Toys For Both Boys And Girls
In my early research about parenting I read that the reason boys generally had higher IQ’s than girls was due to the types of toys they played with when growing up. I believe this information has changed somewhat over the years but there was a time when little girls played with dolls and boys got to do all sorts of fun things that stimulated their minds. I did not want to take any chances that a boy would be smarter than any of my daughters because of the toys they played with. I raised four daughters so I seldom got to do the fun stuff I did as a kid. I had trains, models, race cars and all the balls and bats I would ever need. I settled for something in between “girl toys” and “boy toys” for my girls. Sure, they had their fair share of dolls, but they had a lot of thinking and activity type toys to go with them. I would usually buy them toys that could be equally enjoyed by either sex, thinking they would be getting the best of both worlds. The plan worked and they are all growing up as major overachievers.
Learing as the main goal and benefit from games
Playing time for a child is also a learning time. They learn how to use their imagination and how to get along with other kids. Games and toys also teach early eye and hand coordination. Games can teach problem solving and all the basic kindergarten skills. Games can make learning fun. If a child is taught to love learning at an early age all the school years to follow go so much smoother.
Try and keep your children active with educational toys and games and away from the TV as much as possible. Games will actually stimulate the brain, helping your child to learn and mentally grow. TV has the opposite effect. Oops, did I mention TV again? Sorry.
No one knows more about toys for children and how to keep them occupied and learning, on a budget, than Sharon. Her site, teaching-tiny-tots.com, is all about teaching your children without spending a fortune. An excellent example is the learning to count with Cheerios page. You only need a kid, some paper, glue, marker and a box of cheerios. You are ready to do the toddler math Cheerio count.
Educational toy stores on the web
Talking about toys for children, did you know Legos are more than just toys? That’s what they say, and they are a non-sexist toy, even better.
Legos have been made in Denmark for over half a century and they are now becoming very popular tools for teaching children practical applications for math, science and social skills. All across the nation these little toys are becoming the basis for camps and clubs. This also includes teens and preteens where they use the toy to learn engineering and pre-robotics.
At one Lego camp for ages 5-12 the kids learned concepts for designing and building walls, pyramids and bridges. If you prefer not to build with Lego blocks, maybe you could work on this problem. How many different ways can six eight-studded Lego bricks be combined? The latest calculation is 915,103,765. Do your children have access to these amazing little learning tools?
