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Article #240: Three Things to Consider When Buying Preschool and Kindergarten Educational Learning Toys

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Back to School and it's Time to Think inventory that you can pull off the
About New Toys for Preschool and shelf. As an after thought - it is also
Kindergarten Children. a good idea to rotate toys so children
Excitement is in the air - its Back to always feel there is something new to
School time and parents and educators play with.
will once again begin searching for new As you select educational preschool and
quality educational learning toys for kindergarten toys that are safe, easy to
their toddlers and preschoolers. clean and age-appropriate remember that
Whether you are a parent or an educator all children have different methods of
selecting new toys for your preschool and learning. Children do not need to be
kindergarten age children is something to sitting at a desk to learn. You will
take seriously. There are three need a variety of toys in a wide
important things I believe we need to selection of shapes and colors to keep
consider when selecting toddler and all your children from getting bored.
preschool toys. If you notice a child getting bored with
In this article I will briefly define a certain toy it might be a good time to
just what makes a toy an "educational consider pulling out a more advanced toy
toy", suggest three things to consider in to see if he is ready for it.
the selection of such toys and offer Several types of toys that are very
three toy categories that I believe are popular with young children and create
of utmost importance as a choice for stimulation include cardboard building
preschool toys. blocks, 3d wood puzzles and wooden play
To the point, an educational toy is any sets. Not only are these toys safe and
toy that will "teach a child something easy to clean they are reliable, and
good." Allowing children to play children of several age groups can play
creatively, alone or in a group setting, alone or together to develop eye-hand
with a variety of carefully selected toys coordination, social skills and muscle
will greatly benefit your child. strength.
Children's "work" is play and selecting ImagiBRICKS is the trade name of some of
toys that spur their creativity and the toys that I personally believe in and
imagination will make a variety of toys sell. These giant "brick" block toys
"educational." that have a drool-proof coating. These
Imaginative children do not need fancy brick blocks have smooth, tight fitting
or necessarily expensive toys but their seams and are easy to clean. A safe,
toys do need to be safe. Safely is one quality cardboard set of blocks such as
of the most common things overlooked when these will hold up well for many years of
selecting new toys for young children. tough play. They also happen to be
Remember to read the labels and be aware crush-proof making them a block I would
of the type of material the toy is made recommend for preschools whose toys get a
of. If you are shopping online make sure lot of use and misuse.
you are provided information about the Wooden play sets such as A Day at the
durability of the material, especially Zoo, African Safari and Arctic Circle,
when selecting wood products. sold at All I Can Imagine - offer
The best type of wood for wooden puzzles quality built toys for children 3up and
and play sets comes from the Rubberwood are geared for creative imaginative play
tree. Its wood is very hard, that will encourage your children to play
non-splintering and very durable. Toys together and increase their social
made from this wood are not going to skills. Play sets make good toys for
break or splinter when dropped or chewed. preschools because there are lots of
If the toy puzzle is painted make sure pieces allowing several children to play
the manufacture tells you that child safe together. As they "work" together to
paint was used. It is also a good idea create their own "drama" they will learn
to make sure the individual puzzle pieces to work together and problem solve while,
have smoothly sanded edges so that there at the same time, you as a teacher or
are no rough edges to hurt your child. parent will have opportunities to guide
Making sure a toy does or does not their play to correlate with a new
(depending on your child's age lesson.
requirement) have small pieces that can My third and final toy category
be easily swallowed is another important suggestion is the ever-popular 3d wooden
safety issue you must consider. Some puzzles. Providing a variety of puzzles,
pieces that come with a particular toy or a child's favorite toy, will meet their
play set might need to be pulled out and need for a variety of shapes and colors.
put away until your child is a little When playing with puzzles children -
older. - acquire eye-hand coordination
Besides safety it is imperative we - expand fine motor skills
remember to think about sanitation. This - reinforce paying attention to detail
is especially important for preschool and - foster your child's self-esteem
kindergarten classrooms because many 3d puzzles are intricately interlocked
different children will be handling the and are one of the best toys I can think
toys. Consider whether or not the toy of for helping a child learn to stick to
can be cleaned and sanitized without a task until it is finished. Even as
destroying the toy. If there are many adults we find it difficult to get up
nooks and crannies that can't be gotten from a puzzle. When a child finishes his
at you may want to select another toy puzzle they will often tear it apart and
that has straighter edges. begin all over. Because there are only
Wood is a popular material for lots of three - ten or so pieces in a 3d puzzle
children's toys such as puzzles, trucks, it is a wise idea to have several puzzles
and play sets. Again, a well-made wood from a variety of categories so that your
toy, painted with child safe paint, can child will not become bored.
easily be cleaned without any harm to the Presenting puzzles to your toddlers is
wood. Another thing I especially like an interesting teaching method to use
about wood toys is that they have a "feel when beginning a new lesson series; such
- good" texture everyone loves. Any time as when introducing children to
I pick up a wooden toy I remember the underwater life it is a good idea to have
joys of my youth. This is a good feeling many fish and sea life puzzles handy.
to pass on to the next generation. Even quality 3d wood puzzles are
The third and last attribute of a day affordable so it will be easy for all
care toy that I'd like to present is that schools or parents to have a plentiful
the children's ages be taken into supply on hand.
consideration. No one wants his or her Providing many colorful visual "displays"
children to get injured from a toy that in your preschool, kindergarten and at
is too advanced for their age or home will make learning fun and aide in
developmental stage. I think it is your children's learning development.
better to stay on the safe side and give Lesson planning will be enhanced for
a toy that is at or below his age to your teachers and parents with the addition of
child. several new toys every month or so. Back
In a preschool and kindergarten setting to School - the doors are open to another
you will need toys of varying age groups exciting year of learning fun. And,
so as younger children develop you will remember to think of safety, sanitation
already have more advanced toys in your and age appropriateness.






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