Month: April 2024

What are educational toys?  Educational toys are items and gadgets of play, principally designed for children, which are expected to stimulate learning. These toys are often intended to meet an educational purpose such as helping a child develop a particular skill or teaching a child about a particular subject.  Deciding on an educational toy:  When you’re in the process of purchasing an educational toy, don’t just buy it because you think it looks great, or it looks like it will allow your child to think differently. There are a few questions you should take in consideration while choosing an educational toy that will benefit your child in the long run.  What makes a good educational toy? The best toys teach basic concepts while promoting free play and social interaction. These toys should also challenge coordination and fine motor skills. leaving room for any new skills introduction. Educational toys actually play a big part in the child’s development, depending on the developmental skills you’re looking to enhance in your child.  Additional features to look for include: Potential Drawbacks from using an educational toy: Children are always so curious to explore and learn new things. They are constantly interested in the world around them. Parents and teachers can take their time to invest in buying educational toys that will support their child/student. Educational toys have countless benefits and the main one is to boost their development. 

Toddler children are fast learners and grow up fast. This is an important stage of development when you can help your toddler develop his/her independent skills daily and see results blossom constantly.  That means that as a parent or a care giver, we should let the children do things with less help from an adult.   This is a period of time where you are giving your toddler the opportunity to develop and know how to do things on their own.  For toddler parents, your start will be with simple tasks in your child’s daily routine, such as letting your child put on and take off their shoe by themselves. Helping your toddler Learn to put their belongings in their proper place where they belong. Have a place for everything. Everything your toddler owns should have it own spot and easy to store away.  Letting your toddler spoon-feed them self.  You are his/her first teachers always sit down when eating.  Take your child to wash and dry hands, observe and only comment if help is needed, such as put soap on and rub hands together.   Guide and help in putting on and taking off clothes with little guidance, teach how to fold clothes and pick up toys after play.   Development happens when your toddler is given choices.  When planning clothes for next day.  Ask your child which shirt he would like to wear to school from a choice of two options.  Children are often told what to do too often.  They need to feel in control of things that they are experiencing daily.  Choices lead to developing independence and building self-esteem or confidence which leads to becoming a confident child.   It is important to give your child time and be patient when helping your child while he/she is developing any self help skill. In many cases an adult might feel that it is faster to help a child with a task then having to wait for the child finish with the task.  It is true that you can do a better job with faster results.  However, by giving your toddler an opportunity to work on developing a self-help skill , your toddler will experience growth and development and learn to think how to do things which will boost his/her self-esteem.   If your child does need help, be there to help and still make him/her feel they accomplished as much as they could.  Always speak positive words to your child when your child is performing a self help skill task and encourage your child and phrase him/her for doing things with little or no help from an adult.  Enjoy watching your child progress in his independent development!

Identifying and Treating Developmental Delays  The term developmental delay may sound scary, but it is important to understand that every child grows, develops and learns differently and often a delay in one area does not predict long term or permanent outcomes. What is a developmental delay?  A developmental delay refers to a child who has not gained the developmental skills expected within a specified age range. Delays may occur in the areas of motor function, speech and language, cognitive, play, and social skills. Global developmental delay means a young child has significant delays in two or more of these areas of development. How to know if your child has a developmental delay? If you are concerned that your child is not reaching milestones when typically expected you should first consult with your child’s general practitioner or paediatrician. At this appointment the doctor will most likely ask you a series of questions regarding milestones your child has or has not met, and what your child has and has not yet been able to do. The doctor may then refer you to a specialist. Doctors your child might be referred to include: Act Early If a child does have a developmental delay early intervention can make a big difference. There are a range of therapies available to support the area of delay, including speech and language therapy, physical and occupational therapy, and behaviour therapy. Research has shown that early intervention can positively alter the course of development with long term outcomes.(https://evidence2impact.psu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/s_wifis14c03.pdf), (Karoly, Lynn A., M. Rebecca Kilburn, and Jill S. Cannon, Proven Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2005. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9145.html.),  To conclude, remember that not all children develop at the same rate. Avoid making comparisons between your child and other children. If you are concerned about your child’s development, first port of call is to visit your GP or paediatrician, and if a referral is made start with the recommended intervention as soon as possible.

By Teacher Ravisara Imagine what our world would be like if we didn’t have water? Or access to any healthy foods? There is a different world in each subject taught in the early years. A world where words are like puzzle pieces waiting to be put together. Each puzzle has a letter, each letter has a unique sound and action. Putting the puzzle together would mean blending them and creating words which will be the foundation of every future communication. This subject is Phonics. This world is the phonetic world, which is a very important part of the early years education.  Without phonics, children may struggle to develop these critical literacy skills. They may struggle to decode words, leading to frustration and lack of interest in the subject, which will further impact their communication skills. They will not be able to understand the relationship between letters and sounds. By introducing and practising phonics with your little ones you are helping them develop strong literacy skills which will help throughout their lives. There is no specific way to teach phonics. This can be through phonetic awareness activities in school, or worksheets, flashcards, having instructional strategies such as direct instruction, small group instruction and one on one instruction.  Research by International Literacy Association shows that phonics, when taught correctly, is one of the most effective ways of teaching children to read. It simplifies the English Language down into 44 sounds. Children, therefore decode words breaking it down into the sounds instead of ending up memorising over 1000’ individual words.  How can family members help their children with phonics? Phonics can be tricky, however, helping your child decode their sounds will only result in them being more confident when they are to communicate with other individuals in English.