5 Toys Your Child Will Be Playing With For Years

It's Christmas again. Or it's your child's birthday. Or grandma and grandpa are coming to visit. Or you just couldn't resist going shopping.

Opportunities to buy new toys seem endless. And of course it makes your child happy too, which is wonderful. But sometimes you notice how your child's room simply gets too full and half of the things are no longer interesting - or even broken - after just a few days. Your child is also getting older and needs toys that are appropriate for their age. For the sake of the environment and your wallet, it also makes sense to buy toys that will last a long time. Here are 5 toys that your child will enjoy playing with for a long time:

The Pikler triangle 

Age: 0-8 years

Benefits: Versatile, promotes motor skills

Disadvantages: Can be expensive, takes up space

Parents who like Montessori probably already know it. The Pikler triangle is a triangle-shaped structure that allows your child to climb. There are also additional elements, such as slides or boards with climbing elements, which can be attached to the Pikler triangle. Many of these triangles are height-adjustable and can therefore be adapted to your child's abilities.

First year of life: for babies who cannot yet walk, a Pikler triangle does not seem particularly useful at first. After all, they can't climb yet. Nevertheless, a Pikler triangle can theoretically be used from birth. If, for example, you hang play gym toys or play silks on the bars of the Pikler triangle, you can place your baby underneath it. Of course, the Pikler triangle must be stable for this. When your baby starts to pull himself up, he can practice standing with the Pikler triangle.

1-3 years: Many children learn to climb and walk almost simultaneously. With a Pikler triangle, you can playfully develop your child's motor skills and satisfy their urge to move, even when the weather is bad.

4-8 years: Older children who can already climb safely on and over the Pikler triangle can of course still use it. On the one hand, it can become part of an obstacle course. The Pikler Triangle can also be used to build a fort.

Wooden Building Blocks

Age: 0-10 years

Pros: Versatile, encourage creativity, last forever

Disadvantages: Tidying up, especially if your child enjoys tipping out the whole box of building blocks at once

In my opinion, building blocks belong in every child's room. They encourage your child's fine motor skills and creativity and are often safe for babies due to their size.

0-1 year: Of course, you don't need to give newborns a building block, but as soon as your child can grasp and sit, building blocks are great. You can use them to build little towers and ask your child to knock them over. Building block sets are often sold together with boxes that have lids with holes. The holes have different shapes and sizes and your child has to find out which building block fits into which hole.

2-5 years: Your child can now build their own towers. The building blocks can also be used as building materials for houses, zoos, or other things. Without even realizing it, your child is already learning a lot about physics and gravity. Soon he or she will know exactly how to place a building block so that it doesn't fall down and where it is best to hit a tower to break it.

6-10 years: Your child's constructions are now becoming increasingly sophisticated. Even if building blocks are probably no longer used on a daily basis at this age, they still have an important function, especially in combination with other toys. For example, building blocks can easily replace a missing Barbie house or make a great tunnel for the wooden train set.

Schleich Animals

Age: 2-8 years

Advantages: Sturdy, lifelike, durable

Disadvantages: Relatively expensive

I don't normally think that toys necessarily have to be from a particular brand. But the Schleich company has convinced me over the years with the good quality of their animals. I myself grew up with Schleich animals and there is still a box full of them in my parents' basement - for future grandchildren.

2-4 years: The interest in animals is often particularly great at this age. The detailed Schleich animals are often also available in parent and child versions and help small children to name and match animals. You can also build great zoos or animal parks with Schleich animals.

5-8 years: It really is incredible how much children already know at this age. Especially if they are particularly interested in a topic. If your child is particularly interested in a certain type of animal, for example, dogs or dinosaurs, then it can be great to buy him or her different dinosaurs or dogs of different breeds as toys to support and encourage this interest. Here too, of course, it helps if the toy looks as much like the real animal as possible.

Books

Age: 0 - 99 years

Advantages: You can get them at the library for free, promote language development

Disadvantages: Can you have too many books?

Books are great toys, but why will my child play with them for years? Especially if it's the same book? Here, I'll show you that a book can actually be a lasting gift using the example of the book 'Guess How Much I Love You?

Newborns: In principle, you can read to your baby from day 1, and not just baby books with three words. It can also be a thriller, but a cheerful book like “Guess How Much I Love You?” might be a better choice. This book can also become part of your evening routine, signaling to your baby that it's almost bedtime.

1-3 years: Admittedly, reading to one-year-olds can be a little more difficult. Especially with books that can break easily, it's better to wait for a quiet moment. When your child gets a little older, they will understand which books are okay to pull and tug at, and which books they need to be careful with. Toddlers like to read the same story several times - sometimes even several times in a row. This is why the same book can be used again and again.

4-9 years: For some, interest in reading comes earlier, and for others a little later. Books that your child already knows can take away some of his or her fear of reading. Even if your child can't read yet, he or she will certainly be happy if he or she can finish sentences from a familiar book independently.

10-15 years: Your child is probably learning their first or second foreign language at school. By buying a translated copy of “Guess How Much I Love You?” for your child, you can give him or her a feel for a foreign language in everyday life without the hassle of learning vocabulary.

Playdough

Age: 2-99 years

Advantages: encourages creativity, also fun for adults

Disadvantages: it may quickly dry out; small children must be supervised when playing with playdough

I'm actually always happy when a child wants to play with playdough. Especially because most children can play with playdough for a relatively long time.

2-5 years: At this age, you often have to sit next to the child so that they don't eat the playdough. Great activities with playdough include shaping balls, cutting out 'cookies' with cookie cutters, or making snakes and worms. Kitchen utensils can be used for cutting and rolling out the playdough.

From the age of 6: Children at this age usually still find it great to make simple figures out of playdough. If your child is already a little more skilled with their hands and is looking for a challenge, you can give them a book with instructions for modeling animals. You can also incorporate play ough into games such as Pictionary: One child draws a piece of paper with a term on it and has to depict this term with the help of the playdough, the rest of the group has to guess.