Learning Through Play - Skill Building Toys Preparing Kids For Pre-K

Giving children a head start in learning is one of the most important things that parents can do for them. This gives them the ability to enter school with more self-confidence and accelerate faster with a lot of the basics already in place.

Alphabet A-Z. Photo courtesy of PlanToys.

During preschool children will be expected to master a number of areas, according to prekinders.com, including literacy, which will involve learning the letters of the alphabet and their sounds; building listening skills; learning new vocabulary; sequencing items and events; and developing motor skills.

In math, some of the core skills that children will need to master, include: learning the numbers from one to 10; counting objects up to 10; sorting by shapes, colors, and sizes; being able to compare sizes; and noticing patterns.

Learning can be easy and fun for children if it’s done as part of play. The hardest part for parents and educators may be finding toys that meet children’s educational needs, which are also fun and safe for both them and the environment.

There are lots of benefits to buying toys that meet national and international eco-friendly requirements. To meet children’s health and safety needs, standards include using chemical-free woods, non-toxic paints, and safety-conscious ergonomic shapes.

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Uncle Goose Takes A Curious Approach Teaching Presidential History

We tend to remember things in life that are out of the ordinary, and this is definitely the approach that Lindenwood Inc. takes in creating its Uncle Goose Toys. The company’s latest move toward original play and teaching is the creation of a full set of United States presidential blocks.

Image courtesy of Lindenwood Inc.

“It’s an interesting thing to have presidents on a set of blocks and we are always trying to come up with unique ideas. Some people really key into our political history, even myself going through the process and getting into things that I had never really learned about the presidents,” said Pete Bultman, the company’s owner.

“Usually these guys are up on pictures in a classroom, and I remember when I was a kid looking up and thinking who are these guys. When young minds are active and engaged, it’s amazing what they pick up on and the potential in using presidential blocks. They might spark an interest that a kid might pursue down the line,” added Mr. Bultman.

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Mom’s Inspiration Launches Imagination Building Blocks

Photo courtesy of CitiBlocs.

Sometimes the greatest inspirations comes just by watching kids play. This was Marjorie Chayette’s flash of insight a little while back, when watching one of her young sons playing with blocks at a birthday one day.

“They were playing with the blocks at a birthday party and I was fascinated to see what they did with them. They did a lot of group things with the blocks, and I liked how they used their imaginations,” said Ms. Chayette, who used this inspiration to go on to create CitiBlocs, a company producing sets of uniform length natural wooden construction plank blocks, with measurements of 4.5 x .75 x .25 inches.

Ms. Chayette, the owner and principal of CitiBlocs, said, “What I really like about the size is that it just really grows with the kids and they can make more versatile, complicated, and taller structures as they get older. It’s not like a square unit block that they can outgrow.”

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Toymaker Getting Ready to Unveil New All Natural Rubber-Based Educational Toys

Toddler developing cognitive and motor skills as she plays. Photo courtesy of ImagAbility.

EL DORADO, Calif.- ImagAbility, a developer and distributor of developmental toys and educational resources, will be launching a new line of products geared specifically for ages one to three. The new products called Weebabus will be stacking and rolling toys designed to help toddlers develop their vertical and horizontal cognitive and motor skills.

The Weebabu product lines will be introduced to the public at the American Specialty Toy Retailers Marketplace this June 14 through June 18 in Minneapolis.

“The forms and functions of the Weebabu products are similar to our WEDGiTS (stacking and building toys, designed for ages three and up), just the materials are different. Our standard WEDGiTS lines of products are made of hard plastic using high impact polystyrene. The Weebabu lines that we are talking about are made of a natural rubber and covered in a non-toxic nylon flocking,” said Rock McKinley, vice president of sales and marketing at ImagAbility.

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