GIFTGUIDE | 2-3 YEARS

Children between the ages of 2 and 3 undergo a period of significant development in various areas, such as motor skills, language, cognition, social-emotional behavior and self-awareness. This period is essential for laying the foundation for future learning and development processes. The right toys can help children develop these new skills, by challenging and supporting them in a playful way.

Motor Skills
Children improve their gross motor skills, such as running, climbing, jumping, and climbing stairs. Their fine motor skills also develop, such as being able to grasp objects, draw, and stack blocks.

1. Stacking stones
   Children aged 2 to 3 are in a phase of rapid development of gross motor skills. They learn to walk, run, jump and maintain their balance. Stapelstein offers the opportunity to practice these skills by balancing on the stones or by using them to create simple obstacle courses.
   Gift tips: Stapelstein
2. First magnets
   Placing magnets on the magnetic whiteboard helps young children practice grabbing and placing objects. This improves their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and grip ability.
   Gift tips: Noriter Project x LUDE - Magnetic whiteboard Lille Hus , Connetix - mini pack , Connetix - starter pack
3. Bicycles and balance bikes
   Children learn balance and motor control by riding a balance bike or a small bicycle.
4. Sensory play box
   Kinetic sand or rice encourages young children to develop their fine motor skills. They can push, scoop, move, and make shapes with the sand or rice. This helps them to strengthen their hand muscles, which are essential for learning to write and other fine motor skills later on.
   Gift tips: Grennn - sensory play box , Grennn - play rice , Grennn - magic sand
5. Climbing equipment or playhouses
   Kids can improve their strength and balance by climbing, sliding and running on a playground structure or jungle gym.
   Gift tips: Madoti - pikler triangle or climbing arch
6. Blocks (e.g. Duplo or wooden blocks)
   With blocks, children learn to build and stack, which stimulates their fine motor skills.
   Gift tips: Wooden Story - wooden blocks , Grimm's - blocks
7. Stringing beads
   Children can string beads on a string, which helps develop hand-eye coordination.
   Gift tips: Grimm's - threading game
8. Coloring books and pencils
   Simple coloring books and thick colored pencils help children gain a grip on a writing instrument and improve their hand movements.
   Gift tips: Kitpas - (window) chalk , Grennn - pencil holder , Grennn - paint holders

Cognitive development
Children begin to make connections between cause and effect and solve simple problems. For example, they understand that pressing a button makes a sound, or that placing a block on a tower makes it bigger. They can also solve simple puzzles that require logical thinking to arrive at a solution. They learn to sort objects by color, shape, or size. And they begin to understand simple categorization, such as sorting blocks into different shapes or colors.

1. Puzzles
   Large wooden puzzles with simple pictures help children develop problem-solving skills.
2. Blocks and building sets
   These not only help with motor skills, but also with logical thinking (e.g. building a stable structure).
   Gift tips: Connetix - mini pack , Connetix - starter pack , Grimm's - blocks
3. Toys with buttons, sliders or turning wheels
   Interactive toys that allow children to perform different actions to get reactions (such as musical instruments or educational devices).
4. Educational sorting sets
   Sets that allow children to sort objects by different characteristics (such as size, color, or function).
   Gift tips: Small foot - wooden sorting box , Andreu Toys - sensory sorting game
   

Language development
Between the ages of 2 and 3, children's vocabulary expands dramatically. They learn more and more words and short sentences and use them to express themselves. They can answer simple questions, such as "What is this?" and also begin to understand grammar (such as plurals and tenses). They begin to use longer sentences and can have short conversations. They understand simple instructions and can ask questions such as "What is that?" or "Why?"

1. Toy phones and microphones
   These can help to role-play conversations, which promotes social and language skills.
   Gift tips: Kidymic
2. Dolls, dollhouses, figurines
   These allow children to engage in role-play activities, practicing dialogues and expanding their vocabulary.
   Gift tips: The Wooden House - dollhouse , Bajo - wooden play figure sets
3. Books with simple texts
   Books with large pictures and simple, repetitive sentences in particular help children learn new words.
   Gift tips: Books

Social - emotional development
Children develop a stronger sense of self and begin to perform tasks independently, such as dressing themselves, eating with cutlery, or playing by themselves. They also begin to understand the world around them better and develop a sense of self-confidence.
They are beginning to understand more and more what emotions are and how to express them. They are also learning about social interaction, such as sharing, taking turns and playing together.

1. Dolls or stuffed animals
   For role-playing and expressing emotions and practicing caring behavior and self-care.
   Gift tips: The Wooden House - dollhouse , We Are Gommu - mini baby soft
2. Kitchen sets or shops
   For social play and imitation of adult behavior.
   Gift tips: Tré Timber Toys - wooden kitchen box , Tré Timber Toys - wooden workbench box
3. Board games
   Such as simple versions of memory or dominoes for collaboration.

One beautiful, shared gift
Children are often showered with gifts. On their birthday and during the holidays. But eventually one gift will be the favorite and the rest will be redundant. Save all the money and go for one beautiful gift that will be played with for a long time. Quality over quantity. Open-ended toys are the solution. They have a long lifespan because they grow with your child. In addition, they promote ingenuity, creativity and fantasy. And brothers and sisters can also play with them. But toys that you can expand and collect are also valuable.
Investment gift tips: Noriter Project x LUDE - Magnetic whiteboard Lille Hus , The Wooden House - dollhouse , Stapelstein