When parents are preparing for a new baby they may well include infant educational toys in their list of supplies for the arrival. A baby may need clothing and food to grow a healthy body but he will need educational toys to grow a healthy mind. Play time for children is learning time and parents that want to encourage learning will plan the educational toys their children will be exposed to. Understanding the stages a child will go through as they grow and learn will help to select the toys that will assist their development. Learning for very young children will include their muscle development and coordination. When they master their basic body skills they will be eager to use them.
This is where educational toys will begin to encourage their minds. If parents take the time to do a bit of research on the subject of educational toys they will find many sources with highly recommended products. It is easy to buy a toy for a child. It is far better to buy one that will be educational and fun than one that is just a passing time killer.
Free educational games are easy for parents to create themselves with some imagination. Educational toys and educational games do not need to be expensive purchases. They just need to stimulate some curiosity and offer a learning environment for the child. Most learning should be made fun for the young ones. The goal is to add some benefit or a lesson in the time they spend on the games or toys.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Start Babies off with Educational Toys
Caring parents will start their babies off with educational toys very soon after they are born. Children begin to learn at a very early age. The learning begins as soon as they are born. They are born with capable brains that need to be filled up with information. Understanding how a baby develops will help them to select educational toys that will encourage their development. A mobile floating above a baby will encourage it to look and reach and be curious. Different colors and shapes at different times should also be considered. A new born child will not be able to see colors at first. Black and white may work best in the beginning.
Educational toys and free educational games are the play tools children use to learn and grow with. A child may not even understand that the toy selected for them has been chosen for its learning value as well as play value. Many parents understand that a child plays to learn and that the toys they play with can be a support to the learning process. They will select the educational toys they expose their children to with care. There are toys available that will be far more educationally beneficial than others. It is the job of the parent to make the best use of a child’s play time.
The idea that a toy is an educational toy does not take away from the play time or pleasure it can offer to a child. Many children find more enjoyment in being challenged than by just having something cute to hold on to. A stuffed toy may be well loved but it may help the child more if it has shoe laces the child can practice tying while he plays!
Educational toys and free educational games are the play tools children use to learn and grow with. A child may not even understand that the toy selected for them has been chosen for its learning value as well as play value. Many parents understand that a child plays to learn and that the toys they play with can be a support to the learning process. They will select the educational toys they expose their children to with care. There are toys available that will be far more educationally beneficial than others. It is the job of the parent to make the best use of a child’s play time.
The idea that a toy is an educational toy does not take away from the play time or pleasure it can offer to a child. Many children find more enjoyment in being challenged than by just having something cute to hold on to. A stuffed toy may be well loved but it may help the child more if it has shoe laces the child can practice tying while he plays!
Educational Toys Encourage Children to Explore
Educational toys make use of a child’s natural inclination to learn and encourage them to explore and develop skills. For young children the time they spend playing is really time they are spending learning. Children are born with intelligence but without facts and information in their heads. The toys may just seem like fun for the child but they are really educational toys that the child can enjoy while they learn. Play time is time spent learning about the world around them and how things work. It will start with very basics like the different texture feels for young children or the sounds things and animals make. These things are often found as part of infant educational toys.
Not all toys would be considered educational toys by parents and educators. Toys that encourage violence like guns and other toy weapons are not felt to be of much positive value. Parents are encouraged to consider the learning value of any toys they provide for their children. The children may actually be learning things that will not be of much benefit to them in later life and might even develop into problems. A very young child allowed to engage in violent play may develop with the same attitudes to life.
If children are exposed to positive skill and knowledge building educational toys they will embrace learning more readily and feel comfortable with it. If they are just allowed to fool around without structure or regard to their toys, there is less hope they will advance their skills as rapidly as other children or even as well as they can for themselves.
Not all toys would be considered educational toys by parents and educators. Toys that encourage violence like guns and other toy weapons are not felt to be of much positive value. Parents are encouraged to consider the learning value of any toys they provide for their children. The children may actually be learning things that will not be of much benefit to them in later life and might even develop into problems. A very young child allowed to engage in violent play may develop with the same attitudes to life.
If children are exposed to positive skill and knowledge building educational toys they will embrace learning more readily and feel comfortable with it. If they are just allowed to fool around without structure or regard to their toys, there is less hope they will advance their skills as rapidly as other children or even as well as they can for themselves.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Educational Toys In The Classroom
Entering a classroom, whether one full of preschoolers or school age children, one has no doubt that educational toys are part of the modern educator's curriculum. From manipulatives, to dress up, to board games, to musical instruments, to interactive electronic toys such as robots or turtle roamers, the breadth of educational toys is vast. While it is not uncommon to find computers in the modern elementary school classroom, it is not yet common to find children actively engaged in video games for educational development. However, as computers and video games take an ever larger role in our lives and the lives of children, so too will their role in educational toys and games. This underscores a crucial point about the fluidity of the definition of an educational toy. As the perception of what is "educational" changes, so too will the integration of new toys into our children's classrooms.
Article source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Article source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Educational Toys In Child Development
As mentioned previously, educational toys enhance intellectual, social, emotional, and/or physical development. Educational toys are thus designed to encourage reasonable development milestones within appropriate age groups. For preschool age youngsters, simple wooden blocks might be a good starting point for a child to begin to understand causal relationships, basic principals of science (e.g. if a block falls from the top of a structure, it will fall until a surface stops its fall), and develop patience and rudimentary hand-eye coordination. For a child moving towards elementary school, other, more sophisticated manipulatives might further aid the development of these skills. Interlocking manipulative toys like Legos or puzzles challenge the child to improve hand/eye coordination, patience, and an understanding of spacial relationships. Finally, a child in elementary school might use very sophisticated construction sets that include moving parts, motors and others to help further understand the complex workings of the world. Importantly, the educational value derived by the child increases when the educational toy is age appropriate.
Article source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Article source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
What is an educational toy?
Toys, and educational toys, are typically built for and used by children. One could make the argument that an educational toy is actually any toy. Most children are constantly interacting with and learning about the world.
This definition is ultimately too broad because one could make the same argument about a rock or a stick as it is not uncommon to see a child play with almost anything near-by.
The difference lies in the child's perception or reality of the toy's value. An educational toy should instruct, promote intellectuality, or emotional and/or physical development. An educational toy can teach a child about a particular subject or can help a child develop a particular skill. The key difference is the child's learning and development associated with interacting with the toy.
More toys are designed with the child's education and development in mind today than ever before. As parents and educators grow more sensitive to the real or perceived development needs of children, toy manufacturers seek to manufacture and market to these parents.
Wooden toys which tend to last for a long, long time serve to maintain interest and durability for the child especially if the toy becomes a favorite.
Article source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This definition is ultimately too broad because one could make the same argument about a rock or a stick as it is not uncommon to see a child play with almost anything near-by.
The difference lies in the child's perception or reality of the toy's value. An educational toy should instruct, promote intellectuality, or emotional and/or physical development. An educational toy can teach a child about a particular subject or can help a child develop a particular skill. The key difference is the child's learning and development associated with interacting with the toy.
More toys are designed with the child's education and development in mind today than ever before. As parents and educators grow more sensitive to the real or perceived development needs of children, toy manufacturers seek to manufacture and market to these parents.
Wooden toys which tend to last for a long, long time serve to maintain interest and durability for the child especially if the toy becomes a favorite.
Article source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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