The best toys for encouraging independent standing are those that shift the focus away from simply standing and toward the fun, functional tasks your child can do while standing.
Ideally, toys and activities encourage weight bearing, weight shifting, and functional play while giving your child a reason to stay engaged and upright. Toys that involve reaching, grasping, pushing, pulling, or playing with both hands can also encourage active use of the upper body. This helps minimize leaning through the trunk and allows the muscles of the trunk to stay engaged, promoting both strength and stability in standing.
The goal isn’t to make standing the activity, it’s to make play the activity and let standing become part of it!
Check out our previous post here to learn more Tips and Tricks to Encourage Independent Standing!
Our Favorite Standing Toys Include:
Standing Art Easel promotes vertical posture, weight bearing and engages upper body in fun and creative way!
Activity Table offers different play options to promote upright position. The activity table allows child to engage with sensory play using water table, building with lego table, or any other tabletop activity!
Water Table is a great toy to encourage independent standing that also provides a wonderful sensory experience.
Suction Toys on vertical surface are helpful motivators to promote prolonged standing, reaching & manipulation!
Train Table encourages independent standing. In addition, it encourages role playing and problem solving.
Standing Ball Drop Toy is a wonderful cause and effect toy that encourages prolonged weight bearing in standing, weight shifting and reaching.
Play Kitchen is a wonderful toy to encourage independent standing, cruising and eventually walking. Engaging the child’s imagination and role playing their way to sous chef status!
Tool Bench is a wonderful toy to encourage independent standing. As child manipulates tools we incorporate hand eye coordination while promoting dynamic standing balance.
Basketball Hoop encourages squatting, reaching over head, throwing to target and retrieving object with bimanual hold.
Musical Instruments are wonderful toys to encourage independent standing without support. As the child engages their upper body and lower body to create music!
Remember to have fun and allow your child to be an active participant in their own development. Never force any developmental position or milestone, as each child develops according to their own unique timeline. The ideas and suggestions shared above are all meant to encourage play and share in experiences with your little one!
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