Manipulative Play

Manipulative play comes under physical development of your child. Physical development is the process that your child gains control of his movements at different stages.

Your child should be provided with the appropriate opportunities as he may find a task too difficult and will likely loose confidence. He may also give up instead of returning to an activity.

Age	Play needs of Your Child	Suitable Manipulative Toys
0-3 Months	Finger play… discovering hand, may hold given object for few moments.	Rattle placed in hand; objects above cot or chair that may make a sound when touched.
3-6 Months	Starting to use pincer-grasp and moving objects from one hand to the other; watches object fall and follows objects and people.	Soft toys; toys that rattle; toys that will withstand banging and are visually stimulating and tactile.
6-9 Months	Reacts to people and objects; developing pincer-grasp; points with index finger; looks for objects that have been dropped.	Small objects to encourage pincer grip... supervise closely as he will taste them; building bricks and toys that can be built and knocked down.
9-12 Months	Developed pincer grip; bangs objects and enjoys throwing toys down and pointing to them.	Pull-along toys…with sound; balls to roll; containers with objects in to put in and take out; stacking toys.
1-2 Years	Builds 2 block tower. Can place objects precisely. Turns pages of picture book. Squats to pick up toys. Can kick large ball.	Pushing toys; building bricks; simple construction toys; large crayons and pencils; wooden lift-out puzzle with knobs to grasp.
2-3 Years	Builds tower of 6 cubes. Can pedal and steer tricycle. Builds tower of 9 cubes.	Construction toys e.g. Duplo; strickle bricks; thick puzzles in a frame of about six pieces. No small parts as he might put in his mouth.
3-6 Years	Ball games skill increases. Builds a tower of 10 cubes. Skips on both feet and hops.	Small world toys e.g. play mobil or train set, construction toys, medium sized interlocking puzzles

Materials For Manipulative Play

Small Equipment

Puzzles – all varieties
Construction toys... such as duplo and meccano, straws etc.
Beads, cotton reels, cards for threading and stacking
Sewing cards
Musical instruments

Drawing and Painting Equipment

Crayons -- thick and thin

Pencils, pens -- felt tip -- washable non-toxic glue paper; collage pieces

Cotton reels

Water

Sand

Other Equipment

Materials for cooking, dough, clay

Physical play -- ball play -- throwing, catching etc.

Home corner play

Setting Out Equipment For Children’s Manipulative Play

There might be a variety of equipment and materials to set out for manipulative play but you should ensure that all equipment are safe regarding to the guidelines below before setting it out.

Always present equipment attractively

Encourage children’s own choice

Allow children to experiment

Avoid setting out too many toys as this will not enable children to enjoy choosing an activity

Place equipment such as Lego in the middle of a table so that all the children can have access to

Ensure that surface is clean and stable and at the right height for the children

Ensure that equipment is appropriate for the ages of the children involved

Provide space for children to move easily

Consider access required for children with limited mobility or in a wheel chair

Provide tactile equipment for a child with visual impairment

Ensure that toys such as jigsaws show positive images of people.

Sorting Manipulative Play Materials

Manipulative play materials can be inexpensively and attractively stored. As children grow older they may be in a position to have access to them and put them away.

Large plastic boxes are very useful. Do not fill them too much, as children will not be able to look for what they might need.

Drawstring bags can hold materials such as Lego. This also provides enough storage for small objects such as beads.

Label all containers clearly with letters and recognisable pictures…cut from catalogues... or drawn of the materials inside. Equipment can then be located easily and children’s reading skills are also encouraged.

Click here to learn more about duplo creative building toy to help your child's manipulative play.