Educational toys aid in motor skills and brain development, which makes the use of these toys beneficial to the kids. Sharing toys can also teach youngsters teamwork and cooperation — preschool skills that will better equip kids for that stage in their life.
Children can also turn any object into a toy and investigate it for hours. They are fascinated with typical household items and have a knack for finding new “creative” uses for them. More often than not, they will even choose these regular objects over their shiny, colorful, battery-powered toys!
Toddler Learning through Play Time
By the time children reach the age of three, they become more curious about their surroundings and the objects that they see around. They begin to analyze and experiment with their environment and the most fundamental concepts of gravity and motion.
Children also become interested in creating and building with their hands. In some homes, you’ll find crayon-doodled walls and some broken objects as proof of this learning phase. As they enter this stage, it’s best to equip them with toys that will help support the development of their peripheral and motor skills.
Thus, this is the best time to encourage educational learning using build toys that will encourage learning and creativity in kids. Be warned though: even parents find these toys highly engaging. Older kids, likewise, find it fun and interesting pieces to explore. We tried it ourselves and definitely had fun building with our children. Here’s our list below.
Project #1: Barre
The multi-functional barre now comes in a toy version. Commonly found in dance spaces, particularly in ballet studios, the fundamental structure of a barre makes it an ideal first building project for kids as young as three. The barre is sturdy, durable, and extremely easy to construct, and the children were happy with the outcome.
The moment we opened the box, our kids wasted no time building their barre. Unsurprisingly, they immediately found different other ways to use their dance equipment. It has since been used as a clothes rack and a supporting frame for their makeshift tent.
Project #2: Slide
For our second purchase, we decided to get a playset that comes with 222 parts that can be used in over 40 combinations. We chose to build a slide because it’s the perfect tool to demonstrate the laws of physics.
With a slide, kids can begin learning the basic concepts of gravity, friction, inertia, and energy. While they may not know the proper terminology yet, they can certainly observe the occurrence of these forces when they push an object from the top of the slide.
Building the slide required more time but the children happily helped each other put the parts together. When they’re not using the slide themselves, they conduct kiddie experiments on it and watch how different objects travel the slope of the slide. The parts are easy to dismantle, so space and storage aren’t a problem.
Project #3: Wheelbarrow
Building a wheelbarrow was a couple of skill levels above the basic barre and slide structures. However, we had a specific goal in mind when we decided to help the kids build a wheelbarrow: teach them how to move objects with the help of a simple machine (read: toy clean up) so we powered through.
Surprisingly, it was easier to build than we thought. We had it assembled in a matter of minutes. Organize the parts by sections; it will make it easier to find each part that you need. The wheelbarrow is by far the kids’ most used and favorite creation, and the most effective toy hauler in our home. They haven’t dismantled it since.
The kids have also discovered ways to incorporate the wheelbarrow with the other furniture at home, allowing them to create different a different setup each time.
Overall, the builds been a great way to entertain the kids and a fun way to teach them Science, Math, Engineering, colors, and shapes. They also learned non-regular shapes and their uses. These shapes include prongs, tees, connectors, and 3-way corners.
Educational toys have skill-building attributes that enhance a child’s development skills. These toys promote an early understanding of the behavior of natural things and the qualities of the physical structures around them. It makes time playtime more fun and engaging. It’s an excellent means to promote shared activities among siblings and friends, and a fun bonding activity between parents and kids.
