2026 and your Child’s Playroom

I am going to write a series of blogs in the next few issues giving advice on what to have available for your child in their play area. This could also apply to a daycare classroom.

First and foremost, anything you buy for your child must be age appropriate.

Over a period, I will be covering:

  • Books

  • Art

  • Fine Motor Development

  • Art

  • Music

  • Blocks

  • Sand/Water

  • Dramatic Play

  • Nature and Science

  • Diversity

This month’s advice:

Books

I am a great believer in having books on display from birth, as long as they are age appropriate. Children will suck and tear pages out of books from birth to two, so it’s important to supervise and have books that have thick cardboard pages and are colorful. Between the ages of 18 months and 24 months, regular children’s books can be within reach of your child. The books should have:

  • Familiar objects: Things that are easily recognizable.

  • Familiar routines: Such as eating, sleeping, potty training or dressing.

  • People: People of different races, ages and genders.

  • Animals: Realistic pictures of animals.

  • Abilities: Eyeglasses, hearing aids, wheelchairs and even crutches. This would be more appropriate to Pre-K aged children.

Fine Motor Development

Fine Motor skills are skills your child learns by holding, dropping, gripping, placing and manipulating.

Infants

  • Rattles to shake and grasp.

  • Hanging things to bat at or to grasp (Not over crip hanging mobiles as they pose a danger).

  • Small soft grasping toys.

  • Simple stacking toys.

  • Cause and effect toys (eg; push and click).

Toddlers

  • Containers to pick out and drop objects into.

  • Links.

  • Interlocking blocks.

  • Large beads to string.

  • Simple lacing toys.

  • Large washable markers.

  • Puzzles with large pieces.

Music

  • Music can be played for specific purposes such as dancing, soothing for nap time (I recommend classical lullabies). Music that can encourage language (such as singing and miming Itsy -bitsy spider)

  • Examples of Musical materials are homemade shakers, musical mobiles, push and pull musical toys, rattles, bells, drums, guitars, pianos, Xylophones.

I hope this month’s ideas will help you plan your child’s development and look forward to 2026 with other ideas for you in the areas of Art, Blocks and Sand and Water.