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Toys for Developing Skills - Thinking and Problem Solving

How Do Babies Develop Thinking and Problem Solving Skills?

Newborns have the instincts they need to begin logical reasoning. This understanding continues into adulthood. Children are reasoning from birth as they begin to learn about cause and effect. Logical reasoning is closely related to thinking and problem solving.

Helping your baby to equip himself with basic thinking skills will help develop baby's confidence in solving problems and may result in him being an exceptional decision maker in adulthood.

How Can You Help Your Baby to Develop Thinking and Problem Solving Skills?

All children have a need to be able to develop their own ideas and solve problems – it's what makes us who we are. As parents we can help our children develop their own ideas and solve problems by giving them toys that help them to think more creatively.

Children who have the motivation to puzzle out a problem and receive praise will feel more confident and in turn will be eager to try new things. The more baby thinks through problems, the better they become.

What Toys Can You Buy to Help Your Baby to Develop Thinking and Problem Solving Skills?

Puzzle Style Toys

Babies and children are thought to develop their problem solving skills when faced with a puzzle or a game. So the more puzzle-style toys you have in the toy collection the more baby will problem solve. But make sure there is a balance in the toy box between puzzle toys and toys that offer more tactile play.

Praise your child often – puzzle games can be incredibly frustrating so the more you make of baby's successes the better. And even if baby is not successful you should still praise him for trying.

Cause and Effect Toys

Toys that inspire problem solving behaviour include cause and effect toys.

Tiny Love produces the “Developlay Activity Centre”, which rewards baby for exploring trial and error style.

Baby will begin to learn by accident but as baby gets older, he will start to seek out challenging problems and will gain much from success. He will also repeat play – you may think that once baby has mastered a problem he will find something else to play with, not so he is still reinforcing his discovery.

Stacking and Sorting Toys

There are a huge number of simple baby toys on the market that encourage baby through play to problem solve.

Stacking cups provide endless fun at little cost as baby tries to put one cup on top of the other. Mummy and Daddy can also surprise baby by hiding objects that baby is not expecting to see under a stacking cup.

Wooden shape sorter toys, wooden stackers and button pushing toys also have remarkable effects on babies and they quickly learn how to solve a problem – initially with Mummy and Daddy's help but then on their own. Igloo Kids has a good range of toys to help baby learn to problem-solve.

Role-Playing Toys

From two years old, toddlers start to role play with a mission. It's here that you'll see a lot of problem solving come into action as children create their own scenarios. Toys that help your child discover his imagination will allow him to interpret future events and experiences.

Playmobil's toys allow toddlers to imaginatively play in controlled settings. The fun figures and sets allow baby to interact with real life situations but in a safe environment. Playmobil has a beautiful city airport setting and a homestead farm.

Outdoor Toys

Little Tikes offers a range of outdoor toys that will inspire toddlers to imaginatively play. Little Tikes produces various styles of outdoor play rooms and adventure play settings that will excite baby into role playing. From the “Pirate Ship” to the traditional New England “Log Cabin”, Little Tikes should have something to inspire.

Argos also offers outdoor toys including playhouses that will have your toddler running out the back door to play in their own space. Some playhouses are built on two levels with verandas and if adults were small enough they'd probably want to live in one.

Read more about Outdoor Toys

Building Blocks

Building blocks can allow baby to experiment – Lego, Stickle Blocks and Mega Bloks encourage baby to create.

Other Tips

Frustration is seen in the early toddler years as baby solves a task one day and then forgets the next. Gentle encouragement from Mummy and Daddy helps. And try not to automatically solve everything for baby – let him find out for himself.

You might know that one stacking cup is too big and out of sequence but baby doesn't so he has to learn for himself.

And finally, don't forget to use lift-the-flap books – they encourage baby to think carefully which encourages the development of long term memory.

To find out more about what to look out for when choosing and buying nursery toys visit our How to Choose and Buy a Baby Toy for Different Ages section and our Brands section.

To find out more about the different types of nursery toy that are available for each age group visit our Types of Nursery Toy section.

To find out more about the different online baby and nursery toy shops and stores visit our Top Sites section.

You can also find out more in our How to Play with Baby section.