If you are a parent you may be noticing that your young elementary school child is taking on characteristics of an older child when they reach eight or nine. Gone is the little kid of yesterdays and in his or her place is a growing boy or girl who may be looking for more excitement and fun when it comes to toys. Kids in this age group have become tech savvy and quite sophisticated in even their choice of toys. Many parents feel overwhelmed in trying to find toys that meet the needs of their child this age, help to develop their skills and yet still be fun. So if you are shopping for an eight- or nine-year old here is what you need to know about the best toys for this age group-
Board and card games will still be big hit with this age group. At this age many children can play adult level games (and beat you) making it fun for parents and other adults to get involved in play. Most children this age understand the importance of rules and the dynamics of winning and losing however they are still working on other social skills and are eager to fit in with others. Having games that can be played with friends is an opportunity to exercise their social skills. In addition most children in this age group will have had extensive experience with computers through going to school. They may want more computer access and be interested in online games. Age appropriate computer games can be beneficial and help sharpen computer skills for school. In addition kids this age can read fairly well and may enjoy word games both in on and off the computer. Help to foster their reading skills by providing games that will help improve their vocabulary.
Many children in this age group will either become a book lover or not at this time in their life. If your child shows an interest in reading be sure to provide them with the books that interest them and introduce them to the library.
Children in the eight to nine-year old range also love building. They will prefer projects that have many parts and detailed descriptions. Small pieces should not pose a problem for the more advanced hand-eye coordination that is generally found in this group. In addition children’s tool and art kits will give kids who are these ages a chance to strength their skills of independent thought and creativity.
Kids this age have become highly savvy to technology. While younger children may be satisfied with a boom box kids this age may be asking for a more mobile music player. They may understand the technology that is involved and want to be able to impress their friends with having the newest and latest tech gadget. You will have to determine if this is the right toy depending on the maturity of your child in this age group. Keep in mind that children this age begin to develop actual close friendships and may feel pressured to keep up with their friends.
Children in this age group still love outdoor play. Kids in the eight to nine year range have much better large muscle development and be quite adept at one or even several sports. Determining what your child’s interest is in outdoor activities is the first step in choosing the right toy for them. Keep in mind however that many kids this age may need adult size sports equipment when playing. Soccer balls, nets and goals, baseball equipment, bikes and rollerblades can all be great choices for toys for this age group.