The Educational Play Experience

Whether its playtime, spelling time or math time, toys can be tools for students to have a productive learning day. In an educational environment, toys can be an option to a textbook, chalkboard or smart board.

Developing skills is the whole idea behind an educational play experience. Look for toys that promote one or more of these skills:

Imagination: Forming mental images in your own mind without use of the 5 senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste or smell.

Motor Skills: Gross motor development is the overall muscle movement of large muscle groups in the body. Toys that encourage lifting your head, rolling over, sitting up, balancing, crawling, and walking are all examples of toys the promote gross motor movement. Fine motor development refers to the development of skills involving the smaller musclc group that include the ability to hold small objects and transfer objects from hand to hand. Look for toys that encourage use of the pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) to pick up small objects, cutting, coloring, writing, zippering, tying or threading beads.

Self-esteem: How you perceive your own self worth. Behavior may reflect self-esteem (assertiveness/shyness, confidence) and toys that help a child with self-discovery can enhance self esteem. Board games that challenge the mind, art projects and anything creative are the best examples of toys that can help develop positive self esteem.

Speech: The vocalization form of communication. Toys that encourage talking, repeating, speaking, annunciation, phonics and singing are all enhancing the development of speech.