Early Childhood play

Kids love to play. It’s fun and its time consuming, but it is never a waste of time. In fact it's vital for mental and physical development. Play is so simple that sometimes it seems as if we are doing nothing, but every minute you spend playing with your child is an investment in their future. By simply talking with your child you are building their social skills, their vocabulary and their understanding of the world around them. By helping your child walk along a brick wall on the way to the shops you are honing their gross motor skills. By letting them pick up a flower on the path you are tuning their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. When you and your child smell the flower you are awakening their senses of smell, touch and sight. As you look and smile at your child, you improve their self esteem and show them that they are a worth while, loved and that you enjoy spending time with them. It's magic what one walk can do isn’t it?.

Toys for this age group

When purchasing toys for your child ask yourself:
- Will this toy help my child to explore and be creative?
- Is the toy able to be used in a variety of ways?
- Will this toy encourage my child’s imagination and creativity?
- Will the toy engage my child as an active participant rather than just entertain?

Some great toys for this age group are: basic jigsaw puzzles, memory games such as "Snap", child-size pots and pans, play dough, bats and balls, books – lots and lots of books, tea sets, gardening tools, paints and chalk, music makers, sand pits, water tables, easels, construction materials such as Lego or Duplo, items for dramatic play like stage props and costumes.

The following links have been selected by Lower Great Southern Communities for Children team. We have made every effort to select relevant sites that are informative and accurate. The material linked is to provide information only. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified practitioner therefore if you have any concerns see your GP, Practice Nurse or Child Health Nurse.


These PDF’s are all Play ideas pamphlets - Produced by the Play and Learning Program (PAL) at the State Child Development Centre. We have selected the ones that we feel are most relevant to this age group.