Using Toys for Education

Kids love playing with toys. They are fun, they come in bright colors, different shapes and sizes, have different textures and material, and most importantly they allow kids to be imaginative and creative. Not only are toys used just for fun, but they are also educational. A lot of children’s toys are designed to focus on memory, matching, colors, the alphabet, and imagination. Young children are very interactive and observant, and most of what they learn is from what they see around them. This is known as being a tactile learner.

Tactile learners, which most young children are, learn from life experiences such as taste, touch, and smell. There are learning toys designed especially for tactile learners. Activity tables usually include three of the best tactile learning toys that your child will benefit from. Three great tactile toys are: an abacus, busy beads, and manipulatives. Activity tables usually include all three types of toys, but they can also be purchased separately. Manipulatives are also easy to make on your own with supplies from your home.

An abacus is used for counting and simple math problems. They are similar to busy beads, but are used mostly for counting. They also look very different because an abacus is a frame with straight wires used to move the beads from one end to the next. This is why they are also called counting frames. The abacus has been used for centuries to teach children how to count and use basic arithmetic. It was invented before there was a standard numeral system. Not only is the abacus a great learning toy for young children, it is still used in different parts of the world by merchants.

Busy beads are designed to improve children’s dexterity skills, or hand and eye coordination. Busy beads are used by moving the patterns of beads around to other areas of the toy. The wires that the beads are on move in different directions, and aren’t vertical like the abacus. Young children can be entertained for hours by moving the beads around; it is a hands on experience. The toy is engaging because the beads make different patterns from their bright colors and different arrangements.

Manipulatives are also used to learn basic math, like the abacus. However, you can make almost any item a manipulative. Puzzles are also categorized as manipulatives because children have to use their hands to place the pieces in the correct places. A manipulative is any toy that requires a child to manipulate the toy in some way with their finger and hand/eye coordination.
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About the Author:

Jim Ford is the President of KinderMark, a family owned and managed business which sells waiting room toys and waiting room furniture used in doctor’s offices, hospitals, auto dealers, dentists offices and libraries. Preschool toys such as an activity table and learning toys are favorites for pediatric offices. For more information, visit www.kindermark.com .

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Using Toys for Education