When adults think of children s toys or activities which are educational they may have a tendency to think of children sitting quietly undertaking a task by themselves such as reading a book or playing with a jigsaw. In fact toys and activities which are viewed as good for a child s education and development are far more wide reaching than you might first imagine, and can include anything from helping you hang the washing out to charging about enjoying a noisy game of football! With today s media hype about childhood obesity never far from our screens, radios or newspapers the fact that activity can be educational and good for childhood development is one piece of news we can all welcome!
Get motoring
When a child is active they are essentially developing their Gross Motor skills, recognised as an important contributor to a child s overall development. These are the skills required to move the larger muscles in the arms, legs and body, for example to walk, run, throw, lift and kick. They relate to body awareness, a sense of co-ordination, reaction, speed, balance and strength. Traditional toys which help stimulate gross motor development include things like ride on toys, skipping ropes and bicycles for older children.
Get kids involved
The great news about encouraging kids to get active is that as busy parents trying to juggle many activities in your own lives, you can get the children involved alongside you rather than always separating play time and task or job time. No one is disputing that one on one focused play time with a parent or carer is essential for a child s wellbeing and development but it s good to know there are ways you can successfully incorporate playing with your child into your own daily routines so that you can get on with the job in hand while your child develops, learns and is active alongside you.
Get on … together
How many times have you told the kids to go off and play while you get on with the chores, such as preparing dinner, a spot of DIY or tackling the ironing bin? Instead, how about getting your child their own toy ironing board and iron and chatting to them as you iron together, or their own toolkit so they can feel like they are helping you build that chest of drawers / hang that curtain rail up? Children just love mimicking activities undertaken by their older role models and you can really bond with a child in this way as well as teach them as you go. Show them how you press the clothes carefully, then hang them up to look after them so that they begin to learn important lessons such as respect for belongings. Help them overcome the frustration they will undoubtedly experience when trying to build something explaining that it s important not to give up but to keep calm and try again. And share the excitement and sense of achievement when they do complete the task in hand.
Get them involved in your hobbies too - if you love being outside in the garden encourage them to be involved. There are plenty of children s gardening toolkits on the market which can also double up for some fun in the sandpit. Sometimes it s not the children s imagination that needs stimulating, it s our own creative outlook on how to approach things! So go on, get active, get them involved and have some fun with the kids!
By Karen Singleton
Strawberry Children s Toys
Educational wooden toys and traditional wooden toys online.
Karen Singleton is a mum of two who is passionate about quality, affordable toys which encourage learning and development through play. She runs her own online independent shop specialising in educational wooden toys and traditional wooden toys for babies and children under 5. All toys featured on Strawberry Children s Toys are played with, tested and enjoyed by real children.
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Everybody knows playing outside is fun and very good for our children. Outdoor play is the part of our childhood we will always remember and cherish fondly the memories of past summers playing in the garden.
Unfortunately in this day and age we cannot send our kids of to the park to play on the swings or in the woods climbing trees like we did in our day, every parent wants to know our children have lots of fun and adventures yet at the same time keeping and eye on them to ensure they are safe at all times.
It is now very common and a fantastic idea for parents to make the back garden a mini adventure area for our kids to have fun in safely. Many go for metal swings and sometimes a slide. Unfortunately metal play equipment such as these are not as safe or visually appealing to our kids as more popular wooden structures, more specifically wooden playhouses.
There are quite a number of benefits to installing a wooden playhouse or other wooden equipment over their metal counterparts.Wood heats up a lot better than metals or plastics so kids can play outside even on chilly mornings without the cold effecting their grip or fun. Metal and plastics can heat up a lot more in the hot summer sun whereas wood can stay at a comfortable temperature meaning your kids won t be at risk of burning their hands on the metal or plastic handles.
Wood is a lot more natural to your gardens surroundings and wont need painting. Metal play equipment often comes painted but usually with cheap paint that will peel off very easily leaving the structure ugly and in need or more care and attention than wooden ones.
Wooden playhouses and play equipment is very easy to look after and can be assembled very easily. They come in many different varieties such as playhouses on stilts, tree houses or just houses that sit on the ground. They are easy to build onto when your kids start to grow and want bigger play areas and are easily used to add onto such as swings, slides or climbing frames.
The best part of a wooden playhouse is its sturdiness, as a parent we always want our kids to be playing in a safe environment. Wooden playhouses can last for years with very little maintenance which in the long term can save you a lot of money.
Wooden playhouses are very appealing to both boys and girls of all ages, they can be a fortress, a den, toy room or anything your Childs imagination wants them to be, which is also a major part of your Childs development.
When you are going to buy a wooden playhouse it is always a good idea to do a bit of research before buying.
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Today it s hard to imagine a world without our much loved and loyal friend, the teddy bear. The teddy bear has only been with us for just over 100 years, making his first appearance in 1902. Then, in one of those impossible to explain coincidences, the teddy appeared in the same year on opposite sides of the world - in Germany and the USA.
In America, the teddy bear came into being with a cartoon showing President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a baby bear. According to this tale, Roosevelt had traveled to Mississippi to help settle a border dispute between that state and Louisiana, and while there, found time to go bear hunting. There were no bears to be found, but his hosts were desperate that he should have a good time. So eventually someone captured a bear and invited Roosevelt to shoot it. Roosevelt s refusal to fire at such a helpless target inspired the famous cartoon with its message regarding the two ways Roosevelt was drawing a line, ie settling a border dispute and refusing to shoot a captive animal.
The cartoon caused an immediate sensation and was reprinted across the USA. It inspired Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn, New York, to make a bear to commemorate their president s actions and they named it “Teddy s Bear.” It was placed in the window of their New York candy and stationery store. Instead of looking fierce and standing on all four paws like earlier toy bears, this bear looked cute , innocent, and honest, like the bear in the now famous cartoon. That could be why “Teddy s Bear” became so popular with both adults and children across the country. In fact, the demand was so strong that the Michtoms, with the help of a wholesale firm called Butler Brothers, established the first teddy bear manufacturer in the United States, the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.
At the same time, but on the other side of the Atlantic, in Germany, a young man by the name of Richard Steiff was working for his aunt, Margarete Steiff, in her stuffed toy business. Richard often visited the Stuttgart Zoo to sketch animals, particularly the bear cubs. In 1902, the same year the Michtoms made “Teddy s Bear,” the Steiff firm made their first toy bear based on Richard s designs.
Over the next 100 years the teddy bear went from strength to strength and whilst other toy crazes came and went, the bear remained an enduring favourite with generations of children across the world. The bear is loved by adults too, for his or her endearing, loyal and friendly nature. These characteristics are obvious in the latest generation of bears, those pictured on the DevonBears Designs products which show the loveable little creatures out and about in the lovely countryside of south Devon, England.
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