Kids are curious and love exploring new things and many times they ask help from the adults to understand their surroundings. Learning through play is an important part of a child’s development and educational toys can help children learn different skills such as problem solving, conflict resolution, motor skills, and they can also teach them about sharing and nurturing their imagination. There are no rules about what’s the right age of getting your child his or her first educational toy.
At an early age, from one month until twelve months old, sensory play can help stimulate your kid’s senses. Most popular toys for this stage of children’s development are sensory balls and toys, soothers, small portable toys with lights and sounds, stackers or blocks, and more. As the kid grows, you can introduce toys that are more interactive and let your child learn through errors and guidance.
When children reach the age of one or older, they become more mobile and your choice of educational toys can help them learn balance and coordination, satisfying their curiosity at the same time. As they learn how to walk, they can also start learning numbers slowly, but surely, as they make their steps. Themed toys and books can help develop recognition and language skills by introducing the names of family members, animals, colours and more. As they grow, you can introduce various educational toys to boost their learning such as building toys, models, geometrical toys, science experiment kits, puzzles, arts and crafts, different types of games that involve math or reading skills.
As kids progress through childhood, they go through different developmental stages. With that in mind, educational kids toys available are designed to teach them specific things at a certain age to enhance their development. When other people, such as parents or siblings, are part of the game, children enjoy their toys and learn through fun and play.
Benefits of Educational Toys for Children’s Cognitive Development
Educational kids toys are one of the best ways to support their active exploring nature while growing up. First of all, they can satisfy children’s curiosity, encourage creativity, increase their IQ, but most importantly, educational toys are a great source of fun. The following are some of the benefits your child can gain from children educational toys.
Develop Their Senses
The most common senses developed with the use of educational toys are the sense of touch, sight and hearing. Many parents use bright toys in various colours to enhance the sense of sight in children, and toys that produce sounds to enhance the sense of hearing, starting from an early age. As they grow, educational toys can help them express how they feel about certain experiences, using sounds, colours and materials, which can help in the process of developing a kid’s personality and communication skills.
Develop Problem-Solving Skills
One of the most important uses of kids educational games and toys is to challenge children’s minds and encourage them to focus on solving a problem, step by step. Some toys, such as puzzles, require energy, attention and thinking from the child, and depending on the child’s age, the puzzle can be less or more complicated. Other educational toys and games enable the child to solve mathematical problems, and as they’re thinking of all the possible ways for different ways to solve the issue, their mind grows and they develop problem-solving skills.
Develop Social and Emotional Skills
It’s very important for children to develop their social and emotional skills in their childhood, and educational toys can encourage development easily. They are designed in a way that requires interactive play with other kids. When children play together, they encounter different social and emotional states, such as anger, happiness, responsibility and many more. That helps them experience and express certain feelings and adapt to them as well, which can be a key attribute for their social growth in the future.
Encourage Creativity
Curiosity is the natural state of children, they enjoy exploring the objects around them and usually it goes through imaginative play and experimentation. Educational toys help them use their creativity in a safe and fun way, and experience the environment around them by designing, building and exploring.
Improve Concentration Levels
Very often, children have a minimal concentration span. They can easily lose interest in activities, things and people. For that reason, educational toys are designed to be fun and manageable, so kids won’t lose their interest and will continue learning. Instead of turning to the go-to solution of today’s world, and giving them an iPad, tablet or a mobile phone to play, introduce your child to an educational toy and let them focus on their new challenge.
Boost Their IQ
Educational toys are designed to increase children’s literacy, help them with hand-eye coordination, develop motor skills, identify various items in their surroundings and memorise what they’ve learned. Developing these skills can gradually increase children’s IQ mainly because they are fun and kids enjoy playing and learning the whole time.
Things to Consider When Choosing Educational Toys
Age
Consider your child’s age and maturity level before buying an educational toy. That way you can provide your kid with a challenge set to his or her capabilities.
Interest
Many times, children show their interest in a certain topic, which can be very helpful when it comes to choosing toys or games they’ll like. When they find something appealing, it’s most important to encourage their interest and let them explore further.
Struggling Subject
On the other hand, there might be a subject that your child finds difficult. To help them overcome the struggle, look for a fun toy that can give a new approach. Most commonly, when children are struggling with something, they can be reluctant to play with a toy that reminds them of a certain subject. But if it’s fun, they can give it a chance.
Finally, avoid making it all about learning and offer them different toys that will help them learn, but also toys that will just entertain them, with no focus on learning anything in particular. Try not to interrupt their play and use every opportunity to ask them about their favourite toys and games, and encourage them accordingly. Join in and play at their level, but make sure that your child leads the play and introduce new activities once they’ve mastered the previous ones. The right timing can improve the quality of play and the learning process as well.
