Providing your child with toys at an early age will benefit them greatly as they grow up. Toys are used by the child as a way to express their own creativity and imagination, develop their own identity and learn to interact with other children. Different toys will develop different skills in children. e.g. Imagination and creativity will be developed through playing with Lego blocks and barbie dolls. Problem solving and cognitive skills will be learnt through playing with video games and board games will develop their social and teamwork skills.
Toys are more than just for our amusement and enjoyment, but in many ways will influence many aspects of our life. While it may look like child's play to you, there are a lot of benefits to be obtained by playing with toys.
So what are some benefits of playing with toys?
Emotional growth.
Playing with the right kind of toys will provide enjoyment to your child as well allowing them to express and develop their emotions. Emotions such as; fear if the child loses a precious toy, happiness when the child receives a new toy, the emotion of feeling safe and secure when hugging their favourite plush toy, sadness if their toy is broken or damaged. Developing these emotions through playing with toys will help your child meet any struggles and challenges through life.
Personal Development.
As your child grows up, playing with toys can play an important part in their personal development. Different toys will increase different skills for your child. Puzzle toys and word games will increase your child's skill in problem solving, thinking and analyzing skills. As a result these skills will assist your child through school and their future career. Challenging toys such as video games will give your child confidence and self esteem as they complete a difficult level or finish the game. They will share their achievements with other children thus developing their social skills and confidence. Creative toys such as Lego will allow the child to express their own creativity and imagination by building different things. Barbie dolls where your child can have create different scenarios and settings for their dolls.
Social Skills.
Every child needs to develop their social skills at an early age, how to interact with different people; behave in front of different people, communicate with different people. Without these skills, your child will not get very far in life. Playing with different toys will help develop these skills. Board games are one of the best toys to increase your child's skill in teamwork and interaction with other people. Social and teamwork skills can be developed by providing your child with multi-player video games which will require them to complete the game with other children. Developing these social skills at an early age is important because they will assist them during school; work, with relationships and throughout their life.
Educational Benefits.
Educational toys will provide the child with many benefits which will assist them throughout their life. Some benefits include:
- making learning more fun
- encouraging children to explore and discover new things
- encouraging children to do experiments and take risks
Research concludes that by providing a learning and educated environment, your child will have the best possible chance for succeeding in life. So by giving your child educational toys you will have provided a learning and educated environment which will practically guarantee their success in the future.
As a result, by providing your child with different toys throughout their childhood, it will provide them with many benefits which can be seen later through life. These benefits include emotional growth, personal development, social skills and educational benefits. Developing these attributes at an early age will give your child a boost through school, help them secure a successful job, develop relationships with other people and enjoy life to the fullest.
Copyright (c) 2009 Tinh Nguyen
Toys are meant to be enjoyed but it is essential that children can play with them safely. There are 10 simple steps you can take to ensure that your child enjoys his or her toys in a safe way: Follow the age recommendations on the package. All toys in the UK have age guidelines. This information is typically written in smaller print and is often located in a lower corner, or back, of the box. If the toy contains small parts, consider your child’s maturity before purchasing. Even if he or she is in the age range recommended by the manufacturer, parents must consider whether or not their child behaves maturely enough to handle the toy and its parts. Never leave a child unattended when playing with a toy that features small parts. Even if you step away for a minute, that may be all it takes for your child to decide to put the toy in his/her mouth. This can be very dangerous, so always provide as much supervision as possible while your child is playing with his/her toys and even more so if they feature any small parts. At the same time, never allow children to run with any toys that have sharp or protruding points. Never allow the child to put toys in his or her mouth. If the child were to swallow any part of the toy, or accessories, the result could be tragic. If you see the child putting his/her toys in their mouth, remove them immediately while saying “no" in a firm voice. It is not necessary to take the toy away from the child, but they should be closely supervised. Pay attention to consumer safety department notices and product recalls. There is no need to study the news in a paranoid way, but keep an eye out for product recalls. This information is very important because it provides updated information as to the safety of certain products, along with any that have been recently found to have defects. In the latter case, a product recall may be issued in order to avoid injuries. Never allow a child to play with toys that have been recalled or are not deemed to be safe. Make sure that any drawing markers, paint or crayons that you purchase are non-toxic. On every product that has been tested and is proven to be non-toxic, the label will indicate any such findings. Look closely on the back of the packaging in search of this seal before buying these types of art accessories. If a toy is painted, make sure that the paint is not coming off. This could be dangerous if the child were to put the toys in his/her mouth or if it were to get in their eyes, so be very mindful of chipping or peeling paint. Make sure toys and dolls are flame retardant. This is very important for the obvious reasons and to protect the safety of your child. Make sure that the toys are an authentic product and not a cheap imitation, which may indicate cheaper manufacturing. When shopping for toys, always make sure that you are getting what you pay for. Buy from reputable stores like Hibba Store which do not sell what may be unsafe imports. There is a common misunderstanding is about the CE marking on toys. It is not a European safety marking or quality symbol intended for consumers and should not be considered as such. Monitor the message or rating that a toy or video game is promoting. These days so many toys are promoting unhealthy messages or ideals. It is important to monitor the toys that your child enjoys in order to make sure that the influences they are getting are the best for their age. Quick tips about specific types of toys: - Small Parts - Avoid toys with small parts for young children. These can be inhaled, cause choking or be put into ears and noses. Beware of small parts which can become loose or be bitten off. - Filling Materials - Fillings in soft toys can choke young children. Check all seams are secure. - Sharp Edges - Examine toys for sharp or rough edges, points or splinters. - Toys and Sweets - Sweets sold as part of a toy may confuse some children. Will your child be confused? - Food-like Toys - Don’t buy any toy which your children are likely to put in their mouths because they think it is food - Toys with hair - Loose hair is a serious choking hazard to young children. Check all hair is securely attached. - Finger traps - Be aware that toys which fold or have hinges may trap children’s fingers. Check that locking devices work properly. - Cot Toys - Don’t buy cot or pram toys with long or loose strings. These can become entangled with a child’s body or cause strangulation. - Toys that Fly - Bullets, arrows and other toys that fly through the air can be dangerous. Consider if your child might misuse such toys. Follow all instructions and warnings.
Both Tinh Nguyen & Viineet Jain are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Tinh Nguyen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health. Tinh Nguyen