground. He shows a bright, competitive attitude and constantly gets into trouble. My nephew, who is about the same age, is completely the opposite, however. He is quiet and content to play on his own and occasionally sings himself to sleep, which is quite adorable. When they spend time together, it’s my nephew who falls asleep right away – my son can spend an hour or two just gazing at the walls before he drops off, in part due to exhaustion.
Children are different from each other – but with the right toys, you can help stimulate their growth in their ‘weak’ areas
The reason I mention this is to show how different from each other children can be. You need to know what your child’s growing personality is, so you can give them the appropriate toys that will help them develop a better personality. For my son, I usually choose a good storybook or two, or a puzzle that he can play with. This keeps him quiet for long periods, and he has a chance to develop his mental skills rather than his physical skills, which he has plenty of. My nephew, on the other hand, is given toys that allow him to become physically active and more social – his Little Tikes playhouse is a perfect example. They (my son and nephew) can play and pretend and jump around for hours in the playhouse, which helps them develop dexterity, coordination, and social skills as well, since they have to take turns sliding down the slide and ‘sharing’ the playhouse with each other.
These two children have shown different sensibilities from a very young age. But with the help of the right toys, they can each develop the specific skills that they have been lacking.
Tom Veasy is a freelance writer and parent of two with an interest in smart toys for children. Tom regularly writes for retail blogs on the latest toys, such as Little Tikes.
