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UK learning Toys - Educational Toys in
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Toys and
Learning: The Stuff that Great Childhoods are
Made of
All parents want their kids to succeed in
school, but do you know how to help them do it?
Here's a hint; it's all about the toys - and the
types of toys that you choose. There is a
magical way that children learn through simple
playtime, and the time spent with educational
toys will far outweigh any other method of
preparing them for the academic road ahead. So
toss the flashcards and workbooks (at least for
now!), pull out the blocks and crayons and get
ready to watch learning in action.
Toddler Training
Toddlers can learn plenty by playing, and
keeping a wide variety of educational toys on
hand is a great place to begin. Creative toys
like finger-paints will encourage imagination
and eye hand coordination - plus it is really
fun to get messy at this age! Pretend will help
children learn to play well with others and to
work out their own fears and concerns in a
constructive way. Play food, action figures and
dress-up clothes will encourage this sort of
fun. Building blocks will aid in the development
of fine motor skills and toys like shape sorters
and puzzles will teach your child valuable
problem solving strategies.
Preschool Principles
Preschoolers will take playtime skills a step
further, by exploring principles such as
socialization, expression of feelings and
imagination. At this age, you can also
incorporate play that will teach letters,
numbers, shapes and colours. Easy board games
like Candy Land and Hi-Ho Cherry-O will teach
these basic concepts in a way that your child
can quickly master, and there are plenty of
great electronic developmental toys on the
market that can reinforce these principles with
fun activities. Gross motor skills are ripe for
development, so outdoor toys become quite
popular at this age as well. Hang onto your
finger-paints, and add some clay or play dough
to your collection to nurture creative minds -
kids still love to get messy in preschool!
Primary Education
Playtime learning doesn't stop in primary
school. Educational toys like strategy games
will teach higher level thinking and complex
puzzles will continue to teach problem solving
skills (as well as patience!). Different forms
of art will allow your child to express his
creativity and his feelings. Competitive sports
will come into play at this age, expanding gross
motor skills and teaching concepts like the
importance of practice and good sportsmanship.
Science toys can teach biology, physics and
chemistry, as a whole new brand of messy comes
into play.
Toys and kids have always gone hand in hand, but
toys and learning are equally compatible. So the
next time you see your child sit down in front
of an enticingly huge pile of Lego's, think
about the many skills he will be mastering from
a single building session and watch that young
mind at work. Happy learning! |
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