Educational Toys: Can You Make Them Fun or Not?

Jun 15
08:09

2011

Craig Thornburrow

Craig Thornburrow

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Educational toys can be fun, even if the kids don’t realize that they are actually teaching them something.

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You don’t have to tell your children that they are playing with educational toys. In fact,Educational Toys: Can You Make Them Fun or Not? Articles you might be better off if you are not letting them in on that fact. Let that be your little secret. Who says that you cannot sneak a little bit of teaching in on your kids while they are busy playing? But, according to popular psychologist’s papers and studies, nearly every toy that a child gets hold of can technically be deemed educational because it teaches them something whether it is how to be a better person or about cause and effect. After all, math and spelling are not the only things to learn during your childhood.

One of the most popular types of educational toys is electronic. There are several that look like computers, while others are games played on the computer itself. Either way, these can do everything from teaching counting and basic math skills to teaching reading and letters. These can be used to teach foreign languages as well- all using some of the children’s favorite cartoon characters. They think they are just interacting with their favorite “friend”, but they are learning at the same time.

There are other toys that can be used in the same way- for instance, there are dolls that can teach right and left, how to tie, button, snap or zip and dolls that can teach early language skills as well. Children learn words that they are introduced to early in their lives and can pick up a foreign language much more easily now than they could once they reach adulthood. School systems have it backwards according to biology; teach the little ones the foreign languages and let the teens have the nap period because they need more sleep.

Kids play in sand, mud and water. To some parents it is just messy play. To other parents, it is learning opportunity. The kids learn about building and structure as they build sandcastles. They learn about cause and effect as they mix sand and water to get a loose cement-like mixture or water and dirt to make mud. To the curious child, it is a way of exploring their world- learning how to manipulate things. They learn how to take a solid (dirt) and add a liquid (water) to make an all new and entirely fascinating semi-solid (mud). They can add less or more to change the consistency and what they can do with it. They can learn how to mold with it and if they are really clever, how to dry out their art work to keep forever. Kids explore their world and they don’t even have to be told that they are playing with educational toys; in fact, they might not even believe you.

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