Rattle for newborns. The first toys of a small child

Children show interest in rattling and bright toys from the first months of life. Rattles develop hearing, attentiveness, visual and tactile perception. With their help, you can distract the baby, teach to concentrate on the subject. In addition to playing, such accessories help the baby cope with itchy gums and prevent him from crying. From what age it is possible to give rattles to a child, the employees of the online store "Daughters and Sons" will tell parents.

At what age does a child take a rattle

Plastic and rubber toys should be comfortable to hold and fit comfortably in a small, fragile hand. A baby from birth can grab objects that are directly near the palm of his hand (grasping reflex is congenital), in the third month of life he begins to consciously reach for bright toys. For starters, you can offer him trinkets made from hypoallergenic soft textiles.

For example, the Tomy brand offers rustlers and a squeaker rattle in the form of a funny ostrich. This rag bird is easy to hold in a tiny palm. Safety is guaranteed by the absence of sharp parts.

Up to 3 months, toys that are worn on the leg or arm of the baby are an excellent option. By making arbitrary movements, the baby will entertain himself. His attention for some time will be concentrated on a colorful interesting little animal. Such products do not develop motor skills, but are great for developing visual susceptibility, attentiveness and concentration of the baby.

In addition, the first rattles calm the baby. The noise they make switches the baby's attention, makes him stop crying and listen, and then consider a new unusual object.

Important!

The first toys should be bright, embossed and have clear contours for the baby to form the first images correctly. Every month you can increase the number of elements and gradually complicate the toy.

At what age does a child play with rattles

The baby begins to actively play with attractive objects at about six months. At this time, he prefers multi-component rattles that can be studied, folded, moved on the surface, pressed to listen to sounds and melodies. From the age of 12 months, children already have their own passions and sympathies, so they can choose their favorite toys themselves.

Expert opinion

“Manufacturers offer a variety of products that contribute to the intensive development of logical thinking, memory, and attention. The consultants of our store will tell you from what age you need rattles that stimulate mental development baby. We advise parents to pay attention to the most interesting samples, for example, the Leader Kids development kit for boys and girls from six months. With each new toy child gets new experience and takes a step forward.

Specialist of the online store "Daughters and Sons"
Leonovich Julia

conclusions

Children need rattles from the first weeks after birth. They are great help to get acquainted with the sounds and pictures that appear before the baby's eyes. After fixing the grasping reflex, toys improve motor skills. After 6 months, modern rattles develop logic, correctly form figurative perception. Musical toys are good for lulling, and teethers help with itching and swelling of the gums.

Toys are an important part of a dowry for a newborn. Arriving at the store, newly-minted parents are sometimes lost from the multi-colored variety of the offered assortment. It is not surprising to get confused here, so it is important to decide in advance what you need to buy in order to avoid useless extra costs. So, the main toys in the first months of a baby's life should be rattles for newborns.

A simple and sometimes even primitive rattle has an impact on the mental, physical and emotional development of the baby, so it is important to take the choice with all responsibility.

How to choose a rattle?

When buying, you should pay attention to the following points:

• material from which the rattle is made. It can be wood, plastic or fabric - a matter of taste, the main thing is that the toy is made with high quality, does not have sharp corners and seams, foreign smell;
• color. It is better to choose rattles of bright, contrasting colors, pastel shades won't get the baby's attention. The paint must be of high quality and not peel off the product;
• sound, which publishes a toy. It should not be sharp, but quite distinct and loud. Choose a few rattles with different sound- hollow with balls inside, melodic with bells, musical rattles with the sounds of nature;
• safety. A good toy should be durable, smooth, not have small parts that easily come off or fall off. In order to be sure of the quality, you should buy rattles from a trusted manufacturer in reliable outlets. Then you can be sure that the quality standards are met;
• availability of additional functions and elements on developmental rattles. A grown-up baby will appreciate the rustling, shiny, rotating parts, and he will be able to gnaw soft teethers during the period of active teeth growth.

At what age should you give rattles?

In the first months of life, the baby, of course, will not be able to play on its own, so it is advisable to purchase rattles for the crib and stroller. They should be hung at a distance of 40-60 cm from the child's face so that he can focus his eyes on them. In addition, in the first month of life, you can begin to master simple games together with the baby - drive a rattle in front of the face, again at a distance of 40-60 cm, so as not to provoke strabismus, for several minutes. Then you can diversify the movements - speed up, slow down, stimulate the child to follow her eyes and turn her head. As the child grows, you can put a rattle on his handle so that he tries to manipulate it on his own.

For a baby from the age of 6 months, you should choose heavier ones, for example, wooden rattles in order to strengthen the fingers and promote the development of motor skills. Rattles in the form of garlands consisting of balls will be interesting different size, which the baby can sort out, controlling his movements with his eyes.

When does a baby start holding a rattle?

Many parents wonder how to teach a child to hold a rattle. This skill will develop by about 4-5 months, when the baby begins to show an active interest in the subject of the game and pull the handles. Help him grab the rattle correctly. If something doesn't work, try repeating the exercise. Later, the game can be made more difficult by giving the child a rattle that is less comfortable to grip, thereby stimulating muscle development.

Do not fill the child with a variety of rattles. 4-5 is quite enough, while it is better to use them for games in turn so that the child does not lose interest.

Toys occupy a special place in the list of necessary newborn baby. Many temptations await future mothers and fathers:
- just starting his acquaintance with the world?
- or specially selected for proper development baby first toys for newborn

It should be noted that toys are not essential items for a newborn baby.
In the first weeks of life, he sees them with difficulty, because. his vision is not sufficiently developed: the child cannot yet focus on objects, and everything that is farther from him or closer than arm's length, sees as blurry spots. He is not yet able to follow moving objects.
What can we say that the baby will be able to take the toy in his hand and hold it only a few months later! Therefore, the baby will get acquainted with the first toys only for a few minutes a day and mainly with the participation of an adult who will show him the toys and encourage him to follow their movement.

"Toy number one" for a baby of the first month of life is a rattle. Along with traditional rattles, there are also small electronic musical toys - they are also suitable for the first games of an adult with a baby. Rattles designed for the smallest have a diameter of 6-8 cm.

Also available for babies spiral developing, spiral developing Leela Toy pendant developing PiouPiou, toy pendant Catch me, toy pendant Catch me
, - They are attached to the crib or stroller. For classes with a child, you can also purchase bright fabrics; at first, an adult will show it to the baby, and over time, the baby will be able to get to know her on her own. Such a rattle will make the tactile sensations of the child more diverse. It can have a handle or be worn on a child's arm or leg, like a bracelet.

This is a kind of carousel, which can spin and on which rattles or other small toys are attached. The mobile can be mechanical (in this case, it starts with a key) or electric (such toys are battery operated). When moving, most mobiles play a soft, pleasant melody. Manufacturers sometimes indicate the age "from O" on some other toys, including, for example, children's designers. However, it is only theoretically possible to use them for playing with newborns - everything except mobiles and rattles will come in handy for the baby only after a few months.

How to choose the first toys for a newborn and how to use them?
A mobile is an expensive toy, and a baby will need it only in the first 1-2 months of life. But it is not at all necessary to acquire it: a few ordinary rattles suspended above the baby's bed will be quite enough for its normal development. If you still decide to buy a mobile, choosing it, look at how the toys look from below, because it is in this perspective that the child will see them.

Listen carefully to the sound of a rattle or a mobile: the sound should not be sharp, shrill, otherwise it may frighten the child. It’s good if all the rattles you choose will sound different, because the baby needs a variety of auditory impressions. Keep all the rattles you purchase in a variety of shapes and colors (this also applies to mobile-mounted rattles): this way you will make your baby's first visual impressions more diverse. It is desirable that some rattles have contrast image faces (for example, black eyes, mouth and nose on a yellow background): such a toy will attract the attention of the child, and it will be easier for him to focus on it.

When choosing a rattle, pay attention to the age of the child it is intended for (this information is usually indicated on the packaging). Keep in mind that although rattles are considered the first toys, not all of them are designed for newborns.

When purchasing a rattle, keep in mind that you are buying it “for growth”: the child will not always just look at it - the time will come when the baby wants to hold it in his hands and try it on his tooth. Therefore, pay special attention to safety. Buy children's toys only in specialized stores that cooperate with well-known manufacturers of children's goods and in no case on the market; only in this case you can be sure that the toy is made of non-toxic material.

Choose toys made of soft plastic - hard ones can crack, and sharp pieces that break off from the rattle can cause injury. The toy should not have small parts that can easily come off. As your baby gets older and begins to explore the rattle on his own, he may tear off or bite off these parts and swallow them.

Think about the “future” of the toy in terms of child development: choose rattles with a comfortable rod-shaped handle: after 3-4 months, it will be more convenient for the baby to hold such a toy on his own. It’s good if the surface of the rattle handles is different to the touch, because the baby will need different tactile sensations. Buying rattles that are suitable for both the smallest and older children at the same time, you can save a lot.

Do not fill the child with toys: 3-4 rattles (in the absence of a mobile phone) is enough. Moreover, not all rattles at once, but 1-2 should be hung over a crib or stroller (40-60 cm from the face of the child - it is at this distance that he can distinguish objects), but 1-2, periodically changing them. The same principle applies to the use of the mobile: toys attached to the carousel should preferably be changed every few days. Monotonous toys quickly become familiar to the child and will not arouse his interest.

Based on the article by M. Filimonova

Each of us had a favorite toy in childhood. Remember what she was? Was it a plush rabbit, bear, or dog that you hugged before going to bed? In fact, the first and very important toy in life was a rattle. It is important because it is with a rattle for newborns that the process of learning and development of the baby begins.

All young parents ask themselves: at what age do newborns need such toys? And not in vain exists old tradition- to give it to the birth of a child. Of course, in the first months of life, the baby will not be able to play with her on her own, so you should buy rattles that are hung on a crib or stroller. They need to be hung at a distance of 40-60 cm from the child's face so that he can focus on them. Also at this age it is already possible to play simple games with the help of a rattle - drive it in front of the baby's face, prompting him to follow her eyes and turn his head.

In the first year of life, connections are actively formed in the child's brain, so even a tiny baby needs a wide variety of impressions, which a bright and sonorous rattle will give him.

Diversity

In order for the baby to develop harmoniously, to get an idea of ​​the different properties of the things around him, parents are advised to choose rattles of various shapes, colors and sizes. They also need to be changed from time to time.

The modern market can more than provide the crumbs with a variety of toys, and therefore impressions. Next, we will talk about what rattles are, what their purpose is, and you will see them in the photo.

Rattle pendants

They can be mounted on a crib, stroller or playpen using a special bracket. They can be made from the most different materials- be hard or soft, large or small, plain or patterned. Their main feature is a bright (but not acidic) color. With the help of such a toy, a newborn baby learns to focus on a bright spot. This is how his vision develops.

Music carousel (mobile)

Also suitable for babies. She develops in the baby the ability to follow objects moving in a circle and listen to a quiet melody. Mobile elements can be removed and used separately.

Bracelets or socks

It is also very a good option for newborns, when they still do not know how to consciously hold objects in their hands and control their body, but they can learn this by listening to the sounds made by such toys, attached to the handles and legs with Velcro.

rattles

They consist of figures of various shapes freely moving around the ring. When shaken, these figurines make a noise that little kids love. In addition, such rattles form the baby's ability to move strung objects with his hands. With their help, as well as with the help of a rattle with beads on a cord , the child learns to purposefully make movements with his hands under the control of his gaze. Such toys suit him from the second half of the first year of life.

Suction cup rattle

It is convenient to use while feeding grown children by attaching it to the table. The peanut will not be able to throw it on the floor, but will be able to play with it and rejoice. He will not be capricious, which means he will eat better.

Other types of rattles

• Rattles without a handle can be of any shape. They are given to the child in the hands and contribute to the development of fine motor skills.
• During teething, special teething rattles will be very useful. . They can be of different shapes, with or without a cooling gel, with a smooth or embossed surface. The material from which the teethers are made is soft enough and will not hurt the baby's gums, but at the same time, hard enough so that the baby can gnaw and chew the toy.
• For older toddlers, rattles with buttons are suitable. In addition to noise, these rattles, when shaken, can squeak or even make a melody if you press the button. They come with backlight.
• The grown-up baby will already be interested in playing with soft rattle toys. They are made from different, pleasant to the touch materials. Inside them is a capsule with rattling balls. Also, the whole toy can be filled with loose items of different sizes. They not only rustle pleasantly, but also help develop tactile sensitivity when the child squeezes the toy.
• Rattles with a smell will help develop the sense of smell in newborns. So, for example, latex ones can smell like strawberries or vanilla, and wooden ones can smell like pine needles. However, if you notice an allergy in your crumbs, then it is better not to use them.

Rattle made by mom

Of course, the best thing you can give your baby is love and care, but if you want to give your child a gift that reminds you of childhood and the warmth of mother's hands, then you can give him a handmade rattle.

You can give free rein to your imagination and use completely different objects and materials for making. For example, knit it from wool or sew it from a pleasant fabric; fill with beads, various cereals and seeds. You can paint a small blank for a nesting doll yourself and adapt it as a rattle.

It has been scientifically proven that the mother's face is the first thing that the child begins to see with his eyes, so you can sew a rattle in the form of a cheerful face for your baby, it will delight and soothe the baby.

Making the right choice

Everything that surrounds newborns from the first days of life, has a huge impact for their further development. As we can see, there are a lot of varieties of rattles, and all of them have different properties that are useful for children, and, of course, parents are concerned about the question: how to choose the right rattle?

A newborn baby is completely defenseless against those around him. big world Therefore, the first thing parents should pay attention to when buying any product for a child is its safety. When making a purchase, pay attention to the following:

• good rattle must be durable, do not have small, easily detachable parts;
• it should be smooth, without seams and sharp corners;
• the paint must be of high quality - do not get off the toy and leave no marks;
• the toy should not have an unpleasant foreign odor.

Do not save money, buy only in trusted stores and ask the seller for a quality certificate for this product. Then you can be sure that the first toy will bring only joy to the baby.

In order for a rattle for a newborn to contribute to the development of various skills, pay attention to:

• toy design- it should be comfortable for the baby to hold it in his hand, and it should not be too heavy for him;
• sound - it should not be sharp, but loud enough. Be sure to choose a few rattles with different sounds: bells, balls, melody or nature sounds;
• the color of the toy should be bright enough, as pastel colors simply will not attract the baby's attention. Also, kids really like transparent specimens, inside of which you can see different rolling figures.

Baby grows - interest changes

As we have already seen, a rattle is a useful thing for newborns, but one question remains: at what age and which version of this entertainment is suitable for a child?

• A newborn can carefully follow a bright object with his eyes from the age of two weeks. At this time, the baby can also hold a small object in the fist, due to the developed grasping reflex.
• A three-month-old baby already consciously holds the rattle in his hand, starts waving it and pulling it into his mouth.
• He also begins to understand the shape and color of the toy, responds well to sound, and some of them become favorites.
• At around four months old, your baby will need teething rattles.
• If you carry a baby in a sling, then from the age of five months you can give him soft toys so that the baby is busy with his own affairs and does not distract his mother.
• A six-month-old toddler consciously and with pleasure plays with all his rattles.

Now we know that a rattle is not just a toy, but the first object through which a baby can learn a lot about the bright, diverse world around him, filled with sounds, smells and sensations. Please your child different games, develop it and rejoice with him in his new skills.

First friends

How many toys do you need to an infant And what should these toys be? This is a question many new parents ask themselves. Let's try to answer it, taking into account the needs of a growing child. Preferences in toys during the first year of life change: the baby grows, something becomes unattractive for him, and toys that were not previously interesting suddenly become favorites. Therefore, there can be no strict limits on the number necessary toys for babies of any age. A good toy should be appropriate for the child's developmental level - not too complicated, so as not to cause annoyance and disappointment, but not primitive. Consider what toys it is advisable to purchase for your baby, based on his age.

Elena Fedorova

educational psychologist,

department teacher

Pedagogy and sychology of childhood USPU

From 0 to 3 months

At the stage of a child's adaptation to the world around him, it is advisable to offer toys and objects for visual and sensory perception. It can be the following toys:

Rattles. Rattles of different sizes and shapes, contrasting colors, made from a variety of materials (wood, plastic, fabric) are perhaps the very first toys in a baby's life. This is not accidental, since playing with such objects just contributes to the visual-auditory concentration of the crumbs, attracts his attention and teaches him to distinguish the “voice” of the rattle from the many surrounding sounds. You can buy about 10 rattles, provided that they all differ from each other in a variety of materials and colors, sound timbre, shape and size.

Mobile, music carousel

The melodic sound of the musical carousel evokes pleasant auditory sensations in the baby, developing auditory perception. The baby will watch with interest how bright mobile toys rotate. At the same time, two methods of perception are involved - visual and auditory. It is enough to buy 1 mobile with removable toys and replace them with new ones from time to time.

rubber toys

As a rule, these are toys depicting animals, birds, characters of cartoons and fairy tales, which means that they introduce the baby to the outside world. In addition, when squeezed, the toy squeaks - the baby unmistakably distinguishes this sound from other sounds: it listens, directs its attention to the source of the sound. The number of rubber toys can be from 5 to 10.

Game center (turnichok)

It consists of many toys of different directions:

a panel with buttons that you can click on - and see or hear the effects produced by this click;

a safe mirror in which the baby can look at his reflection;

rattles, bells;

tweeter elements;

bright hanging toys that the baby needs to reach out to catch and touch them.

The child can play in the supine position, on a special mat or in a crib. One such center will be enough to captivate your baby for a long time and involve the work of all the senses, thereby training and developing them.

Musical toys

They contribute to the training of the senses, develop auditory perception and concentration, orientation in space in search of a sound source. The number of toys depends on the preferences of your crumbs: buy 2-3 of these toys “to try”. Does the little one like it? Replenish the stock, observing the following conditions: toys must be made of materials of different textures and have different sounds.

clockwork toys

As a rule, such a toy starts with a few turns, a key. The baby is not yet able to carry out this complex action, but he really likes to watch the movement of the toy.

Since the main way to interact with such objects is to observe their movement, 1-2 toys of this kind will suffice.

3 to 6 months

The child's passive scrutiny of surrounding objects gives way to his active engagement with medium. The kid reaches for toys, tries to grab, feel, touch, perform simple actions. The beginning of purposeful use of the hand must be encouraged and stimulated.

Stuffed Toys

Such toys are made of soft, pleasant to the touch fabric (fleece, velor, artificial fur, knitwear, velvet, plush, etc.). The interaction of the baby with such toys develops the perception of the texture of the material, fine motor skills, the ability to associate the received sensations with their source. An important ability of the crumbs - to make groping movements with the hand - can also be developed with the help of soft toys. You will need 5-10 similar toys, differing from each other in size, variety of characters. When examining soft bunnies, cats and dogs with a child, it is useful, naming them, to pronounce sounds that imitate the “speech” of this or that animal. For example: “This is a frog, it croaks: “kva-kva”, and this is a mouse - it squeaks thinly: “pee-pee-pee”. Let your baby touch the toy, rub its fur, grab it, chew it or stroke it.

balls

Children's balls are made of soft, light and durable rubber, have a variety of colors and patterns. It is enough for the first time to have 2-3 light rubber balls of different sizes. It is useful for the development of fine motor skills to purchase a ball with rubber "thorns". Show the baby how the ball rolls, how it bounces when it hits the floor. You can look at the pictures drawn on it, tell a short rhyme about the ball.

Baby books

They are produced from a special durable material: cardboard, leatherette, oilcloth, fabric. Such books have various additions: devices that make sounds; soft or rubber parts; musical devices; laces, pockets, liners. They are very convenient to "read": look at bright multi-colored illustrations; get a variety of sensations, touching materials of different textures; listen to different sounds by actuating a musical mechanism or using sound devices. The developmental possibilities of such a toy are very wide: with its help, the baby improves touch, hearing and vision. The number of books cannot be limited. Start by buying 2-3 similar books, further focusing on your child's interest in looking at pictures.

dolls

The baby still does not know how to play with dolls, but he really likes to look at them, reach out to them to touch his eyes, nose, clothes. For the show, 2-3 large expressive dolls (from 30 cm high) made of different materials - plastic, rag, rubber and even porcelain are suitable. It is desirable that the proportions of the figure and facial features be close to human, and the expression of the puppet face look neutral or cheerful. After 6 months, you can add 1-2 plastic baby dolls, 10-20 cm high, to the playing field, very convenient to grab and hold in small hands.

Tumbler

It can become one of your baby's favorite toys at 6-7 months. Playing with such a doll is extremely exciting: you can listen to how it rings, crawl after it, watch with interest a real miracle - how a doll laid on the floor returns to a vertical position without outside help and sways funny. In the game arsenal, it is enough to have 1 tumbler - the baby will not lose interest in it for a long time.

6-9 months

In the second half of life, the baby diligently studies any object that has fallen into the hands: brings the object to the mouth to examine it with the help of the tongue and lips, turns it over and examines it from different angles, feels, touches the details with fingers. At this stage of development, the toy should be easy to grasp, have a smooth or rough texture of the material, and surface irregularities.

Communication with an adult becomes "businesslike": the baby needs not only affectionate words and attention from an adult, but joint games.

Matryoshka

This smart insert toy attracts the baby with its variegation, colorfulness and manipulation methods. Show the baby how to assemble and disassemble the nesting doll, write some funny story about it and play an improvisation performance in front of the child. On the example of a matryoshka, a child gets acquainted with folk toys, joins the cultural world of the traditions of his people.

Putting a smaller element into a larger one, the child learns to correlate the size of objects, coordinating the actions of hands and eyes. In addition, your baby immediately becomes the owner of a whole family, consisting of 4-7 dolls.

Cubes

For the smallest, soft and light cubes are suitable - plastic or made of cloth. How younger child, the larger the cubes should be, and their number is less. You should not give the whole set at once - just a few details are enough from which the baby can build something. For children under the age of 1 year, it is enough to buy 2-3 sets of plastic, fabric and wood cubes.

Pyramid

Assembling the pyramid, sorting its rings by size or color contributes to the development of intelligence, improves fine motor skills and coordination of the child's movements. The first pyramid for assembly should contain no more than 3-4 rings, because the attention and perseverance of the baby are short-lived, it is still difficult for him to painstakingly perform the given sequence of actions. For the first time, 3-4 such toys made of different materials are enough.

8-12 months

At this age, the child learns the properties of the toy. At this age, children's games become more complex and varied: children love to put objects in containers and pour them out, examine and actuate moving parts of toys, unscrew lids, open and close drawers and jars, build and destroy primitive constructions from blocks.

Inserts

The most favorite action of the baby is the insertion of some objects into others. Already at the end of the first year of life, babies are happy to take toys out of the box, bowl or bag and put them back. A set of liners consists of several (from 3 to 12) hollow objects of the same shape and different sizes. It can be cubes, cups, cylinders, decreasing in size. By inserting a smaller object into a larger one, children learn to correlate the size of objects by coordinating the actions of the hand and eyes. These toys are very useful for developing the child's perception and thinking. At least 2-3 sets of inserts must be in the game arsenal.

Shape box, sorter

This is another version of the inserts with slots of different shapes and sizes, into which the corresponding parts are inserted. For each hole, you need to select the appropriate part and insert it inside.

One or two such developmental aids will be enough. It is only important that the shapes are simple and understandable for children of this age (circle, square, triangle), and the figures are easy to capture and manipulate.

Yula

The baby is happy to watch the "dance" of this toy, again and again putting it into action, developing the muscles of the hands. The child learns to measure the direction and muscle effort so that the toy spins and does not fall. When the spinning top rotates, a slight buzz of air is heard, balls, horses, little men can move inside the transparent case. One bright colorful toy is suitable for the game, the mechanism of which the baby is able to independently launch into action.

Rolling toys

For a baby who has recently mastered the vertical way of moving, wheelchairs that move forward are most convenient. The baby, as it were, leans on the handle of the wheelchair, maintaining balance when walking. For this purpose, a puppet stroller, cart, horse are also suitable. For walks, get 1-2 wheelchairs.

cars

First, the baby, turning the car over, spins the wheels, then makes an amazing discovery: if you put the car on the floor and push it forward, it rides just like a real one! Kids, regardless of gender, really like to carry cars on the table or floor, roll a doll on them. In addition, the baby gets acquainted with the main modes of transport: bus, car, tractor, plane, train, truck. Therefore, the collection of cars should be replenished. For the first time, buy your child 3-4 cars of different sizes and materials.

Magnetic display

This device teaches your child how to draw. Magnetic screen, pencil attached to it, stencils represent ready set for young artist. Drawings can be easily erased using a special lever and immediately draw new ones. The artistic masterpieces of your baby at first will consist of chaotic lines and incomprehensible squiggles. The toy has a significant "flaw" - the creations of your crumbs are short-lived.

Sandbox set

A small bucket, spatula, rake, sieve, molds are standard components of such a set. Playing in the sandbox with these objects allows the child to learn the properties of bulk material - sand, develops fine motor skills and coordination of movements (the child learns to take the sand with a shovel, pour it into a bucket to create figures using molds). For sand play, one such set will suffice.