Wednesday, October 5, 2011

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The benefits of Wooden Toys

Wooden toys offer some advantages that may not at first be obvious. It is true that a wooden toy cannot make a noise. It cannot move by itself. It does not have a remote control. It uses no batteries. It cannot do all the wonderful things that electronic toys do.

However, rather than being a drawback these things are actually beneficial. Not that there isn't a place for those types of toys but rather that the wooden toy is a valuable addition to the toy collection of any child.

* Durability
Wooden toys are usually strong. They do not break easily. Because of their strength they can stand a lot more weight and pressure than other toys. This lends them to being played with in more ways than most adults would think of when deciding which toy to get for their child.

* Imagination
Wooden toys allow the imagination a huge scope. Because the toy does not have any resemblance to the television programs that the children have watched their imagination has a chance to be unleashed. The number of different ways to play with the toy is only restricted to how well the child can use their imagination. The more a child exercises their imagination the stronger it becomes.

There are many advantages for a child in having a strong imagination. It is a vehicle which allows one to entertain oneself at any time and in any place. Most people would agree that that is very useful, not just in childhood but throughout life. Children also use imagination to explore their world, feelings and problems. It allows them to integrate their feelings, dreams and actions. In short it is a valuable vehicle to them becoming well adjusted members of society.

* Educational
The actual toy determines which educational factors can be developed. All wooden toys will have some educational or developmental benefit.

For example wooden puzzles can help to develop hand eye co ordination and problem solving. Of course puzzles made out of other materials offer the same advantages. Wooden puzzles, being stronger and more durable may perhaps offer them for longer.

Bead sequencing sets or other sorting games can offer hand eye co ordination and reasoning skills.
Anything that stimulates the process of discovery and learning will enhance the educational and developmental process of children. Wooden toys of all sorts can fit into this category.

Versatile wooden toys lend themselves to children creating new games with them each time they play with them. For this reason children will keep coming back to play with these toys often. This makes wooden toys a great choice to add to any child's life


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2512991

Popular types of Wooden Toys

There are many different types of wooden toys and games to choose from. Some follow traditional designs and have been produced consistently for many years. Many are newer designs that incorporate elements of more recent toys and games. Popular types of toys and games include:
 
  • Ride-ons, tricycles and small bikes.
  • Jigsaw and other kinds of puzzles.
  • Pull-alongs.
  • Building blocks.
  • Wooden train, farms, towns, doll houses, castles and people sets.
  • Board games.
  • Musical instruments.
These kinds of toys are often particularly popular with parents of babies and younger children.

 
  

Wooden Toys Vs Electronic Toys

Children grow in many ways, mentally (cognitive development), physically (motor development), and emotionally to name but a few, developing and learning through interaction with the people, environment and objects around them. Into this mix of elements come the toys that seem to build up at an alarming rate from the high tech 'learning toys' to the humble traditional wooden toys from yesteryear. So exactly what should a buyer be looking for when buying toys for young children and are the high tech gadgets really the panacea of learning that they purport to be?

Physiologists have been studying the development of children for over a hundred years from the early concepts of Piaget and Freud to the modern highly controlled test being carried out by Universities and Institutes around the world. In the last few decades extensive research has been applied to the science of play, studying the way children interact with their toys and how this play can stimulate development. Judging by the plethora of 'electronic learning toys' that major manufacturers have produced over the years it would be easy to believe that the research had indicated an identifiable benefit to these toys. It is surprising therefore that most research has shown quite the opposite and indicating that traditional toys may in fact be the most beneficial partner to stimulate a growing child's mind and body.

Christine Rosen the author of My Fundamentalist Education (Washington Post Non-Fiction Book Of The Year 2006) believes we are too quick to see technology as a fast track method to nearly everything in life, including development and that we need to appreciate that there is in fact no 'microwave' method to understanding.

“Two recent studies suggest that the oft-touted educational benefits of such toys are illusory, and child development experts caution that kiddie electronics, even those bought purely for fun, can have negative side effects such as inhibiting creativity and promoting short attention spans. A government funded 2 year study by Stirling University looked into the direct benefits of so called 'targeted electronic learning toys' and found that such offerings from the market leaders such as Leapfrog and V-Tec offered no identifiable benefits to children. Researcher Lydia Plowman told the Guardian that parents were wasting their money on expensive educational electronics.

Further studies have also demonstrated that electronic toys can limit or inhibit a child's ability to think beyond the limits of their electronic device. For example most electronic games had a defined start and end with a single purpose that limited a child's imagination whereas the majority of traditional toys proved less restrictive allowing a child to 'dream up' various games and outcomes that stimulated role play, interaction and general cognitive development.

In addition many of the electronic learning toys on the market have a significant price differential with their traditional wooden counterparts meaning that a child can have a more limited range of toys due to the costs involved with making the purchase of such electronic games.

So it would seem that the old fashioned wooden toy is long from dead and that far from being relics of the past, traditional toys, used correctly can in fact give a child an advantageous start in life.
Article Source: International Adoption Articles Directory