Age Appropriateness in Toys

By Angela York

"My Grandchild is two-years old, What Should I Buy Her?"
When a parent, friend or family member walks into a toy store, he or she is faced with a multitude of choices regarding what to buy. A number of factors influence the decision: popular trends-"Bobby likes Blue's Clues, I'll buy that Blue's Clues book" -or previous experience-"Sarah's kids like those blocks, I'll get them." No matter how attractive the toy, customers will only purchase a product that is appropriate for a child at his or her age.

So what does this mean for you, the retailer?
You should become the "expert" on the appropriate toys for specific age groups. Oftentimes, the age range displayed on product packaging is broad, and the customer will come to you in search of a recommendation. Prepare yourself for this situation by knowing the target ages for the products you carry, educating your staff to be proactive in helping customers select age appropriate toys, and setting up your store so it caters to children's different age groups.

Although there is no absolute rule, there are toys that are geared for particular age groups based on children's motor skills and what appeals to them at that age. According to Burton L. White, author of Educating the Infant and Toddler, here are some appropriate products for the following age groups:

Birth to 6 months: Products that allow infants to explore and interact with their surroundings using their eyes, ears, mouths, hands and feet.

• Mobiles/Crib Gyms-A mobile is a good toy for infants from three to nine weeks of age. At three months of age, infants can graduate to crib gyms that allow more physical interactivity.
• Mirrors-Babies love to look at their own reflections. An unbreakable, stainless steel mirror can provide hours of enjoyment.
• Teething and Key Rings-These simple objects allow infants to explore a variety of surfaces with their eyes, ears, mouth and hands. They should be too large to be swallowed.

6 to 12 months: Products that complement newfound skills such as grasping objects, crawling, climbing, and eventually walking.

• Bath Toys - Toys such as rubber duckies, boats, and sponge puppets provide children of this age with hours of fun in the tub.
• Mechanical Toys - Children love to interact with simple mechanical toys that have switches, buttons, levers, and dials that they can play with and receive feedback such as noises or lights.
• Sorting and Nesting Toys - Products such as measuring cups, puzzles with interlocking shapes and "fitting the square peg in the square hole" games stimulate children's minds.
• Picture Books - Children of this age love books that have stiff cardboard pages that they can turn.

12 to 24 months: Products that allow toddlers to practice their skills and explore their environment.

• Language Toys - Children of this age are fascinated with language and any products that incorporate speech.
• Balls - Balls of any size, the larger the better, provide hours of enjoyment for toddlers.
• Riding Toys - Toddlers practice their mobile skills with riding horses or wagons - basically any riding toy without pedals since they can't manage to use them yet.
• Boxes - From large ones that toddlers can crawl into to small ones for collecting treasures, boxes are a favorite at this age. 24 to 36 months: Products that encourage children's imagination and their world of fantasy.
• Art Supplies - Children love to create art with everything from crayons to finger paint to play dough.
• Musical Toys - Music fascinates children at this age and stimulates their developing minds.
• Blocks - Toddlers enjoy stacking and playing with blocks -from traditional wooden ones to more modern blocks.
• Storybooks - At this age, children follow the plots and enjoy listening to their favorite stories again and again.
• Theme Toys - Any toys that inspire "pretend" games are a favorite, such as houses, fire stations, farms, kitchens, dolls, cars, trucks and costumes.

Your customers will be impressed with staff that is concerned about helping them select a toy that the child will love and that is appropriate for his or her age. Customers are more likely to return to a store when they have interacted with proactive staff that are educated about the products the store carries.

You can also assist customers in selecting appropriate toys by categorizing your inventory by age. It's also helpful to post relevant articles and product reviews from newspapers and magazines to further educate the customer on the benefits of the product for that age group.

With so many new products entering the market each year, take the time to educate yourself on the appropriate age range for the products. Test out the new products with kids, or ask your friends and family to share their observations. The more knowledgeable you are about products you sell, the more successful you will be and the more your customers will keep coming back for your "expert" advice.

Angela York is the manager of public relations at Neurosmith, a manufacturer of interactive, educational toys. The company's first products, Music Blocks (ages 2 to 7) and Little Linguist (ages 1 to 5), will be available in specialty stores this spring. For more information, visit www.neurosmith.com.