As a parent, your goals for your children’s education include the following:
- Helping them become proficient in reading, writing, and arithmetic
- Encouraging them to develop an interest in and appreciation for the world outside their own.
- Encouraging them to pursue their own interests and passions.
Did you realize that just by playing with your kid, you can improve their grades? The best way to learn is through play!
Is a specific type of play most conducive to learning in young children? Play that keeps kids interested and involved despite setbacks. In other words, this type of play shapes how youngsters respond to learning circumstances.
Children learn several skills through play, including natural curiosity, solve problems, focus as well as persist despite difficulties.
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Parents can aid their children’s academic development by playing with them early on. Kids need to know the basics of reading and writing before starting school. However, kids won’t do as well in academic environments if they haven’t learned how to learn effectively.
What Is Your Toddler Learning Through Play?
a. Social skills
Your baby “played” with toys by banging them together or hurling them about. You may have noticed that your child is now more likely to use toys appropriately, for example, by stacking blocks, driving a toy car, or listening to or talking into a toy phone.
Young children benefit socially from contact with peers. When playing, they frequently mimic other children, which is a good idea in building their vocabulary. However, don’t count on them to “play well” together or to be very enthusiastic about sharing.
Ensure that everyone has enough playthings, and be ready to intervene if any children refuse to share. Siblings, especially older ones, can provide excellent examples of leadership qualities such as taking turns, sharing, and teaching.
b. Fine motor skills
Improvements have been made in both fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. As they gain mastery of their fine motor skills, toddlers begin to draw and experiment with controls like knobs and buttons. Choose playthings like busy boxes and other toys suited to their age.
c. Language Skills
The development of language and communication skills in children at this age is phenomenal. Most babies will use their first words and point by the time they are 15 months old to communicate their wants and needs. Directions delivered verbally and visually are understood and followed. At 18 months, they can understand and follow spoken, one-step instructions.
When comparing the first half of the second year to the second half, we see a gradual development in vocabulary during the first half and a rapid expansion during the second half.
The child’s vocabulary expands from a few words to roughly fifty. There will be an increase in gestures like the “yes” and “kiss” blows and head shakes that are characteristic of toddlers.
Toddlers have a greater depth of understanding than they can articulate. Your child may become upset and resort to tantrums as a result.
How can you help your toddler play and learn?
There’s no going back once a child masters walking. Yours will be eager to practice and improve upon their newfound ability. Make sure they have plenty of opportunities to climb, jump, and run in a secure setting.
Young children are naturally curious and eager to watch and imitate their parents’ actions.
Give them toys that are appropriate for their age to play with while you’re doing the chores, such as a set of plastic pots, pans, and spoons to play with while preparing a meal.
You may also provide a toy vacuum to use while you are cleaning up.
These are some other toddler favorites:
- Non-complex brainteasers
- Toys such as peg boards and shape sorters
- Toys such as nesting sets, stacking toys, and blocks
- Trains and automobiles for kids
- Toys that they can ride, pull, and push
- Balls of various colors
- Dolls and action figures suitable for the child’s age
- Fat markers or crayons
There is no denying the value of reading. Your child will be able to follow along with a story and point out the various items in the photographs as you name them. Toddlers can learn to identify objects by being prompted to do so.
Discuss the stories you read and the events of the day. Ask your child questions, wait for answers, and build on what they say to stimulate conversation.
What to expect from toddler play
Unstructured play is common among children of this age. This kind of play occurs spontaneously and is driven by whatever interests your toddler at any given moment.
Your little one may, for instance, get the inclination to engage in some energetic and physically taxing activity, such as dancing. Alternatively, they might prefer a more solitary activity, such as drawing.
You should encourage and foster free-form play, as this is how nosy toddlers learn to use their imagination, lead play, pursue their own interests, discover the world, and make choices.
For instance, you may find your youngster repeatedly stowing away various items, turning containers upside down, and opening and closing cabinets. If you want to encourage your child, one way to do so is to ask them questions that get them talking about their day.
The same goes for your toddler, who will likely request that you play the same game or read the same book multiple times. Toddlers learn skills and predict outcomes by engaging in activities repeatedly.
Due to their boundless energy, toddlers frequently engage in active play. Your child needs time to move around in their own way, especially in a safe home environment. This is true even though structured gym or music courses can be enjoyable.
It’s normal for your toddler’s play to shift in intensity and direction frequently. In other cases, they may glance at something briefly before moving on.
Sometimes they’ll pause to investigate something at the scene. This implies that even routine tasks, like picking up the mail, may take longer than expected when a toddler accompanies you.
At age three, your child may take an interest in “pretend” games like house play and dress-up. Through this form of imaginative and creative play, your child can learn a lot about difficult feelings like anger, unhappiness, and frustration.
Conclusion
If you play with your child, they will be more likely to continue engaging in constructive play, where a lot of learning takes place. Taking an active interest in your child’s play and asking pertinent questions as you join in will encourage positive toy use.
Remember that the two of you will enjoy yourselves tremendously! In the end, you’ll be laying the groundwork for your kid’s academic success. The best way to learn is through play!