Building block toys have always been a favorite among children thanks to the fact that they are both fun and challenging, especially for toddlers and preschoolers. However, other than just being an entertainment tool, building block toys offer several benefits for your kids. Here are 5 of those benefits:
1. Better Motor Skills – Using building blocks requires your child to put them in a position so that they do not topple over. As a result, hand-eye coordination improves the more the child plays. The act of grasping the blocks itself serves as good practice for gripping objects, and strengthens the fingers and hands of the child.
2. Mental Stimulation – Your child learns to think logically when playing with building blocks. After a few tries at building something and watching the blocks topple over, your child will learn that the blocks have to be arranged and placed properly to prevent that from happening. An older child will also realize that a stronger base can be made if you arrange most of the blocks at the bottom. Logical thinking skills are crucial in a child’s intellectual development.
3. Math And Vocabulary Skills – Studies have shown that the inclusion of building blocks in playtime helps develop language and mathematical skills among children. Language skills develop when the child learns the names of the colors, shapes and sizes of building blocks. Mathematical skills are sharpened when a child learns to add up or subtract the number of building blocks required to build a structure. As such, it’s easy to see why building blocks are a great preschool learning tool.
4. Improves Creativity – Children learn how to create different structures using building blocks, and this stimulates their creative mind. Thus building blocks offer a good base to encourage a child’s creative abilities and not just the logical.
5. Encourages Positive Social Interaction – Building blocks are the type of toys that a child can share with others. By encouraging them to play together they learn how to interact and cooperate. This is among the first forms of teamwork your child can engage in.
It may be difficult to comprehend how toys as simple as building blocks offer so many benefits, but it's wonderful to know that age-old, simple toys can serve such good purposes.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
A Guide to the Development of Sharing and Cooperation in Children
There are many stages in a child’s development. One of these stages is the concept of learning and understanding how to share and cooperate with others. This is critical in social and relationship building, in order to be a positive influence in society. The importance of adult supervision and involvement is needed at this stage.
The Early Stages
A child starts to learn the action of sharing and cooperation with simple gestures in infancy of giving something to an adult, with the adult returning the item to the infant. This development process later becomes more defined amongst toddlers between the ages of 18-24 months. They are now becoming more deliberate in the action of sharing and cooperating.
As toddlers, children begin to develop the concept of ownership of items. A child knows what he or she needs and wants, and with adult guidance learns how to share personal items with others. Interestingly, researchers found girls preferring to share and cooperate with friends. Boys on the other hand displayed no preference.
The Role Adults Play
Adults are able to set the stage for creating a learning environment for sharing and teaching children the action of sharing. Adults are also key in teaching children to work together in cooperation, or as a team.
Take time to acknowledge a child you observe sharing and cooperating. Recognition enforces the positive nature of this behavior. Children also need to see adults performing the same actions that are being preached to them. An explanation of what it means to share and cooperate may contribute to the reinforcement of this action to children.
The Role of Toys
When children see that there is an abundance of items available, they will be more inclined to share. To support this development in your child, the use of some toys can create the sharing and cooperation process and environment. These toys assist in making the concept of sharing and cooperating more meaningful for children.
Toys such as stacking blocks, building sets, and puzzles all encourage sharing with an adult or another child, as well as working as a team. Even buying sheets of large paper and some markers and crayons can be a great way for your child to enjoy creating a project with someone else.
The Early Stages
A child starts to learn the action of sharing and cooperation with simple gestures in infancy of giving something to an adult, with the adult returning the item to the infant. This development process later becomes more defined amongst toddlers between the ages of 18-24 months. They are now becoming more deliberate in the action of sharing and cooperating.
As toddlers, children begin to develop the concept of ownership of items. A child knows what he or she needs and wants, and with adult guidance learns how to share personal items with others. Interestingly, researchers found girls preferring to share and cooperate with friends. Boys on the other hand displayed no preference.
The Role Adults Play
Adults are able to set the stage for creating a learning environment for sharing and teaching children the action of sharing. Adults are also key in teaching children to work together in cooperation, or as a team.
Take time to acknowledge a child you observe sharing and cooperating. Recognition enforces the positive nature of this behavior. Children also need to see adults performing the same actions that are being preached to them. An explanation of what it means to share and cooperate may contribute to the reinforcement of this action to children.
The Role of Toys
When children see that there is an abundance of items available, they will be more inclined to share. To support this development in your child, the use of some toys can create the sharing and cooperation process and environment. These toys assist in making the concept of sharing and cooperating more meaningful for children.
Toys such as stacking blocks, building sets, and puzzles all encourage sharing with an adult or another child, as well as working as a team. Even buying sheets of large paper and some markers and crayons can be a great way for your child to enjoy creating a project with someone else.
Monday, December 9, 2013
5 Ways To Keep Children Entertained When Traveling
Traveling with young children can be a challenge, especially on long trips in a car, airplane, or train – it's really hard for them to sit in one confined position for a long period of time. The trick to making traveling fun and exciting for children is to keep them entertained and their tummies full.
With boredom, comes restlessness, and with hunger comes crankiness. A combination of this can mean an unpleasant trip, not only for the children, but for everyone traveling together. If you take some time to prepare before embarking upon a long traveling venture, you might have a much happier experience.
1) Pack Travel Bags
Pack a travel bag specific to each of your children. Some important items to remember are your child’s favorite stuffed animal, blanket, and toys. Nothing comforts a child more than his or her favorite blanket and stuffed animal. Just these items alone can make a big difference when traveling.
Also include snacks and water in spill proof containers for those in-between moments when your child may be suddenly hungry or thirsty. This may help in keeping your child satisfied until the next available meal time.
2) Bring Along Activity Books
Purchase some portable trays, so each child has his or her own personal activity center. Children can use these trays as tables when traveling. Bring along new coloring books and other fun writing activity books that your child can draw, write, and color in. Remember to also bring the colors, pens, and pencils along.
The importance here is that these activity books are new. The reason for this is that your child will be more excited and entertained with something new, than drawing books that have already been marked up.
3) Purchase Toys and Games Designed for Traveling
To avoid the crying or nagging of dropped toys or other items, purchase games and activity centers that are designed specifically as travel toys. These items will usually have pens attached by a string to an activity book, and have magnetic pieces for games or puzzles.
By keeping everything within your child’s reach, and taking precautions for the unexpected, your child may have so much fun that he or she will not even realize how long you’ve been traveling. Having a variety of different engaging toys and games are even great for children to enjoy together.
4) Pick up a few Disposable Cameras
Investing in a few disposable cameras can create hours of fun for children, without the worry of it breaking or becoming damaged by an accidental drink spill, especially if you purchase the waterproof type. Give each child a camera and ask him or her to take pictures of items that he or she has never seen before. This makes it fun and can keep children occupied for hours if traveling by ground.
Once you arrive at your final destination, have your child’s pictures developed so he or she can immediately see what kind of pictures were taken. Younger children, especially, really enjoy taking pictures, so stocking up on a few disposable cameras can be a worthwhile investment.
5) Bring Along Electronic Items
Both older and younger children enjoy electronic items, such as DVD players, music players, and handheld gaming systems. Depending on the age of your child, a movie, for example, can easily deliver two hours of non-stop entertainment. If deciding to pack along electronics, always remember to pack extra car chargers or batteries.
Keeping children entertained when traveling is easy with some pre-planning. Children love to be busy seeing things and doing things, so making frequent stops if traveling by car can also be a great way to break up a long trip. Be creative and think from your child’s perspective. After all, no one knows what your child loves more than you.
With boredom, comes restlessness, and with hunger comes crankiness. A combination of this can mean an unpleasant trip, not only for the children, but for everyone traveling together. If you take some time to prepare before embarking upon a long traveling venture, you might have a much happier experience.
1) Pack Travel Bags
Pack a travel bag specific to each of your children. Some important items to remember are your child’s favorite stuffed animal, blanket, and toys. Nothing comforts a child more than his or her favorite blanket and stuffed animal. Just these items alone can make a big difference when traveling.
Also include snacks and water in spill proof containers for those in-between moments when your child may be suddenly hungry or thirsty. This may help in keeping your child satisfied until the next available meal time.
2) Bring Along Activity Books
Purchase some portable trays, so each child has his or her own personal activity center. Children can use these trays as tables when traveling. Bring along new coloring books and other fun writing activity books that your child can draw, write, and color in. Remember to also bring the colors, pens, and pencils along.
The importance here is that these activity books are new. The reason for this is that your child will be more excited and entertained with something new, than drawing books that have already been marked up.
3) Purchase Toys and Games Designed for Traveling
To avoid the crying or nagging of dropped toys or other items, purchase games and activity centers that are designed specifically as travel toys. These items will usually have pens attached by a string to an activity book, and have magnetic pieces for games or puzzles.
By keeping everything within your child’s reach, and taking precautions for the unexpected, your child may have so much fun that he or she will not even realize how long you’ve been traveling. Having a variety of different engaging toys and games are even great for children to enjoy together.
4) Pick up a few Disposable Cameras
Investing in a few disposable cameras can create hours of fun for children, without the worry of it breaking or becoming damaged by an accidental drink spill, especially if you purchase the waterproof type. Give each child a camera and ask him or her to take pictures of items that he or she has never seen before. This makes it fun and can keep children occupied for hours if traveling by ground.
Once you arrive at your final destination, have your child’s pictures developed so he or she can immediately see what kind of pictures were taken. Younger children, especially, really enjoy taking pictures, so stocking up on a few disposable cameras can be a worthwhile investment.
5) Bring Along Electronic Items
Both older and younger children enjoy electronic items, such as DVD players, music players, and handheld gaming systems. Depending on the age of your child, a movie, for example, can easily deliver two hours of non-stop entertainment. If deciding to pack along electronics, always remember to pack extra car chargers or batteries.
Keeping children entertained when traveling is easy with some pre-planning. Children love to be busy seeing things and doing things, so making frequent stops if traveling by car can also be a great way to break up a long trip. Be creative and think from your child’s perspective. After all, no one knows what your child loves more than you.
Monday, December 2, 2013
3 Fun Ways to Teach Kids Spelling
Learning spelling words begins around the age of five. As your child begins to learn spelling words as the building block to writing and reading, he or she will need your help. To encourage your child to study and practice spelling words, the process needs to be engaging and fun. Here are three ideas that can help:
1) Phonics and Music
Some educators have dumped the curriculum of phonics, and others have continued to use it due to the positive results seen in a child’s spelling, writing, and reading. When a child learns the sounds of letters, it will be easier for him or her to learn to spell words.
To make learning phonics fun, there are different age level phonics sets that include CDs with music to learn the sounds of letters and how they come together to form words. The music engages your child and teaches him or her the basics without it being boring.
2) Flash and Flip
On some blank business cards, clearly write your child’s spelling words for the week. Let your child know that it’s time to play a game. Sit on the floor and place all the cards face down. You can start by flipping a card over, saying the word, spelling the word, flipping the card back over, and spelling the word without looking. Then have your child take a turn.
Playing along with your child encourages him or her to continue with the game. Even pretending to not know how to spell a word can create some cute giggles from your child. He or she won’t even think this game is about learning.
3) Toys and Technology
Technology is advancing faster than we can keep up with. Don’t be surprised if your child knows more about technology than you do. Electronic toys are a great way to continue the learning process with your child during long rides, shopping trips, or long waits at the doctor’s office. This interactivity has the ability to entertain your child for a period of time and make it fun.
For example, the Franklin Speak, Listen, and Learn Spelling Master allows you to type in spelling words and record your voice saying the words. Your child then sees the words and learns to spell the words he or she hears. This toy also has a word search game to keep learning fun for your child.
1) Phonics and Music
Some educators have dumped the curriculum of phonics, and others have continued to use it due to the positive results seen in a child’s spelling, writing, and reading. When a child learns the sounds of letters, it will be easier for him or her to learn to spell words.
To make learning phonics fun, there are different age level phonics sets that include CDs with music to learn the sounds of letters and how they come together to form words. The music engages your child and teaches him or her the basics without it being boring.
2) Flash and Flip
On some blank business cards, clearly write your child’s spelling words for the week. Let your child know that it’s time to play a game. Sit on the floor and place all the cards face down. You can start by flipping a card over, saying the word, spelling the word, flipping the card back over, and spelling the word without looking. Then have your child take a turn.
Playing along with your child encourages him or her to continue with the game. Even pretending to not know how to spell a word can create some cute giggles from your child. He or she won’t even think this game is about learning.
3) Toys and Technology
Technology is advancing faster than we can keep up with. Don’t be surprised if your child knows more about technology than you do. Electronic toys are a great way to continue the learning process with your child during long rides, shopping trips, or long waits at the doctor’s office. This interactivity has the ability to entertain your child for a period of time and make it fun.
For example, the Franklin Speak, Listen, and Learn Spelling Master allows you to type in spelling words and record your voice saying the words. Your child then sees the words and learns to spell the words he or she hears. This toy also has a word search game to keep learning fun for your child.
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