10 Must-Have Toys

Invest in your preschooler's development with these smart choices.

LOOK, DAD, I MADE THIS!

WHAT TO BUY Open-ended toys!
Build a robot, create a truck or make a dog. Open-ended toys that invite hands-on exploration give your inquisitive child the freedom to play and learn. It sparks her imagination and teaches her to work things out for herself. As she uses the screwdriver to fit the chunky nuts and bolts, the precise movements teach her control over strength and coordination. Occupational therapist Alicia Lim, from National University Hospital’s Department of Rehabilitation, says: “Through play, she is reinforcing some seemingly insignificant basic skills such as holding the pencil, using the eraser, unzipping the school bag and organising it.”

YP LIKES Build It, $119, from ELC

DINNER IS READY
WHAT TO BUY Masak-masak toys
Every kid loves a kitchen toy set. Through pretend-play, your mini-me is copying what you do every day. Try to avoid sexism, says YP adviser and child psychologist Dr Richard C. Woolfson. It’s perfectly okay for boys to play with kitchen toys, too.

YP LIKES Takara Tomy Disney Toon Town Pop’n Kitchen Set, $59.95, from leading department stores

Read the June 2010 issue of Young Parents for eight other educational toys that you should get for your preschooler.