The Benefits of Toys and Games to Children

Toys and games are part and parcel of a child’s life and a day would not be complete without at least about a dozen toys that a child goes through. Although the toys and games that are presently dominating the market may seem so different from what we had before, the fundamental values remain the same. Toys and games are there to help kids develop their physical and cognitive skills.

If you are planning to establish your own child care center or are running ne right now, then you are probably aware of the importance of playtime. Children are always made curious by new things and will always try to touch and play everything they see. You will need a bundle of stuff that is child-friendly to keep these little tykes interested all day. If you did not have toys, the kids will make ways to amuse themselves by getting into your drawers and pulling out everything from it and then fold, tear, and generally make a mess of things. It is natural for kids to find the most dangerous little things that you keep in the corners of drawers like scissors, staples, and pens and important documents and run away with them. So you had better make sure you have a lot of toys to keep them busy.

What are the benefits of toys and games anyway?

1. Developing physical abilities – If you have attended at least one psychology class, you will have gone across the terms fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Children develop these abilities in their early stages by holding things and learning how to manipulate them with their hands and fingers. If you see a child trying to carry around dolls and trucks and trains, they are developing gross motor skills. A child who sits down and tries to catch an ant is developing fine motor skills. Additionally, in a day care facility, you will need to have an open space, maybe in the backyard of your home, to let the kids run free and wild. This way, their legs get stronger and they develop other skills through more active play like jump rope or kicking a ball around. Dancing is another way to create an opportunity to develop physically. They would enjoy imitating simple actions such as putting their hands and arms out, shaking them, or swaying their hips to follow the music.

2. Developing cognitive skills – Cognitive skills are skills that include reasoning, perception and intuition. When playing games or with toys, children develop these abilities by getting more into the spirit of the play with rules and directions. A child for example, who starts putting up blocks one on top of another has used the reasoning that in doing this, he is making a taller toy, which looks like a building. For more active plays, a child develops his cognitive skills by following simple rules such as counting off to ten with his eyes closed before seeking out the other day care kids who are hiding from him.

For more: How to start a daycare center