It may be trite, but we cannot stress on it enough! Play is the work of children.
As parents when we buy our children toys, we look at a few parameters.
- Safety & utility
- Length of usage
- Materials used
- Cost
- What will my child learn?
What if we told you, the last factor might be the single most important thing to consider when buying toys? When children play, they are not just engaging in entertaining themselves, but they are learning about how the world works, what it contains, the roles that people play around them, and even how to socialise with others.
Playing with toys is something a child willingly does, without coaxing from the parent. While we see them having fun as they play, what we don't see is all the learning that is going on simultaneously. Toys are tools children use to learn and develop cognitive, motor, linguistic, and social skills.
What do toys teach?
Motor skills:
Babies begin to learn about the world through touch -- even before they start walking and exploring. They reach out to colourful toys and learn to grab. They hold on to rattles and teethers and learn to grip and move their fingers. This kind of play develops their fine motor skills and strengthens their fingers for when they start writing or feeding themselves.
Like shumee’s Wooden Crochet Teether and Rattle toy. Brightly coloured and entices baby to move towards it and grab it. Tactile stimulation from the textures, and fun to curl their fingers around and explore!
Also read: Handy Guide on the right toys to buy for baby!
As your child grows they work on developing their gross motor skills. What better way than toys that encourage them to walk, climb, and explore safely? Begin with shumee’s Baby Activity Walker that encourages your toddler to take their first steps with confidence. Then move on to Wooden Rainbow Pikler Triangle where your intrepid explorer will learn to grab, pull themselves up, climb, and safely slide down the other side giving their arms and legs opportunity to strengthen and develop. Shumee’s bestseller Butterfly Balance Board teaches children to balance while they have fun!
Cognitive development and creative thinking:
Ever watched our child imitating your every move? When they pick up a mobile phone and pretend to be on a “work call” or when they gather their tiny pots and pans and pretend to be stirring food, they are learning how the world works. It is time for toys that will develop the way they think creatively and problem-solve.
Shumee’s Wooden shape and number house is bright, colourful and teaches children numbers, shapes and familiarises them with the concept of a clock. This toy encourages them to problem solve to find the right block to fit through the drop in hole. Our range of pretend play toys like Build A City wooden toy set or Lil Chef’s Wooden cooking set offers your child a way to imitate what they see around them.
Also read: How toys help your child think better through PLAY!
Social skills:
How do we teach our kids to socialise? We don’t! We let toys do the teaching! Learning to socialise is a crucial life skill for children to develop and play offers a fun learning platform! When you bring two children together for a playdate or a child initiates playtime with their sibling, we can observe the role toys play in teaching them to converse and even to wait and take turns.
Shumee’s board games teach children to wait for their turn, take turns calmy, plan and strategise for their move, and communicate with their playmate. Toys are a great way to teach children about winning and losing too. Use toys like Ramayana peg dolls to have important conversations with children about mythology and Indian heritage.
Toys aren’t just “child’s play”, they are crucial to children at every stage of their development. Toys teach important life skills and build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.