Preschoolers, now running around, are much more active than toddlers, and it's a great time to introduce preschool games and toys. Their world is bigger, made up of spaces not just around their own house but extending on towards school. It's at this stage that they make new friends, and learn to play with other kids their own age. Their social skills have improved right along with their language development. Before you choose toys for your preschooler, you need to know what stage of development they are currently at. That way you're not just getting your kids toys for entertainment but for learning purposes as well. In the preschool phase their little 'society' includes others. Toddlers focus primarily on family, but in preschool they meet friends and other people outside the family. This is the time when they really start to play with others, and not just side-by-side. They are interested in group play (such as pretend play), and so costumes, puppets, and dolls can become age-appropriate toys. Children going through this stage love to dress dolls and play with them. They imitate the parent-child relationship and dress dolls which they refer to as their “baby.” One interesting thing about the preschool years is that it is the time when they are sensitive about their gender and becoming aware of the male and female roles that they see modeled around them. The toys they choose for play will probably reflect the gender differentiation that they observe in their own world, but they may also provide clues to the child's own personality.