The Benefits of Educational Toys for Young Children's Cognitive Development

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{This is a collaborative post}

As parents, we all want to provide the best possible opportunities for our children to grow and learn. One of the most effective ways to promote a child's cognitive development is by providing them with educational toys. These toys are created to instruct and challenge children amusingly. Giving children educational toys has a lot of advantages, and fortunately, there is a wide range of places to buy them, including toy stores for children.

Developing Important Skills Through Educational Toys

The first benefit of educational toys is that they can help children develop important skills. Many educational toys can aid in developing critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving. These skills are essential for success in school and beyond. Parents can help their children get a head start in life by providing them with educational toys that foster the development of these skills.

Such toys demand that children use logic and critical thinking to solve tasks and come to judgments. This kind of play can teach children how to think for themselves, make decisions confidently, and come up with original solutions to challenges.

 

Fostering Creativity and Imagination with Educational Toys

The ability of educational toys to promote imagination and creativity is another advantage. Many educational toys are open-ended, so children can use their imaginations and come up with their own solutions. Children can learn to think creatively through this kind of play, which is a crucial life skill. Role-playing with educational toys, such as play kitchens or doctor kits, allows children to practise social skills such as taking turns and sharing. It can also help them learn to understand different perspectives, another vital component of emotional intelligence.

Learning Important Concepts through Educational Toys

Children can acquire crucial ideas by playing with educational toys in a pleasant and interesting way. For example, toys that teach letters and numbers can help children develop early literacy and numeracy skills.

Moreover, children can benefit from them by getting to appreciate learning and being curious about the world around them. Parents can encourage a lifetime love of learning in their children by giving them entertaining and engaging toys. Children who take an interest in learning are more likely to be self-directed and to achieve academic and professional success.

Children’s Educational Toy Stores: A Valuable Resource for Parents

Child educational toy stores are a great resource for parents looking for high-quality educational toys for their children. These stores frequently provide a large assortment of toys, including toys made for different age groups and ability levels. In addition, they often have knowledgeable staff who can help parents choose the best toys for their children's needs.

Why Educational Toys Are Crucial for Children's Growth

For children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development, educational toys have several advantages:

        1.  Replace screen addiction

Many parents in the modern digital era may worry about how screens and technology will affect their child's development. Due to the hands-on and interactive learning opportunities they offer, educational toys can be a fantastic substitute for screen time. Parents can assist their children in developing critical skills and acquiring new information without simply relying on screens by giving them educational toys.

        2.  Improve bonds

Parents and children can develop strong bonds through the use of educational toys. Together, they can spend valuable time and make lasting memories. Also, it can help parents figure out their children’s strengths and weaknesses so they can improve their education.

        3.  Boost confidence

Educational toys can also positively impact a child's confidence and self-esteem. As children learn and master new skills through play, they gain a sense of accomplishment and pride in their skills. This can help them develop a positive self-image and a growth mindset, which can benefit them throughout their lives.

        4.  Refine communication

As with other skills, children's language and communication skills can benefit from playing with educational toys. Several educational toys encourage storytelling, pretend play, and imaginative play, all of which can aid a child's language growth and communication skills. This is especially crucial for children who might struggle with language development or communication issues.

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        5.  Develop motor skills

Children's educational toys can also aid in developing their fine motor skills, which are necessary for tasks like writing, drawing, using utensils, and other skills. Children should use their hands and fingers to control little things when playing with many educational toys, such as puzzles and building blocks. This can benefit children's dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and precision.

Conclusion

Instructional toys can aid children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Parents can assist their children in the development of critical thinking skills, encourage imagination and creativity, and produce memorable experiences by giving them educational toys. Educational toys are a lifelong investment in the development of a child's love of learning and their innate curiosity about the world.

Science4You - Perfume Factory Review

Look at those happy faces.  I've just spent an hour with each of the girls having one on one time and they just thrive on it. We were sent the Science4You Perfume Factory set to review and it has created not only a great learning opportunity for the girls but also a wonderful time for us to chat and enjoy each others company. We have talked about the science of how each of their perfume and beauty products have been made but also what it means to be a woman and how and if we have to use products to beautify ourselves. It has been so good for them to see for themselves that too much scent in a product is over powering and off-putting and we've discussed that make-up is down to personal choice and not a necessity for youthful skin.

Below is the set we received, it came in a nice large (sturdy) box and retails at £19.99. I was impressed with the amount of items we received in the kit as other kits we have had like this before have been a bit skimpy and we have constantly been washing a pipette or such. You can definitely tell this is a premium product and the girls liked the fact they had two different cosmetic colourings (pink and blue) and three fragrances (vanilla, lemon and peach) wthin the set.

InnoTab2 V LeapPad2 - Which is better?

We have been very lucky this summer to be sent both an InnoTab2 and a LeapPad2 to have a play with.  I had a look at both and a bit of a play but to be honest I passed them on to my chief tester JJ, my near 9 year old son.  He is very tech savvy and happy to put these children's tablets through their paces.  Last year we received the original LeapPad so JJ was familiar with that but the InnoTab was new to us.

I know from chatting to my friends and seeing forum posts last Christmas that many parents have no idea which child-friendly tablet to choose.  The beauty of these is that your child cannot connect to the internet and access unsuitable content, so these offer a lot of peace of mind and of course are geared to be educational in a fun and engaging way.

To me, the untrained mum, both tablets seem very similar and I would have no idea which to choose.  It really does fall down to personal preference.You can of course search the web but often what I find is that the content out there is written by geeky types and that means that I have no idea what they are on about!  To try and help you to decide I have put together some key facts about both tablets and offered the opinion of us a real family, with 5 year old twin girls, a near 9 year old boy and a non-geeky mum and dad.

Leapster Explorer- Perfect for on the go!

I have to say that I am feeling very grateful to LeapFrog at the moment, they kindly sent us a Leapster Explorer console to test out and my twinnies are loving it.  I have had to remind JJ that it is for the girls and to keep his mitts off.  Whilst the Leapster Explorer is designed for children aged 4- 9 years JJ has his own toys that the girls are not allowed, so fairs fair!

We have a LeapPad already and the girls really enjoy that so I have to say I wondered if the Explorer console would hold any interest but actually Miss E in particular does not want to put it down.  I can honestly say that her DS has not been picked up once in the last three weeks since we received this.

What is a Leapster Explorer?
The console itself is a great size for small hands, not too heavy, it is easy to grip and use. The screen is full colour and superb quality, I pleased to see that the pen is attached to the console otherwise I fear it might have been lost fairly quickly.  I had a worry that the console might use up the battery life really quickly but I have been so pleased, we have now had it 3 weeks and have not had to change the batteries yet, despite loads of use and a couple of long car journeys.  It is far more battery economical than the LeapPad.

The console has a RRP of £59.99 but you can pick a new one up on Amazon for as little as £41.69 and I think that represents superb value. They are available in green or pink to suit your child's tastes and they require 4 x AA batteries, which are not supplied.

What about the games?
The LeapFrog educational games are so engaging that they make the kids want to learn and play.  Miss E is happy to sit and do some drawing on her console but Miss M really engages with the games, especially the Tangled one which we received, she loves this and what is super is that it is really helping her phonics, spelling and reading.  I have seen such an improvement in the last week or two when we read her school books and I am convinced the Leapster Explorer has helped with that.  I just need to help Miss E engage more with it in that way now as she hates traditional reading, so making it fun with her seems the way to go.

It is also fantastic that the games cartridges and downloads can be used across the range.  I was most happy when I connected the Explorer to my laptop for the first time to find that it automatically added itself to my LeapFrog account and I was able to put our previously downloaded games onto this console too - result!

The cartridge games retail for about £17.99 each and the download app card is £9.98 for 2 applet downloads, depending on your child's choice of app this could get you one or two games, ebooks or videos.

Why is it good for on the go?
I don't know about you buy my kids are not big fans of long car journeys.  Back at the beginning of April we travelled for 5 hours in the car and boy do I wish we had the Explorer Console then.  We have done a couple of hour long journeys since having the console and we have to take the egg timer so the girls know when to swap as they are so engaged in their play it is the only way we can stop arguments.. 

As the games are intuitive and you can set the learning level on the console it means that the girls are just able to turn on their console and play, no worrying about asking Mum or their older brother to help them.  This Independence has made on the go play and lean ring much easier and certainly more stress free for dh and I.

As previously mentioned it is really battery economical too and you do not have to try and worry about recharging after an hour or so.

I couldn't even get her to look up at me, she was too engrossed!

How do I know what they are learning?
There is parental peace of mind with the LeapFrog range as you can see your child's learning journey by connecting the console to your laptop or PC. The console is so easy to connect, it really is plug and play, you just download the connect software and you are ready to go.  Then from the same place you can download your free games when you first connect and buy more downloads at a later date if you so wish. The downloads are fun too and all have a learning element, we have the Sugar bugs which is a fun way to teach your child about the importance of dental hygiene and the jewel train which is great for developing problem solving skills.

You are able to see if your child is engaging with the system at the appropriate age level and then of course you can change the settings if you need to challenge them more and there are additional sheets that you can print off to work in conjunction with the games.

Would I recommend the LeapFrog Explorer?
100% yes.  I am so pleased with the way the twins have engaged with it and they are not even 5 years yet.  It feels good that they will still get another few years entertainment from it yet.

Plus Points -

• Sturdy, easy for small hands to use
• Intuitive and no hassle to set up
• Online learning journey for the parents to monitor their child
• Great variety of games and aps to buy
• Super fun for your kids and educational too
• Makes long journeys great fun and much more relaxing for the parents
• Super customer service, I know this from past experience
• Economical on battery use and you can buy an adapter for use at home

The downside -

• My girls wanted to play on it a little too much!  So as parents we have to monitor and limit their screen time.
• I was seriously having trouble thinking of any negatives, I suppose for some the initial outlay cost may be a bit much but to be honest when you can pick one up for about £40 I think it represents excellent value for money.

Disclaimer:  We were sent this console and 3 games for the purposes of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Orchard Toys Review & Giveaway - Piggy in the Middle Game

Congratulations to  @mrswebster147.  You are the lucky winner.  Please either email or DM me your name and address for me to pass on.  Well done, Mich x

I do love it when I get an email from Orchard Toys asking me if I would like to review another of their products. Without a shadow of a doubt I know that I will receive a British made innovative and educational game or puzzle arrive in the post that will delight my children.

Piggy in the Middle is no different.  The object of the game is to achieve savings of £5 and reach one of the finish spaces.

You play the game by rolling the dice and moving around the board, if you land on a spend or save space you collect a card and it instructs you what to do.  You have to spin the spinner to see how much either you pay to the bank (you spend) or the bank pays to you (to save).  JJ adored being the banker, this was his big brother duty.  If you are really lucky you might get the piggy bank card and then you can claim all the money in the piggy bank (which will have got there by people landing on different coloured piggy bank spaces and having to pay 50p in the piggy bank). Once you have managed to save £5 you make your way up the board to any one of the finish spaces.

Without sounding a bore and as if I am the champion of Orchard Toys let me tell you why we liked this game so much -

• The packaging is sturdy and lasts, no silly broken corners after a few weeks.
• The board breaks into jigsaw pieces for small storage and again is a real sturdy card with a sort of laminate wipe clean cover
• There is a cute little red piggy bank with it (need I say more? lol)
• The game is good fun, it is advertised for ages 5-10 years and I played it with my just 4 year old twins and 8 year old and they all loved it.  The 4 year olds needed a bit of help with keeping track of the money but they got the hang of the game very quickly.
• The game really does bring the whole family together for some fun
• It teaches my kids how to handle money and ties in with the national curriculum for maths, how can I not like that?

The game took us a while, about 45 minutes but that might have been because we had younger ones playing with us and dh and I had to help them. It did not feel too long though, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Piggy in the Middle retails for £11.50 and I believe it is really good value for money. You can buy it direct from Orchard Toys HERE and I must also say they always ship really fast and package the item well.

Would you like to win your own Piggy in the Middle game? 

• Mandatory - leave a comment and let me know how I can contact you if you win (email, Twitter ID)
• Additional Entry- subscribe to my blog for email notifications, so you never miss a giveaway again!
Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner
• Additional entry - tweet 'I want to #win a superb game from @orchardtoys in @michelletwinmum's #giveaway http://bit.ly/nWnCL2'

Giveaway Terms and Conditions 

• The winner will be chosen at random
• Open to UK and Ireland residents only
• Giveaway closes at 12 noon on Friday 16th September 2011
• The winner will be contacted within 3 working days of the competition closing
• The winner needs to contact me within a week of my announcing the winner or I will draw again
• The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative
• The game will be sent direct from Orchard Toys

Disclosure: We were provided with this game free of charge for the purposes of the review.  I was not instructed what to write, the words are my own and I remain honest.