Today, there are so many toys out there that it is not hard to educate children in a fun-filled way. There's a lot to choose from from hand-eye coordination toys to STEM toys and other toys that help build childrens' cognitive abilities. In this blog post, you will explore a list of some of the most useful toys to help you get the most in educating children. Let’s explore one by one.
1- Kinetic Sand
In Pakistan you can find a sandy beach only in Southern Pakistan. Children love to make different objects and structures with sand. The great news is you can get your little ones to play with beach-like sand called kinetic sand.
For all the little ones in kindergarten, the kinetic sand offers impressive benefits such as:
- Boost in fine motor skills
- Growth in creative thinking ability
- Fosters sensory processing
- Encourages little ones to have a calm and quiet time
- Builds focus and organization in terms of thinking
2- Money Box
An essential part of education is to teach children the importance of money. We tend to save valuable things, and children should understand this. A coin bank or money box is something every child at the kindergarten can bring to save coins and banknotes. Not only is it a fun thing to do, but it also educates children in terms of:
- Understanding the value of money
- Being disciplined about saving regularly
- Knowing the importance of patiently adding up and reaping the benefit later on
- Learning always to have something to spend and something to save
3- Rubik’s Cube
A Rubik’s Cube is a puzzle combination - forming a cube with six sides. It is a trendy puzzle toy that’s mechanical and has a uniqueness about it. The great thing about the Rubik’s cube is both children and adults like it. This toy is ideal for encouraging creativity and the ability to think in little ones in kindergarten. Here are the two main benefits of Rubik’s Cube:
Focuses on Improving Cognitive Function
When a child tries to solve a Rubik’s Cube, instead of following a fixed formula, they create their own technique to solve the Rubik’s puzzle. By doing so, a child positively takes the mental challenge to solve the puzzle - which helps boost cognitive abilities. No matter if the child is following a set pattern or is trying to devise a new pattern problem strategy.
Makes Problem-Solving Skills Sharper
This fantastic toy will either make a child want to quickly do something about solving the problem, or it will pose a challenge to the child’s thinking abilities to devise a solving strategy. In both cases, solving the Rubik’s cube helps your child become better at solving complex problems.
4- Wooden Blocks
Wooden blocks are one of the most prevalent developmental toys because they are fun and uncomplicated. Because of being uncomplicated, wooden blocks bring the most developmental benefits. Here are the benefits of wooden blocks:
- The little ones feel free to call on their creative ideas to create something new. This helps build their thinking ability.
- Children can openly express how they think and what they love to create. Children who cannot speak or listen can express their creative ideas through wooden block play.
- Wooden blocks also come printed as a puzzle - made to make children think and sweat their minds to build problem-solving abilities.
- Block play encourages children to develop hand-eye coordination and helps them learn more about spatial awareness.
5- Kids' Magnetic Drawing Board
The magnetic drawing board is a toy for kids which lets them draw figures through magnets. This toy works because the magnetic balls lying under the holes can be attracted upwards with the help of a magnetic pen. The pen has a magnet at its tip, forcing the balls to pop up, get tied to the top, and become visible. Below are the educational advantages of kids’ magnetic drawing boards.
Enhancement in Creative Ability
The good thing about kids’ magnetic drawing toys is they encourage a child to get creative by drawing something they have seen or by drawing something by imagination. The blank board gives a child endless ways to draw something new or something that exists in their memory. Also, the ticking sound of the beads as they come up and go down is fun and provides a sensory element to the play. The option to put any bead down and take any bead up is what helps instill a sense of creativity.
Development of Fine Motor Skills
Enhancement in fine motor skills is essential for a toddler to develop a healthily functioning brain. Fine motor skills involve hand-eye coordination and other basic tasks such as buckling a shoe, folding a shirt, using a pen, etc. When a child is given a magnetic drawing board from a very early age, it encourages the development of fine motor skills and pushes their brain’s ability to think.
Conclusion
The five types of toys discussed in this blog are suitable for kids at kindergartens. These are the toys that should be a part of the growing up experience of every child in kindergarten as a way to foster a better learning environment in a fun way.