Perhaps one of the most rewarding things about being a parent is teaching your children to count and helping them understand their ABC’s. A great excuse to communicate on a level your child is comfortable with, learning time can be just as much fun as playtime, and with the right “tools”, we can teach our children without them even realising it.
By tools, I refer to educational toys such as building blocks, magnetic letters and numbers, wooden ‘lift out’ puzzles and role-playing toys.
Educational toys are much the same as ‘normal’ toys in that they are bright, colourful and fun to play with, but they are specifically designed to promote brain activity such as problem solving, thinking and communication skills, while building hand-eye coordination and improving social skills.
A perfect example would be the Wooden Building Block set by BRIO. A fantastic set of 50 colourful blocks in a range of shapes and sizes, your child will learn to recognise colours and shapes just by playing with these durable wooden blocks, and they are the type of educational toy that is pulled from the toy box repeatedly.
Djeco’s Magnetic Fishing game is another hugely popular educational toy that is perfect for encouraging young children to play together. Taking it in turns, each child ‘fishes’ for a magnetic fish, learning to count and distinguish the different coloured fish along the way.
Learning can be so much fun for our kids, and with a few great educational toys, you can help your little one become the next Einstein!