Choosing age appropriate toys and games for your children is imperative.  For choosing wrong, may be in some cases detrimental to your child.  I had a girlfriend whose husband purchased a Magnetix game set for his four year old.  The child seemed mature enough to handle the game even though the age range for this particular set was 10+ (a whopping six year gap!).  Some time went by and the child used the set frequently.  One evening the child came up to his Mom gasping for air.  He had a piece to the game lodged in his throat.  He was able to somehow get it down with water.  The particular piece he swallowed was a heavy round stainless steel ball without a magnet which was eventually expelled.  Had the child swallowed one of the other game pieces which were long barrel shaped magnets covered in plastic, I do not know what his fate would have been.  

The moral to this story is, even though you feel your child is intelligent enough to handle a toy or game that is beyond his or her range, remember they are still kids who are unpredictible!    Another negative factor to choosing toys and games for your child that he or she is not ready for developmentally, you will simply frustrate the child and perhaps damage their self-worth.  Instead set your child up for success!  

So, in deciding on a specific toy or game for your child, always check the box for the age range in which the toy is geared.  Think of your child in terms of their individual development.  Maybe a 100 piece lego set may be too much for your child (and you!) so perhaps you can settle on a 20 piece lego set and see how well they do.  Some quick guidelines to follow:  Ages 0-6 months -  these babies are intriqued by movement and sound.  Good choices for this age group would include anything they can pull, squeeze or shake like mobiles and rattles.   Ages 6m-8m - these babies like repetition and are discovering their hands and feet.  Many of the same toys used in the earlier stages can be used now, except the child is doing more with the toys like switching from one hand to the other.  Ages 8m-18m - these toddlers are learning that they can actually make things happen.  During this stage toys like stacking cups, very basic pull apart toys, and blocks work well.  Ages 18m-24m - pretend play is key at this stage.  Costumes, dolls, kitchen sets, as well as cars, trucks, trains, etc. will fit perfectly into this age group.  Ages 2-4y - kids at this age are learning to be "social" while they continue to expand their minds with pretend play and exercise fine and gross motor skills.  Great choices in this stage are large crayons, fingerpaint, large building blocks and legos, and puzzles.  In closing, take your time in choosing the best age appropraite toys and games for your child, you'll be glad you did.