Tuesday, October 28, 2014
3 Imagination Games to Play With Children
Imaginative play helps your child to develop heightened social, language and thinking skills. Take the following three imagination games to play with children as suggested by Family Education and have a fun-filled afternoon of creative play and storytelling.
Seeing Into the Future
Crystal balls are hard to
come by these days, but your child has all the imagination required to think up
scenarios – whether plausible or silly – for a friend’s or sibling’s future. To
get the story rolling, ask questions like, where will the person live? What
will the person do for work? Will the person be married or have child? What
will their names be?See if your child can make a connection between what friends and siblings enjoy doing now and what they might choose to do as an adult. For example, your child may make-believe that the person in the story, who loves playing with blocks, ends up becoming an architect or construction worker.
15 Minutes of Fame
Ask your child to pretend he
or she is being featured on the cover of a magazine. Then ask your child the reason
why. Did he or she do something impressive, such as win a gold medal in the
Olympics or invent a wild new creation? Have your child demonstrate what he or
she did to earn the 15 minutes of fame.
The Perfect Day
Have your child describe the
perfect day and add contributions as the scenario unfolds. Maybe the sun would
always shine, every meal would consist of ice cream and pizza, and school would
be nothing more than recess from start to finish.Revel in the wonder of the perfect day and then help your child appreciate reality by asking follow-up questions. How would farmers grow food if it never rained? Wouldn’t you get tired of the tummy ache from only eating junk food? How would you learn to read and write if you never had to study?
Find more unique imagination games to play with children at ListenLoveLearnToys. Then, find out more about the importance of creative play by contacting ListenLoveLearn.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Toy Shopping? Make Sure Your Choices Will Encourage Creative Play
Think back to some of your favorite toys as a child. Were they the kinds of toys your parents played with as well? There’s a reason some toys transcend generations. They provide creative play so children can experience a new game every time. This also makes toys more economical, since the game can change as your child grows.
When it comes to toy shopping, use your instincts to help you find toys that encourage open-ended, creative play. Here are some specific ideas to get you started.
- Building
blocks: No matter their shape or size,
if you can stack it and knock it down, it’s bound to be a hit with kids.
On top of having fun, kids learn visual-spatial skills and problem
solving, and they expand their imaginations as they use blocks to build structures.
- Pretend
play: Toys that reflect the real
world provide hours of fun for children. A pretend kitchen, cash register
and dress up clothes lend themselves to imaginary play and creativity.
They give kids a chance to make up stories, which is excellent for
language development as well.
- Arts
and crafts: Water color, finger paints,
clay for sculpting – these arts and crafts supplies give your kids a
chance to create something special while improving their motor skills.
No matter what toys you choose to encourage creative play, get involved with your children. The best way to foster their healthy development is to be an active participant, helping them think of new ideas for playing with the same toys they have had for years.
Browse through the extensive collection of age-appropriate toys from ListenLoveLearn Toys. Then, learn more about the importance of creative play by contacting ListenLoveLearn.
Image via Shutterstock.com
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Traditional Toys Are Still Essential in a World of Electronic Devices and Apps
Technology is more advanced than ever, and children are often drawn toward the flashing lights, fun music and characters on a mobile device more than they are to traditional toys. Does that mean electronic devices and apps trump creative play and imagination? Maybe in some homes, but they shouldn’t in yours, and here’s why.
Social Skills
An ongoing concern for the upcoming generation is that many kids lack important social skills. Playing with traditional toys gives children the chance to learn communication, sharing and problem solving skills. These important social abilities get skimmed over when kids play on an iPad all day.Language and Speech Skills
Most children develop these skills around ages two and three. Traditional toys beat electronic devices again because, while apps may teach "speech," they don’t teach "language." Interacting with an image on a screen doesn’t allow the same feedback as interacting with another child.Motor Skills and Eye-Hand Coordination
With an app, the most involvement you get is a hand swipe or a tap of the finger. Compare that to building towers, playing catch or drawing a picture and it’s clear that traditional toys are superior for developing eye-hand coordination, not to mention providing the physical activity needed to develop motor skills and keep kids healthy.Imagination
Open-ended toys encourage creative play. A stack of blocks can become a house for a teddy bear; a few dolls can go on an adventure together; and a cardboard box can become a spaceship. Apps don’t allow the same type of creativity or imagination. For many, what you see is what you get.With this is in mind, it’s important not to completely ignore technology. Today’s electronics trump the button-mashing video games and one-button preschool toys of yesteryear. Some online computer games are quite thought-provoking and challenging, and apps are great for entertaining your child in the doctor’s office waiting room. Ultimately, it’s about striking a healthy balance between technology and traditional toys.
Browse through the extensive collection of age-appropriate toys available from ListenLoveLearn Toys. Then find out more about the importance of traditional play by contacting ListenLoveLearn.
Image via Shutterstock.com
Monday, October 6, 2014
Speech Delayed Children and Toy Selection -- Keep It Simple
If you have speech delayed children, the right toys can help get them back on track. Use these tips to keep the toy selection process simple.
Skip Battery-Operated
Toys
The batteries allow toys to
make noise. However, in speech delayed children, it’s not the toy you want to
be making noise. Select toys that are either designed for battery-free play or
remove the batteries from the toys you already have.Of course, there are exceptions. A voice recorder or karaoke machine needs batteries, and these certainly encourage speech delayed children to talk.
Opt for Traditional
Toys
Many traditional toys have transcended generations, making their
popularity clear. They encourage creativity and imagination because a child can
play with them in a variety of ways. Some examples include:- Wooden blocks
- Cars,
trucks and trains
- Play
kitchen and cash register
- Farm set
and doll house
- Dress up
clothes and tea set
- Tool bench
and pretend tools
Forget Gender
Constraints
Put your preconceived notions
aside and give both genders the chance to play with trains and cars or with
pretend kitchens and baby dolls. Both boys and girls deserve to get equal
benefits from play materials, so don’t restrict them.
Encourage Physical
Activity
It’s important for children,
whether speech delayed or not, to get up and moving! Whether indoors or
outside, pick from some of the following toys to encourage physical activity:- Crawl-through
tunnels
- Ride-on
toys
- Water table
- Small
shovels for digging
- Large
playhouses
Remember That Less Is
More
With all these ideas in mind,
you may be tempted to get them all. However, too many toys can be a negative
thing. To prevent boredom and feelings that you need to buy more, start a toy
rotation. Don’t forget, some of the best toys aren’t toys at all. Homemade
forts, pots and pans, and cardboard boxes are sometimes the best playthings for
speech delayed children.Browse through the extensive collection of age-appropriate toys available from ListenLoveLearn Toys to help you with your toy selection dilemma. Then, find out more about the importance of traditional toys for speech delayed children by contacting ListenLoveLearn.
Image via Shutterstock.com
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