Your preschool age child has now grown into a regular elementary school kid along with the wonderful development that happens in those first few years of school. While your child may be happily developing into their own unique personality you may be wondering what toys would best help them continue to develop needed skills and still interest them. While most six- and seven-year olds are still pretty flexible in their wants it is important to understand that play is still very important for them to further develop their skills. By choosing the right toys you can help your first or second grader develop better social skills, improve their unique strengths and develop interest and skills that can further help them in school. Here is what you need to know about the best toys for six and seven-year olds.
While many parents want to buy toys so the child will get years of use out of them before they outgrow them it is important to keep in mind that six- and seven-year olds are sort of in the middle. This means that they are getting too big for many toys and not quite big enough for many more, but with a little searching, you can find many age-appropriate selections. Keep in mind that the toys for this age group are beginning to be more involved. Puzzles will have changed from forty eight pieces to 100. Crafts will be more detailed. Many sports items are even adult size. The bottom line is that this age is the jumping off point between young children toys and older ones.
Arts and crafts are still a big favorite for this age group. Keep in mind however that the work will be much more detailed since they have the patience to handle it. Kids this age love try more detailed bead work or paint by numbers. They may love being given scrapbook supplies to put together pages about their own life. They should be able to cut, glue and piece together crafts with little trouble which opens up the possibilities. Six- and seven-year olds will appreciate specialty scissors, punches and foam cutouts to create their own original artwork.
Construction toys are also popular with both genders in this age group. Kids who are six- or seven will like projects that can be constructed. 3-D puzzles, building models and forming clay objects will appeal to this group since they have developed better hand-eye coordination then their younger counterparts. In addition kids this age can begin to think and visualize in the abstract making these types of projects much more doable.
Board games and card games for this age group are much involved. Games can have more rules and a higher degree of intricacy. Since most six- and seven-year olds are highly social playing games is viewed as fun while you can help your child develop better social skills when being in a group. In addition most children this age are more open to following the rules (usually with little protest) and understand the dynamics of winning and losing.
Six- and seven-year olds are just at the beginning of appreciating electronic toys. These techno-kids in the making will love simple handheld games that will allow them to practice their computer skills anywhere they go. Most of the games available for this age group work on hand-eye coordination with a strong fantasy base that appeals to this age group. Stick with the youngest version of whatever electronic toy you decide to purchase so that your child can feel a sense of achievement as they master one level and move on to the next. In addition keep in mind that many children are still open to educational electronic games at this stage that can help them with their school work and further academic success.