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Here’s a question we get asked all the time: What are the physical benefits of shape sorter toys for children?
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Shape sorter toys provide a range of physical, developmental and emotional benefits, while also providing your child with the essential fun factor of an engaging toy.
These types of toys can keep your toddler entertained and amused for hours on end because they provide them with a challenge they’re keen to solve.
Let’s go into a bit more detail about what types of toys fall into this category and what the benefits of shape sorter toys are for your child.
What Is A Shape Sorter Toy?
A shape sorter is a classic toy that helps your child learn how to put three dimensional shapes into the corresponding shaped sized holes in the sorter.
In most cases shape sorter toys usually contain various shaped blocks or objects that children try to fit into slots of the same shape as the object.
Many shape sorter toys are self contained boxes in which children fit the block into the slot.
The block then falls into the storage area where it remains until your child dumps the box again.
The idea behind shape sorter boxes is to provide your child with hands on learning which is where the physical benefits of a shape sorter toy come into play.
Top Three Shape Sorter & Stacking Toy Sets
Our top pick: Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube
Second place: Montessori Wooden Toys Sorting & Stacking Set by Pebira
Third place: Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks
What Are The Physical Benefits Of Shape Sorter Toys?
As well as being a very educational toy, providing an invaluable learning experience for your toddler, shape sorter toys provide your child with a range of important physical benefits as well.
Here is a look at some of the physical benefits of shape sorter toys.
Development of Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills are the ability to control the movement of the small muscles of the body. These muscles help your child do things such as pick up items and hold a pencil or pen.
In order for these muscles to function well, they need to be exercised.
Providing your child with a shape sorter toy where there are blocks of different shapes for them to pick up and manipulate helps develop their fine motor skills.
Tactile Development
A sense of touch is very important, and shape sorter toys of all kinds give your child an opportunity to physically touch items, helping with their tactile development.
By touching the different shapes, your child actually can feel whether an object is soft or hard, has gentle curves or hard edges.
Urbanchildinstitute.com has a good article about enhancing development through a sense of touch.
Shape sorter toys encourage tactile exploration and development in a very simple way.