Educational Toys & Games
What are Educational Toys?
Children learn best through play. When children are having fun they learn best. Toys are the props for learning. An Educational “toy” can therefore range from leaves and sticks, old cardboard boxes to expensive and elaborate electronic devices. A toy would be considered an educational toy if it meant they were learning about their world, themselves, and others. Educational toys are not just about learning the ABC or counting. Toys and play activities are essential to healthy development for children and adolescents. Engaging in a range of educational toys or recreational activities ensures the development of fine and gross motor skills, language, socialization, personal awareness, emotional well-being, creativity, problem solving and learning ability.
Toys: Teaching & Talking Tips Printables
Teaching & Talking Tips are built around our FOCUS technique. With each download you will receive pages++ of information and tips broken down into an easy to read and understand format that will inspire you with ideas that you can put into practice today!
FREE TEACHING & TALKING TIPS PRINTABLES
FREE DOWNLOAD
LET'S FOCUS ON BUBBLES
An action packed PDF showing how to use bubbles to build Social Communication Skills, Understanding of Language and Speech (sounds, words & sentences).FREE bubble recipes included! This FREE download is linked with our Bubbles Blog
FREE DOWNLOAD
BOOSTING LANGUAGE WITH SKITTLES
An action packed PDF showing how to use SKITTLES to build Social Communication Skills, Understanding of Language and Speech (sounds, words & sentences). This FREE download is linked with our SKITTLES Blog
FREE DOWNLOAD
ENCOURAGING QUESTIONS WITH TRAINS
An explanation and age appropriate examples of Encouraging Questions. Use this informative PDF to show you how to Encourage Questions while playing with TRAINS with your child. Take a look at the 4 levels of questions and how you can help encourage your child's question skills.
This FREE download is linked with our Encouraging Questions Train Blog
FREE DOWNLOAD
DEVELOPING MATHS VOCABULARY WITH SAND TOYS
Maths has a very specific vocabulary! Use this printable to get a jump start on your toddler's later maths success. With this informative Printable and Maths Vocabulary Chart you can help develop your child's Maths Vocabulary while playing with Sand Toys.
This FREE download is linked with our Maths Vocabulary Sand Play Blog
EDUCATIONAL TEACHING & TALKING RESOURCES
$2
DEVELOPING SPEECH, LANGUAGE & LITERACY SKILLS WHILE PLAYING WITH A PHLAT BALL
An Educational Teaching & Talking Tips PDF jam packed full of ideas to help boost speech, language and literacy skills while playing with a Phlat Ball.
$2
BOOSTING SPEECH, LANGUAGE & LITERACY SKILLS WHILE BUILDING WITH A MAGNETIC CONSTRUCTION KIT.
An Educational Teaching & Talking Tips PDF jam packed full of ideas to help boost speech, language and literacy skills while building with a Magnetic Construction Kit.
I am often asked what toys do you recommend for my child to encourage their learning? What activities should I be doing with them? What toys should I get for their birthday? I rarely state a specific toy – Choice and interest in toys & activities follow developmental milestones. By thinking about the developmental age of the child we can look for toys and activities that match the physical and emotional stage they are at or heading to – this will ensure that they are learning while playing!
An Educational toy is only educational if the child uses it:
A developmentally age appropriate toy however needs to then matched with the child’s own natural preferences! I had one son that showed absolutely no interest in cars, trucks or trains at any age- yet my second son loved everything about cars and trains! My eldest son preferred construction toys and followed by figures and role playing. Following a child or adolescents interest and foster learning! (But… this doesn’t stop trying new toy types as you never know when you will discover an new passion – a passion for science with a science kit, a passion for building or engineering with magnetic kits, a passion for cooking with an apron & tea set!We have provided under each age tab in the top menu brief summaries of the characteristics of toys children will benefit from mostly at the different ages (Birth to Teenage years).
5 Tips for Educational Toys
- Safe: Check safety features for each age level -small parts, projectiles, batteries, inappropriate content
- Versatile: A young child might be able to play with a toy in one way and then when they are older (or older siblings) might play with it another way. A child may also be able to use the same toy for many different play scenarios.
- Repetition: Children learn through repeating the same task over & over. It is great if a child loves an educational toy and want to keep using it!
- Open Ended: An Educational toy that engages a child’s imagination and creativity will have long term developmental value for a child. Many objects around the house can be use as the tools for learning (educational toy) like a sheet and a table to form a cubby house. Craft materials and empty containers can turn into anything the child can imagine.
- Targets an areas of the “brain”: Can you see the toy boosting an area of development or reaching new stops along the developmental milestones.
- Fine and gross motor skills: , climbing structures, other sports equipment, peg boards, craft materials
- Problem Solving & Thinking skills: Exploration of how things go together or impact on each other or need to occur in a particular sequence: magnetic toys, construction sets, sand and water play , play dough and mixing paints
- Number concepts: pattern blocks, puzzles
- Creativity and imagination: musical instruments, dress ups, crayons.
- Pre literacy experiences: interactive books, chalkboards, stamps
- Social skills: toy telephones, dolls &puppets, dollhouses, turn taking games, group games
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Ideas for Home
Early Intervention Activities, Resources & Ideas for home.
Checklists
Developmental Milestones & Online Checklists
Games & Toys
Educational Games and Toys. With Printables!
Books
Educational Book resources with Printables
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