TOYS THAT TEACH

Your child already has the most important toy he or she could want or need – YOU!
Other toys, however, can be very important for helping your child to learn through play.
Here are some things to consider when considering toys for your children.

 IS THE TOY SAFE?  Is it sturdy, with no small pieces to break off?  Will it become a dangerous toy in the wrong hands?

 WILL THE TOY LAST?  We often buy disappointment for children when we give them toys that will break in a couple of days.  All around them, children see that they live in a throw-away world.  Let’s give them some things that will last and upon which they can depend.

DOES THE TOY MEET A DEVELOPMENTAL NEED?  

           PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT--  Toys can aid in the physical development of children by encouraging coordination and the use of both large and small muscles.  Toy suggestions:  balls, toys that fit together, button books; toys to push, pull or climb upon.

           MENTAL DEVELOPMENT  -- Toys can aid in the mental development of children by encouraging reasoning, problem-solving and creative thinking.  Toy suggestions:  puzzles; games; blocks.

           LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT – Toys can aid in the language development of children by helping them learn new words, and word sounds, and sentence structure.
Toy suggestions:  Books, video’s, alphabet toys.

           SOCIAL (& IMAGINATION) DEVELOPMENT  - Toys can aid in the social development of children, by giving them opportunities to understand how others feel and act.  Toy suggestions:  Dress –up clothes; puppets, tea sets, doll houses.

           CREATIVITY DEVELOPMENT– Toys can aid in helping your child learn creative expression and to become problem solvers.  Toy suggestions: Open-ended art materials, play dough, dance costumes, musical instruments, blocks.

            DISCOVERY (CURIOSITY) DEVELOPMENT – Toys can lead to discovery and  foster experimentation. Toy suggestions:   Magnets, magnifying glasses, color viewers, toys for playing in water, mud or sand.

IS THE TOY APPROPRIATE FOR THE AGE OF THE CHILD?

            THE INFANT (0-1) is busy learning about himself, his body control and the use of his senses.  He responds to touch, sounds and smells.  Toys can provide an infant with the stimuli for motor and sensory development.  An infant needs safe, simple toys that he can master, toys that are easy to hold onto and toys that can be touched, felt and watched.  Toy suggestions:  mobiles, rattles, teethers, squeeze toys, musical toys, baby mirrors, water toys, washable stuffed animals and dolls.   

            THE TODDLER (1-2) has learned about herself and  now feels confident in learning about the world.  She is especially interested in learning how to control other people.  The toddler recognizes the existence of others but is still self-centered.  She generally plays alone, even when surrounded by others.  The toddler is busy developing large muscle control and learning to imitate the sounds and actions of others.  She is very adventurous and needs toys that can be safely pushed, pulled, climbed on and taken in and out.  Toy suggestions:  wooden blocks, sand box with scoops, small cars, trucks and people, large durable trucks to push, water toys, simple dress-up toys, such as hats and scarves, ball, hardcover books, simple wind-up toys, beginning puzzles, stuffed animals and dolls.

            A PRE-THREE (2-3) is concerned with self-expression and the beginnings of socialization.  Toys suggestions:  any of the toys mentioned above, plus small riding toys (not a trike), table top easel, creative materials, such as paper, crayons and marking pens, play dough, rhythm instruments, tapes, puzzles, simple storybooks, play phones, a small wagon.

            A PRESCHOOLER (3-5) is still experimenting with the senses, coordination and self-expression, but now he has more social awareness of others.  Toy suggestions:  any of the previously mentioned toys, plus tricycles, large blocks, balance beams, flannel-boards, magnetic boards, pencils, paint, scissors, paste, collage materials, pounding toys, real tools, nuts and bolts, puppets and a puppet stage, dolls and doll houses, play centers, sewing cards, puzzles, learning games, magnets, magnifying glasses, storybooks.

DOES THE TOY HELP THE CHILD LEARN TO REASON?  

In looking for toys that help children learn to reason, keep in mind that there are four different kinds of toys for this purpose.  Examine your child’s toys and see that she has at least one toy that fits into each of the four categories below.  Children need a balance of toys from which to learn different skills.

            COORDINATION TOYS – are designed to incorporate practice for a motor task that may be difficult for a child.  They enable a child to become self-sufficient in their  day-to-day environment.  Examples:  sewing cards, button frames, interlocking blocks, balls, putting pegs in holes.

            CONSTRUCTION TOYS -  are designed so that the end product is deliberately left undetermined by the materials being used.  Example:  Blocks and shapes.

            RECONSTRUCTION TOYS – are self-correcting materials that can be taken apart and reassembled.  These have degrees of difficulties.  Examples:  stacking toys, puzzles.

            CLASSIFICATION TOYS – are materials that require matching, patterning and grouping.  They include most games.  Examples:  lotto, dominoes, beads, board games, etc.

IN CONCLUSION – Children learn through play and the use of a variety of toys.  But as I stated at the beginning, nothing can replace interaction with adults, especially parents.

Information in this post came from 

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/learning-station07/toys-that-teach-dec07.shtml

Medically Complex Children's Waiver - Utah is Taking Applications

Medically Complex Children’s Waiver - Utah

18 hrs · 

Medically Complex Children's Waiver Application Period is now open!

Dear Stakeholders,

The open application period for the Medically Complex Children’s Waiver is here. Applications will be accepted beginning at midnight on May 1 through May 31, 2019.

The application is available at http://health.utah.gov/ltc/mccw/. Applications will be accepted by fax, mail or online.

Please be aware that prioritization of eligible applications will be based on highest medical complexity and critical needs of the family, as identified through the application process. Prioritization will NOT be on a first-come-first serve basis.

If you have any questions, please contact us at:

Email: mccw@utah.gov (Please do not submit Private Health Information via email.)

Phone: (800)662-9651 Option 5

Electronic Versus Print Books

One of the the most important developmental activities that can be done with a child is reading because it helps children with language and the learning of new words.  It also helps to increase their knowledge base and allows parents to interact with their children. 

Researchers have found that when parents read with their children, parents and children speak more when reading with a print (paper) copy of a book rather than with an electronic version on a tablet. Parents also used more enriched language with their children when reading from a paper copy. They also found that when parents read from an electronic copy, the parents were less responsive to their children and their children were less engaged with their parents.

If you would like to read more about this visit: 

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/143/4/e20182012  

Information from this post came from the article "Differences in the Parent-Toddler Interacations with Electronic Versus Print Books" by Tiffany G. Munzer, Alison L. Miller, Heidi M. Weeks, Niko Kaciroti, and Jenny Radesky. (see website above)

Opportunity for Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

More Need for Creative Play in a Digital World

During inservice meetings in the last few months, Davis Early Intervention has been discussing the need for more creative play in an ever-increasing digital world.

In the article, “Selecting Appropriate Toys for Young Children in the Digital Era,” Healey and Mendelsohn (2019), state that there has been an increase in screen time over the past decade with young children and has caused a decrease in active play and play with toys by children. This is significant to young children’s development because screen time has been interfering with children’s play activities and with interactions between the parent and child. (Importance of play and interacting with parents in play was something that was discussed in last month’s blog and the impact it has on not only the child’s brain and development, but the parents too – see March 2, 2019 Davis Early Intervention blog post from last month for more information).

In the article “The Case for Creative Play in a Digital Age,” Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, an associate professor of pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine says the problem is that parents are getting so many messages from all different sources about how screens, tablets, mobile devices, laptops, and many other electronic devices will help their children to learn and will advance their child’s development (Klass, 2018). Like stated previously, these devices are inhibiting the child playing with their parents. He further states, “It’s that playing together that matters most, both while the children are young and as they grow. Spending some time playing with your child or reading with your child builds the relationship. It helps them as things get more complicated in later childhood and adolescence” (Klass, 2018).

So then what do parents do? Klass (2018) states The American Academy of Pediatrics is saying that parents should pick high-quality traditional toys rather than the extravagant digital toys.
Traditional (physical) toys can be categorized in a variety of ways: (1) symbolic and/or pretend (eg, dolls, action figures, cars, cooking and/or feeding implements, etc); (2) fine motor, adaptive, and/or manipulative (eg, blocks, shapes, puzzles, trains, etc); (3) art (eg, clay and coloring); (4) language and/or concepts (eg, card games, toy letters, and board games); and (5) gross motor and/or physical (eg, large toy cars, tricycles, and push and pull toys). High-quality toys in each of these categories can facilitate caregiver-child interactions, peer play, and the growth of imagination. It should be emphasized that high-quality toys need not be expensive. For example, toy blocks, in addition to household objects, can be interesting for a child to examine and explore, especially if the child observes adults using them. Unfortunately, many caregivers believe that expensive electronic toys (eg, sensory-stimulating noise and light toys for infants and toddlers) and tablet-based toys are essential for their children’s healthy development; however, evidence suggests that core elements of such toys (eg, lights and sounds emanating from a robot) detract from social engagement that might otherwise take place through facial expressions, gestures, and vocalizations and that may be important for social development. (Healey and Mendelsohn, 2019)

“The less bells and whistles a toy comes with, the more it lends itself to creative play and imaginative play. The more the toy can do on its own, the more distraction it lends itself to” (Klass, 2018).
As children get older, they are more influenced by marketing tactics and they begin to crave and have very strong wishes for certain toys and objects. How do parents handle this, especially because it’s natural for parents to want to please their children? Dr. Mendelsohn said that parents need to find a balance between finding toys children want and that will make them happy and finding toys that will be positive for the child and lead to the parent and child being able to interact and enjoy the item and their time together (Klass, 2018.)

Parent-child interactions and play together are so important for the development of their child. Choosing traditional toys over the digital and highly sensory toys, will also better help a child’s development and provide better opportunities for the parent and child to interact and play together.

If you would like to read more about this, check out these articles (referred to above):

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/well/family/the-case-for-creative-play-in-a-digital-age.html

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/143/1/e20183348


References

Healey A., & Mendelsohn, A. (2019). Selecting appropriate toys for young children in the digital era. Pediatrics, 143(1). Retrieved March 27, 2019 from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/143/1/e20183348

Klass, P. (2018, December 17). The case for creative play in a digital age. The New York Times. Retrieved on March 27, 2019 from https://www.nytimes.com

When Playing with Children, Play Not Only Affects Children's Brains, but Adults Too!

Play is important for children to grow up healthy, a National Institutes for Health article states.  It is a way to prepare children for the complex social world we live in.  They also state that children do not need expensive toys to obtain the benefits that come from play.  “Parents are children’s most enriching plaything.”

When infants are playing with toys and objects, their attention to the toys/objects and what is happening creates bursts of high-frequency activity in their brain.  When adults play with their children, research from the National Institutes for Health, stated in the same article, is also showing that the adults experience similar bursts of high-frequency activity in their brains as well.  If you want to learn more about this and about ways to support both children and adults in playful interactions visits this website.

In English:

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/special-issues/parenting/its-kids-job 

In Spanish:

https://salud.nih.gov/articulo/es-un-trabajo-de-ninos/ 

Information from: 

Baby Talk: Resources to Support the People Who Work with Infants and Toddlers

Issue No. 93   February 2019

PLAY & LEARN

Centerville Branch                                                 Kaysville Branch

Fridays 10:30 - 11:30                                             Fridays 11:00 - 12:00

45 S 400 W, Centerville                                         215 N Fairfield Rd, Kaysville

801 451-1775                                                        801 451-1800

Headquarters Library                                            South Branch

1st and 3rd Wednesdays 10:30 - 11:30                Fridays 11:30 - 12:30

133 S Main St., Farmington                                  725 S Main St., Bountiful

801 455-3030                                                        801 451-1760

Have fun at the library while building early literacy skills through games and activities.

This is a regularly scheduled play session for preschoolers and caregivers.