Parents who are preparing their child for a preschool or primary school environment will be looking for ways to kick-start their education early.
While reading and writing are activities that have to be carefully managed by teachers, the use of educational toys can be just the tonic for boys and girls.
These products are designed to be fun, playful, and sociable, ensuring that they are not purely designed for the sake of a strict curriculum.
The benefits of early exposure to these toys become all the more enticing once parents understand what their child stands to gain when playing with them prior to their school year.
Catering to All Age Groups
The great benefit of investing in educational toys is that there is a wide variety of products to choose from. Whether it is for the smallest of toddlers to those who are already registered for preschool, these items will provide a number of benefits in between educational classes. This is helpful for parents who still want to take advantage of these lines of toys but are concerned they will quickly grow out of them. They can progress from basic dolls and toy sounds for 12-24 month babies to more intricate and challenging puzzles and computer games for those around the 5-6 year range.
Improving Key Cognitive Functions & Problem Solving Skills
The early exposure to educational toys boosts key cognitive functions that would otherwise struggle to develop without that focus. Especially when it comes to memory games and puzzles, the capacity to independently solve problems, maintain attention on a task, comprehend words and letters, and recall information is all essential for a child’s development. Exercising these functions requires time and effort, making these products perfect vehicles to focus on these actions without making a conscious decision to work on education.
Improving Fine Motor Skills
One of the central selling points that is evident with the use of educational toys is that young boys and girls improve their fine motor skills during each session. From the smallest of muscles to the use of their joints in the hands and fingers to the application of the thumbs, these activities require work and attention. Getting a tangible feel for various textures and shapes is helpful as well as the ability to carefully maneuver items is all progress that will be beneficial leading to a classroom environment.
Fostering Friendly Social Interactions
An entire niche of social educational toys has been developed to entice more than one participant at a time. Whether it is a board game, a puzzle, a painting board or a collection of figures and dolls, this is a setting that encourages the mantra: the more the merrier. Some children will struggle to integrate with their peers and by having these toys on hand, others will gravitate to the activity and help to create friendships.
Encouraging Freedom & Creativity
There will always be a desire for young boys and girls to play on their own time without being micromanaged at all hours of the day. The use of educational toys helps to bridge that gap between developing key skills and simply having fun as a child should. Without having mum and dad looking over the shoulder, they will feel free to truly express themselves and tap into their own sense of creativity.
Early exposure to educational toys from as young as 12-24 months is nothing to be concerned about. Rather than playing with products that don’t provide much value, these brands help to achieve two tasks simultaneously while they are preparing to enter the preschool world.