Angela Girgis Benefits of Educational Toys for Infants and Toddlers

Toys are great for young children, especially since they help your child engage and develop different regions of the brain. At our daycare in Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto, our staff focus on the overall development of our students, following the ELECT protocols.

Some toys help stimulate and engage cognitive abilities, while others help the child develop physical and sensory skills. However, not all toys are suitable for all ages. While infants and toddlers prefer tactile and sensory play, older children need more physical, active play. These educational toys can help your child develop critical thinking skills and develop their imagination. Play is an excellent tool for children to learn about the world around them and develop their skills in multiple areas.

Toy Balls: Fine Motor Development

For babies around 6 months, playing with toy balls can help develop their fine motor skills. During playtime, they may opt to roll it around, and learn about its physics as they observe cause and effect when moving it in different ways. The best part is that you can prepare this fine motor activity in less than 5 minutes! To set up this activity, you just need a ball and some masking tape. Wrap the masking tape around the ball in different directions, or cover the entire thing! While it may seem complicated to the little one, their brains will be engaged as they try to get it off their hand.

Child Care in Brampton

At our daycare in Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto, we have found that toy balls are a versatile and fun toy for babies and toddlers, as well as children of all ages. They come in all shapes and sizes, and can be jingling or soft. Whether your child is playing with a plastic ball or a wooden ball, there is a ball for their unique wants, needs and creative spirit! A child can also roll the ball, improve his or her visual tracking skills, and learn about cause and effect by doing so. This quick and easy-to-setup foundational activity will continue to develop fine motor skills for years to come, and pave the way for more creative play methods as the children grow older. At our daycare in Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto, we allow for free play time to help develop these skills, while also providing guidance to help children their physical and cognitive skills.

Building Blocks: Language Development

Children develop language and speech in a predictable order. For example, it takes an infant longer than a toddler to master speech sounds. In the early childhood field, early literacy happens through constant talking and singing from educators. They take the time to tell the children, no matter the age, what is happening next during the day as well as labelling everyday toys and simple activities. This creates the language foundation and receptive language before speaking (expressive language) begins. Children begin speaking, understanding simple instructions, responding to questions, and coming up with questions of their own.

By age two, toddlers have developed a vocabulary of 50 words or more. This means that they understand 50% of what they say. Parents should talk to their kids. Label everything and help them understand. Reading stories (pointing to pictures and labelling items), singing and telling stories with expression also support early language skills.

At our daycare in Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto, we use stories to stimulate language development. Additional techniques include also using books and rhymes to promote language development. You can even start a story or sing for your child, which is a wonderful way to promote language development over time. Helping Children Develop Logical Thinking Skills

A simple yet effective activity for young children to develop logical thinking skills involves playing with toy balls. The most important attribute in this activity is size. Children can sort their toy balls by size or position, and then use the numbers to determine which ones will go into bucket A. This game helps children develop logical thinking skills, and is a great way to foster mathematical and linguistic skills. The benefits of this activity go beyond simple education.

Another activity that helps children develop logical thinking skills is pretend play. By playing pretend, kids can connect to and interpret the real world, understand the difference between objects, and build something unique. Parents can play pretend games with their kids, using props. By telling stories with the props, children will develop logical reasoning skills. And if they are bored of playing pretend, they can also make up their own stories and act out these stories with their parents or peers.

Daycare in Brampton

Children are truly a pleasure to work alongside, and at Angelic Treasures Christian Daycare, we recognize each individual child for the unique “treasure” of personal qualities that they bring to the world! We are passionate about educating, guiding and helping children learn and discover the world around them and develop their skills to thrive in the world outside the daycare: Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto parents trust our staff to help develop their angelic treasures! Get in touch today at (647) 775-9376 to learn more!