Toys and teachers? The two words may seem far apart, but you would be surprised to know that they are very closely connected. In earlier years education was limited to traditional methods of teaching. Although effective research has shown that an element of innovativeness enhances the learning ability of a child. Today, efforts are being made to identify new ways to impart learning.



One of these methods is by introducing educational toys into the formal education system. Children normally avoid studies. This is true especially amongst younger children as they have a very limited span of attention. To aid teachers, educational toys are used to get children interested and excited about new concepts.

It all starts from pre-school, when toddlers enter the precincts of ?what is not their home? for the first time. Teachers or helpers need to win the trust of the child. It is here, that baby toys are used to break the ice as well as impart knowledge. Toys such as building blocks, clay and drawing boards get children to develop their skills in different areas.

Toys are also used to teach counting, the alphabets, recognition of animals and flowers and so on. Children learn best when they can see the object in front of them. They retain information when it is presented in a unique way. Children can relate to pictures and what goes on in front of them more than what they read or are told. So, a model of an airplane stimulates their interest more than a verbal description of the same. As, children grow older, their sensibilities change and so do the toys used by their teachers.

Educational toys have also enabled teachers to reach out to disabled children. For them the conventional method of teaching may not be suitable. Take for instance, education imparted to the blind. Teachers can use animal-shaped toys so the child can feel the shape of the animal to recognize its features. No amount of description will provide the same impact especially for children who are born blind. Similar uses of educational toys are found for other disabilities.

At the other end of the spectrum even older children can benefit from educational toys. Pre-teens and even teens can enhance their mental abilities through word games and difficult puzzles. It improves their logical reasoning. At the end of the day these toys help a teacher impart education laced with fun. Without making too much of an effort children learn quickly!

Toys, as teacher aids will never go out of fashion, in fact educational toys are becoming more and more popular day-by-day. Teachers are now becoming more aware of the fact that good toys help in the development of children and positively affect their learning. Due to the competitive toy industry, there are numerous toys that are continuously being developed so as to enhance the learning process of any child. These toys can range from toys that specializing in teaching Biology, Geography, Math, Spelling, Numbers, the Alphabet etc. Teachers should therefore do a lot of research to determine which toys they would like to use as tools to educate children.