The educational toys and the development of children

The growth and development of children, at certain stages, are linked to toys. Although the basic function of a toy is fun, children use early games as a learning method, for this reason, toy manufacturers are increasingly focusing on making toys that stimulate and help the child’s growth and cognitive development..

Among the basic skills that children develop through games and their toys, we can find cognitive thinking, problem solving, role playing, the development of language and social skills, motor skills and learning. of basic concepts such as shapes and colors. Knowing this, the importance of toys in the early stages of their development is clear.

Toy manufacturers understand this educational function of their products and therefore use creative processes to develop new toys that are interesting, fun and engaging for children and that, in the eyes of parents, are a reliable and sustainable choice. Many of these toys, in addition to their educational aspect, also fulfill an awareness function, perhaps more aimed at parents, by using sustainable raw materials such as cork, wood and other natural and eco-friendly products in their production.

As parents, it’s important to realize that toys are more than just entertainment. In the purchase decision, one should take into account which educational toy to buy so that the child uses all their senses, stimulates their imagination and motivates them to continue interacting and to share their game with other children and also with adults. 

What benefits do educational toys have on child development?

The most basic games, those that are intended for babies, have a very clear objective: to arouse their curiosity and improve the early development of their intellect, as well as to stimulate the first motor skills of the little ones. One of the great advantages of these games is that they stimulate your memory; any game that forces the child to memorize, concentrate or play with mathematics will be a great incentive for its development.

Children, especially the youngest, must be prepared to face the world around them. Educational toys also improve their social skills, allowing the child to identify and understand their own emotions and those of others, something essential to develop the affective intelligence of the little ones. At the same time, these toys allow little ones to interact with others, whether they are children or adults.

By interacting socially, whether with other children or adults, the child will strive to acquire his own language. This allows children to start talking sooner. Nowadays, there are many toys that stimulate the learning process of speech, since the toys speak to children, so that they imitate and, in this way, internalize the mechanisms of language. Toys that speak and teach the names of things are the most suitable for children to begin to develop speech.

Educational toys also allow little ones to start developing balance and motor skills as they explore the world. Any toy that makes them move, walk and place pieces in holes will allow them to develop these types of skills that are also essential in development. These motor skills are very important for them, who need to develop balance and fine, precise movements.

Educational toys also develop other skills such as patience and tolerance for failure. Through competition, children must learn that they do not always win and they must be able to understand failure as another step in their learning. At the same time, games like chess can make them understand the importance of patience as part of the process of reaching a goal.

Why choose educational toys?

Apart from developing their cognitive, motor and social skills, an educational toy provides the child with something essential in their development: it connects them with the world and, through it, they can learn how to relate and create a more complete understanding of the world around them. surrounds.

As they grow older, children look for new challenges. This translates into the need to find toys that stimulate them, which makes it very easy to encourage them to participate in educational games. This need for stimulation and challenge will be lost as the child gets older and creates his own image of the world and his relationships, so it is especially important that, as a parent, you take advantage of the first years of development to reinforce the dynamics of learning and development through these toys.

Since ancient times, toys have been designed to stimulate children’s growth and encourage them to use their imagination. In this sense, wooden toys, due to their simplicity, are the ones that work best. Unlike electronic toys, the wooden one does not have buttons to press to turn on lights or move. This motivates the child to develop imagination, forcing himself to create any action. 

In addition, wooden toys allow parents to teach the value of nature and how important it is to respect nature. In a time of consumerism and environmental crisis, it is important to introduce this type of responsible toys into the child’s game dynamics, with didactic functions, which will help them grow and understand how they should relate to the environment.

But beyond toys, the child needs human contact to establish and improve all those skills, whether it be speech, knowledge or movement. Paying attention to children, playing with them and engaging them in activities with other children will be essential to enhance their development.