Playing has a pivotal role in learning for your children. It’s a powerful element in growing up and development of key skills like socialization, expression, and creativity. Through play, children learn about the world around them and how to behave. For example, playing with sand and water will help them understand that things have different forms, while dancing and climbing will help them develop coordination and understand the movement.
Through all play, children learn and build a relationship with their surroundings and communicate with other people. Because of all this, the role of toys in children’s development is significant as tools to improve play and pick their interest at the activity before them.
Developing cognitive process through play
Cognitive development is something that needs to be encouraged and facilitated as much as possible. It’s in a child’s nature to ask questions and be curious about what is happening around them. Playtime allows a child to make sense of the world by solving problems and puzzles. From a small age, a child will start honing their memory skills through shapes, colors, and sizes.
For example, a classic shape sorter made of wood with geometric pieces in different colors is an excellent tool for cognitive development. Rainbow stacking shapes, magnetic bricks building set and color-changing puzzles are also good examples of perfect toys for educational and fun playing experience for babies and toddlers.
Toys are crucial for developing physical skills
Crawl, run, climb, reach and grasp are all ways through which your child will develop their motor skills. It all starts from the smallest toys like rattles which build grip and tripod gyms with dangling toys improving reach and keeping head in midline. Teethers are good to help when teeth start to grow, but also for learning how to grasp an item and manipulate it. The same applies to soft squeeze toys that come in various shapes and sizes, as well as with squeaky sounds.
When they are older the toys will become more elaborate like color count mini trampoline for balance and coordination through jumping and counting. Pedal toys and tricycles are popular with both boys and girls, as well as cutting sets and play dough. With toys like Learn-to-Play Piano, you can encourage the development of motor skills as well as creativity from a young age.
Improving their social skills
There are two ways a child should play: alone and in the company. Having one more than the other is not beneficial and you should find a way to balance both equally. However, while playing alone will teach them to be independent, playing with others will help them develop healthy social skills. And kids’ toys are the best tools to help children bond and build friendly relationships with each other.
Playing with you and other children will teach them to cooperate and respect other participants in the game. For example, board games like Sorry! and Monopoly will teach them to wait for their turn and teamwork even when they are losing or winning. Through concentrating on building their social skills, children will learn how society works and their role in it.
Language is important for the development
Language is something that children will start to learn from the environment. They will listen to you talk, notice sounds from the environment and begin understanding that they represent things. However, through play and interaction, children develop their language skills and start building their vocabulary. The development of language starts with cooing games, showing and naming objects and people, as well as through cartoons and picture books.
Games like Pictionary, Charades, and Scrabble are excellent ways to encourage children to expand their vocabulary and communication skills. Toys like Baby Stella are great for kids to interact and learn names of the clothing pieces, feelings and certain states like being hungry and thirsty. Animals Wooden Peg Puzzle will teach them names of animals and inspire them to learn more about them, as well as what is forest, farm, sea and other places. Soon enough they will reach the level for making up stories and jokes where fantasy role-playing games can greatly contribute.
The matter of technology in children development
Technology can be of great help in children’s development if used in a moderate and balanced way. There are numerous apps available for developing language and motor skills, as well as help children socialize. However, it should not serve as a replacement for traditional modes of play and classic toys, but rather as a valuable addition.
It’s best to play with your child and participate in their learning process than simply be an observer and providing toys. That way, you will help your child overcome obstacles and get answers to many questions they will have while discovering the world around them.
In the end
The role of toys in children’s development is crucial for their understanding of their role in society, gaining motor skills and learning the language or two. Through play, they will start questioning their surroundings and finding out how everything works. So encourage them to spend time playing with others or take a chance in the game of Twister with you. It will be fun and educational for all.
