Children learn best through experience. You no doubt can recall telling your child not to touch something because it is hot yet they still kept reaching for it. It wasn’t until they had an understanding of what ‘hot’ meant, usually by touching something labeled hot, that they knew that touching something hot was painful and it would be best to heed your warnings.
Then again they may have needed to touch it several times before they really got it! Of course, that kind of practical learning has its place but can’t be applied to every kind of situation.
So how do children learn all the things they need to know? Much of what they need to know they learn through play. And toys, all toys but especially educational or learning toys, act as prompts to encourage your child to explore their talents and skills.
Have you ever stopped to think about how you like to learn? Each of us has a favorite way of discovering new things. If you take a book of fiction for example, you would find that some people prefer audio books because they can more easily take in information aurally, while others need to have a book in their hands to be able to assimilate the words.
Others would rather watch a play or movie of the book than read it. And others would prefer to plot out what happened in a logical way through a mind map or linear drawing rather than trudge through the detail of what occurred. While children are still developing, their learning styles change depending on their skill level, however, most have a preference for a particular type of learning style.
If your child likes to learn through touch then toys that are practical and can be handled are going to work best. learning toys that fit this category include building blocks, interactive toys like lego, finger paints, play doh, water toys, craft activities.
Children are usually very enthusiastic about getting information through playthings that are visually appealing. Videos, DVDs and CDRom games all cater to your child’s need for visual stimulation. To have maximum educational merit look out for those that encourage interactivity and don’t just present entertainment to be consumed by your child without any active involvement. This interactivity may take the form of simple songs that have actions they can copy or they present concepts or simple experiments that can be replicated at home.
Your little one learns aurally from the moment they are born. They can discern voices and sounds and music and eventually words and speech all aurally without any formal teaching. Did your child learn to speak early? If yes, then this is probably a good indication that this is a form of learning that they respond well to and will still enjoy. Learning toys that have a sound component will work well – ones that give instructions like speaking toys or audio cds.
Others respond well to learning toys that have a logical pattern to them. Stacking blocks that vary in size allow them to explore things in a logical way, that is, if they want the blocks to stay stacked upright then they need to use the largest blocks on the bottom and the smallest on top.
If you’re unsure which learning style your child prefers then spend some time observing how they play with their toys and how they respond to visual and aural instructions. You may need to trial a few learning toys to really see where your child’s preferences lie. Once you work out which style they like then you can fully explore the range of educational toys available. However, remember that your child’s preferences for a particular learning style may change over time as they develop so you would be wise to continue offering some toys that cater to other learning styles too.
Jill Brennan has several websites aimed at making life easier for today’s parents and helping them to get more out of parenting while at the same time not forgetting their own needs. Check out www.practicalparentingtips.com
