A parent’s guide to must have Educational Toys for your Little Ones

Toys and games have become increasingly popular amongst parents who are highly concerned about the development of varied skills of their little ones. In addition to serving as a great way for kids to spend time, they can learn through interactive play in the form of educational toys like Math toys, construction toys, mechanical toys, and so more. 

If you are in search of high-end educational toys for your kids, you can think investing in top-quality Math toys and construction toys to bring out the best in imagination and creativity in the little minds. Educational toys like math learning toys are aimed at developing multiple or specific skills, including: 

  • Problem-solving 
  • Concentration 
  • Motor skills 
  • Thinking 
  • Language and vocabulary 
  • Pre-reading skills 
  • Early mathematical skills 

What are Educational Toys? 

Educational toys are regarded as objects of play -usually designed for children, that are expected to stimulate growth and learning. They are often aimed at meeting educational purposes like helping a kid develop a specific skill or teaching a kid about a particular subject.  

Whether you wish to gift mathematical toys to kids or construction toys for the budding minds, you can come across a wide range of educational toys from a leading provider like Smartivity. Here are some creative options: 

Wooden Blocks 

One of the best investments that you can offer your children is buying a set of quality wooden blocks that your children will continue using for several years. They can be available in large-sized blocks in different shapes -with round or flat edges.  

Smaller alphabet blocks or foam blocks can be fun. However, these blocks might not offer the same level of fun and educational value as that of the proper set of STEM-based blocks like math learning toys. Blocks for children are regarded as great toys for several reasons: 

  • Blocks help in the development of gross and fine motor skills. It is because they require a combination of making use of small muscles as well as large muscles for ensuring bigger constructions. 
  • Children can look forward to building cognitive skills as they advance through stages of block-based play. 
  • Playing with blocks will lead to fantasy playing. For instance, building a castle might involve acting out specific scenes -particularly if you include props like a dragon or a figurine. 
  • Building with blocks helps in the development of imagination, problem-solving, and creativity skills. 
  • As kids spend time and become engrossed in construction blocks, it helps in the development of concentration over a span of time. 
  • Playing with building blocks will help in the development of pre-mathematical concepts with the help of math learning toys. A simple STEM-based activity like building towers will help in the development of skills like learning the value of a number, sizes, lengths, comparing numbers, and so more.  

Puzzles 

Puzzles are another great creative activities that help in the development of multiple skills in the budding minds. Every child should be exposed to interactive puzzles at home.  

Creative puzzles based on STEM concepts help in the development of fine motor skills while sharpening hand-eye coordination. Larger floor-based puzzles work on gross motor skills -like crossing the midline. It involves crossing over to the right side of the body with the left arm and vice versa. 

These interactive puzzles teach kids to concentrate while persevering on a task until it gets complete. These toys also encourage problem-solving and thinking as they tend to be quite challenging. By innate nature of these toys, these are required to be solved until the entire set is completed.  

One of the major benefits your child will attain out of building puzzles is that they are great for developing visual perception -a crucial pre-reading skill. As with blocks, the best types of puzzles are sturdy and wooden. You can get access to creative wooden blocks or puzzles online at Smartivity. 

Pegboards 

Pegboards are one of the most exciting activities for your kids to target the development of fine motor skills. You can think of buying bigger pegs for toddlers. However, for kids above the age of 4 years, you can think of allowing them to handle smaller pegs. 

The placement of pegs into dedicated holes serves to be an intricate exercise requiring a lot of concentration. Moreover, it will help in exercising and teaching the muscles of the fingers to effectively control an object. At a later stage, this trick will help your child in controlling a pencil while writing as well. Moreover, it also helps in the development of effective hand-eye coordination. 

Kids love playing with pegboards as they deliver a completely different type of creative expression. Rather than drawing, kids are able to create images with innovative pegs. Most creative pegboard sets are also available with specific pattern cards that the young minds are expected to follow to recreate the specific pattern. It is yet another great way to develop visual perception. 

Construction Toys 

In addition to possessing a creative set of blocks, kids should also possess some type of construction toy at their home. Things that are capable of stacking, fitting together, hooking together, or tend to be magnetic come under the category of construction toys. 

STEM-based construction toys help in the development of: 

  • Problem solving 
  • Early technology skills 
  • Fine motor control 
  • Imagination & creativity 
  • Thinking skills 
  • Gross motor control 
  • Hand-eye coordination 
  • Attention span 
  • Vocabulary 
  • Thinking skills 
  • Early mathematical skills 
  • Visual perception 

Games 

It is recommended for modern children to bring about a balance of playing with both technology toys and regular games. Games that you come across in a box -like sequencing cards, board games, matching games, and so more -are also significant as well as educational for your kids.  

Conclusion 

Active play is of crucial importance for the overall development of your little one. In such a scenario, the use of mathematical toys for the young minds can be immensely beneficial for the development of core skills. You can look for innovative educational toys like math toys for your beloved one online at Smartivity.