While your radio is softly playing in the background take a moment and listen to how your kids are playing. You will find opportunities to gently guide your children as they are playing with their toddler learning toys.
Children who have open-ended learning toys will have opportunities for creative learning fun and as you listen to them “plan” and “work” together you will notice that their social skills are developing. When you take a moment to “tune into” their play you will be able to provide guidance in their social development when and where needed.
While children are playing with such toys as cardboard blocks and building towers and other structures you will notice which children take leadership in the planning. You will begin to notice if there is a child being bossy or how he accepts suggestions as another child offers his own ideas.
Toy cardboard blocks, such as a set of CityBlocks by Smart Monkey Toys, is a fun toddler learning toy and provides your children an opportunity for creative play and work that builds important social skills they will need all through their lives.
Children playing together are not only creating reality in play, they are also adapting to new realities, work, and therefore it is important to allow children many opportunities for unstructured playtime every day.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
I was trying to explain the importance of allowing children to play with open-ended toys every day and that parents could listen in to their play and offer guidance when necessary. The CityBlocks shown was an example of an open-ended toddler toy.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:22 am
Hello! Excellent idea, but will this truly function?