How Educational Toys Can Enhance Your Child's Learning

As technology improves and production becomes more time and cost efficient, children's educational toys , games, puzzles, and software programs are becoming increasingly accessible to today's families. There are plenty of reasons why parents should take advantage of that accessibility.

1) Children desire to learn.Children have an innate curiosity with new objects and situations-play is one of the means children have to satisfy this curiosity and to become grounded and familiar with the world. Children who use educational toys turn their desire to learn into the ability to mimic adults (e.g., learning vocabulary or a specific motor skill), which provides a good social foundation as well as a solid physical and cognitive base.

2) Educational toys are even for babies. A great deal of progress has been made in understanding brain, muscle, and social development in children, including infants. Because the greatest developments occur within the first years, the best time to use educational toys is when children are young. Educational toy makers have come to understand this and thus have developed dozens of affordable products designed to encourage physical and mental growth in even the youngest. Such products provide a basis for future learning in schools, daycares, teams, and other situations.

3) Children have an impact. One of the biggest milestones in child development is when a child comes to understand that they can influence what is around them. Educational toys teach children not only tasks or skills, but also that they are capable of changing, inventing, sharing, and building on what they see, hear, feel, and touch.

4) Children's needs are unique. Children are all different, and as a consequence, they need different things at different times to help them develop. Educational toys usually are made with specific age groups or needs in mind so that parents can match the appropriate toy with their child. For instance, "tummy-time" play mats with attachments that rattle or crinkle help babies to learn about sounds and textures while developing grasping skills and back muscles. Older children, by contrast, can look to items like the traditional Memory card game or even computer software to improve cognitively.

5) It's way beyond the wood blocks now.Technological advances have made it possible for children to use everything from police helmets that siren to toy laptops and digital cameras. These advances mean that children now can learn more things in more ways (so long, of course, as the technological toy does not resort to mere button pushing and is interactive).

Understanding the benefits of educational toys, it's also important to understand that educational toys must be used in the right way. Handing a toy to a child and then merely leaving them alone is little better than leaving the child in front of the television-in order for the benefits of the toy to be maximized, parents need to be involved in its use. It is the interaction between the parent and child that determine the full value of the toy and which ultimately is more precious to the child than the toy itself.

Secondly, although the main desire for an educational toy is to teach, the reality is that children play rough. Parents thus need to look for educational toys that can withstand tumbles, smacks, accidental step-ons, and other wear and tear. This is especially true when buying more expensive electronic toys that may require delicate circuits, connections, or additional hardware such as a TV screen.

Lastly, when using educational toys, remember that even though children use them to learn, the items are what they are-toys! If your child doesn't enjoy a product, then don't use it, regardless of how many star ratings it's received or rave reviews you've read about it. Instead, find toys that truly delight your children while they teach. Remember that an educational toy can be anything that teaches-even a towel used to play peek-a-boo, for instance, can be an educational toy that teaches a baby about object permanence. The more fun your child has, the more fun you'll have, too, and the more stimulated they will be.

Sources:

*Creativity Institute, "Children and Toys", babiesonline.com

*Barbara De Olieveira, "Educational Toys That Stimulate Children's Minds", BabiesOnline.com