It has been said that play is the work of children. While it may be inconceivable to an adult that children are developing important skills through their playtime all day long, it’s true. In fact, choosing the right educational toys for children is important for their development in several different areas.
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
Young children use toys to develop their gross motor skills. It starts with a baby trying who reaches for a colorful toy and learns to crawl to get to the toy. Toddlers especially enjoy toys that require them to use their whole body. The toy telephone on a string is popular, because they can take it for a walk. Cars are great, because kids can use their hands to drive them around.
As children get older, they develop fine motor skills during play. They do this by dressing a baby doll and building a tower of blocks. They also need to use their fingers to push the buttons on the piano or open the door to the car to put a passenger inside. Playing with toys also helps kids develop their hand-eye coordination, which will serve them well later when they learn to read and write.
Cognitive Development
Children of all ages are developing their cognitive skills through play. In the beginning, naming the toys and talking about what they do encourages language development. Toys help children quickly learn their shapes and colors without any additional coaching on the parent’s part. They even learn basic counting skills as they start grouping toys and playing with others.
As children get older, they don’t lose their interest in games, but now the toys they like may require more elaborate cognitive reasoning. For example, puzzles encourage problem-solving and recognizing shapes and colors. Board games can teach memory skills and help them concentrate. Even building blocks help their cognitive development, because they help kids work independently.
Social Skills
Even infants acquire new social skills partly through the use of toys. Initially, babies learn to understand emotion through pretend play with toys. Language skills are necessary for proper social interactions, and through the world of play, kids learn how to play with others. This includes taking turns, sharing, and cooperating with one another.
Educational toys can make a big difference, because kids can learn to take initiative. They’ll also learn how to negotiate and even plan for the future. For example, they can plan the building of a unique tower of building blocks or create an exciting new world for their toys to live in.
Emotional Development
Children may be miniature adults in looks, but their perception of the world is very different. One of the things they have to learn is recognizing and controlling their own emotions. It starts with learning how to express how they feel when they’re little. As they get older, they’ll learn to recognize emotions in others, which will help them develop empathy and sympathy.
As children learn to express themselves, they’ll naturally gravitate towards role-playing and creating new worlds. Kids are great at playing make-believe games, because they are not limited by their creativity. The best toys are the ones that can be used in different ways to encourage this emotional development.
These are 4 educational toys that can help children develop their skills :
