Kids learn through play. So we encourage parents and guardians to make the most of play time by investing in toys that develop their child’s mental, physical, and social abilities. Here are some of the benefits of playing with educational toys.
Helps Your Child’s Brain Grow
According to themomsagas.com, your child’s brain gets a boost whenever they play with educational toys. “[Your children] pick up memory retention and literacy skills,” Charu Sareen Gujjal says, “which gradually boosts their cognitive development and even IQ level.” One educational toy that is particularly beneficial for brain development is puzzles. Puzzles help your child develop and improve:
- Spatial awareness
- Attention span
- Problem-solving skills
- Hand-eye coordination
- Pattern, shape, and color recognition
Other toys that help brain development include Legos and wooden blocks.
Boosts Your Child’s Creativity
Educational toys also encourage your child to be creative, providing plenty of opportunities for open-ended, imaginative play. Some toys that jumpstart your child’s creativity include:
- Playdough
- Kinetic Sand
- Paint
- Lincoln Logs
- Water table
Creative toys can also aid in the development of fine motor skills, which can be helpful down the road when your child is trying to learn how to write.
Teaches Your Child Life & Social Skills
We tend to think of “education” as a classroom term, but our children learn just as much outside the classroom as they do inside! You can teach your child how to be responsible, helpful, and kind by modeling those traits and then giving them safe ways to practice by playing with items such as:
- A small broom & dustpan
- Velcro-connected wooden play food with a wooden knife
- Baby dolls (with accessories like diapers, bottle, etc.)
- Kitchen utensils like whisks, spoons, & bowls
Additionally, when your child practices these “real life” scenarios with other children, they develop important social and emotional skills. Interacting with personalities and interests that differ from their own helps your child learn how to adapt to, collaborate with, and respond to their peers.