Toys by age: what suits 0 to 12+ years
Buying a present for a child you do not see every day nearly always starts with the same question to the parents: how old are they now, exactly? It is the right question. Age is not the only measure, but it is the quickest way to bring a large range down to a handful of candidates.
Below, group by group, is what tends to go down well. Each age group has its own page in the shop, with what is in the range today.
0 to 2 years: touching, grabbing, starting again
In the first years, play is discovery with the hands. Soft cuddly toys, rattles, stacking cups and wooden toys with large, sturdy shapes do well here: things that can be held, dropped and picked up again. A child this age happily plays with the same object over and over. So one good thing beats five small ones. See the range for 0 to 2 years and the baby and toddler toys category.
3 to 5 years: pretending
Around three, pretend play begins: a little shop, a play kitchen, a doctor’s kit, a garage with toy cars. Children act out what they see adults do, and a toy that helps them do it gets months of use. It is also the age of the first puzzles with large pieces, simple games with a die, and colouring pencils that finally want to stay inside the lines. See 3 to 5 years and role play.
6 to 8 years: rules and building instructions
School is where children learn to read and count, and it shows in what they want to play. Board games with real rules become fun, as do building sets with step-by-step instructions they can follow on their own. Craft kits with a clear end result work well: making something that gets a place on the shelf afterwards. See 6 to 8 years.
9 to 12 years: challenge and a taste of their own
In these years a child develops a definite taste of their own, and it weighs more than the age on the box. Strategy games, bigger building sets, technical construction kits and brain teasers that get harder as they go belong here. Outdoors, a scooter or a ball starts to matter more than indoor toys. When in doubt, ask the parents about a hobby or a favourite series — it tells you more than any guide. See 9 to 12 years.
12 and over: the same as for adults
From twelve, the present moves towards what adults buy too: puzzles of a thousand pieces and more, large building sets, card and board games for an evening with friends. Surprise a teenager and you often surprise the whole family along with them. See 12 years and over.
When the guide does not fit
Every child goes at their own pace. A six-year-old who has been building for months is ready for a set from the next group; a ten-year-old who loves drawing will get more from a good box of pencils than from a strategy game. Use the age to start and the child to choose. If you also know how much you want to spend, Find a gift puts the two together.