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Posts Tagged ‘Preschool Kids’

Melissa and Doug Jigsaw Puzzles Have Educational Benefits

November 26th, 2009

Jigsaw puzzles provide a unique learning tool for children by providing them with manipulation and coordination skills. They are educational, fun, and instill a sense of accomplishment in children. Additionally, they help children develop reasoning skills and use deductive thinking while being challenged to complete the puzzle.

First developed around 1760 by John Spilsbury as a geography aid for British children, jigsaw puzzles quickly became popular in the educational field. It wasn’t until around 1880 that puzzles became a leisurely pastime.

Children learn through playing. The process of putting a puzzle together helps develop a child’s fine motor skills. As a child’s eyes follow the movement from puzzle piece to board, he develops hand-eye coordination which helps with many other activities. But the benefits of jigsaw puzzles go far beyond physical skills. Kids learn persistence and patience as they have to stay with the task all they way through to completion. They develop social skills as they collaborate together, especially when it comes to assembling a puzzle of 100 or more pieces. Concentration and reasoning skills are also used. A child can work the same puzzle several times, increasing the speed of completion with each assembly. This activity helps improve memory skills.

Jigsaw puzzles are available from a variety of brands including Melissa & Doug, Ravensburger and White Mountain. Melissa & Doug made it their mission to provide educational puzzles. They offer puzzles for all ages but the majority of their products are designed for toddlers and preschool kids. The garage of Doug’s parent’s home became the first office in 1988. In 1991, they introduced the Fuzzy Farm puzzle, their first creation. Melissa & Doug even offers jigsaw puzzles for infants where they assemble simple objects like a three-piece car set. Their preschool puzzles include a popular United States map puzzle. These puzzles are specially designed to teach colors, counting, alphabet, sorting, and geography, which are all important skills needed to prepare them for starting school. Ravensburger and White Mountain have some amazing designs for older kids.

While we usually think of jigsaw puzzles in the traditional format of pieces on a board, there are other forms and features that further enhance the educational benefits. Puzzles that make sounds can teach a child about musical instruments, farm animals, cars, emergency vehicles and trains. When the puzzle is completed correctly, a sound corresponding to the puzzle will be played, delighting the youngest child with life-like sounds.

The key to success with jigsaw puzzles is to provide kids with ones that are appropriate for their age and skill level. Very young kids should get started using puzzles that are specially designed for them by Melissa & Doug. These puzzles can be passed down to younger siblings and later generations because they are made of chunky wooden pieces which are designed to last. As kids get older, they can move on to puzzles with more pieces and more detailed designs. For children ages twelve and up, they need greater challenges that come from puzzles of 500 or more pieces.

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Tags: Accomplishment, Children Puzzles, Coordination Skills, Educational Benefits, Educational Field, Educational Puzzles, Hand Eye Coordination, Jigsaw Puzzles, John Spilsbury, Manipulation, Melissa And Doug, Memory Skills, Pastime, Persistence, Preschool Kids, Puzzle Piece, Puzzles Jigsaw, Ravensburger, Reasoning Skills, Toddlers

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Melissa and Doug Wooden Puzzles Have Educational Benefits

November 25th, 2009

Wooden puzzles offer the unique benefits of being fun and educational at the same time, which helps explain why they are so popular. They are used by people of all ages and walks of life from nursery schools and day care centers to schools, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, where they provide therapy and retraining of lost skills for those people who have suffered a stroke or brain injury.

Skills that children learn will become a part of their foundation as they grow. Reasoning abilities, thought processing, sequencing, and analytical skills are enhanced with these products. Social skills and how to interact with others can be learned through playing with wooden puzzles.

Two of the best selling brands are Schylling and Melissa and Doug Wooden Toys. These brands design their wooden puzzles to specifically incorporate teaching skills. Melissa and Doug is a company that designs their puzzles to be educational and fun for children and parents alike. They introduced their first wooden puzzle in 1991, the Fuzzy Farm. This puzzle contains four animals (pig, sheep, duck, and cow). Each animal is fuzzy, which helps develops a child’s sensory abilities and teaches matching skills.

Wooden puzzles can help the development of language and speaking skills for toddlers and preschool kids. As you converse with your child while they are playing with the puzzle, kids begin learning the proper sentence structure and word usage. This interaction helps increase their understanding, vocabulary and concept of language.

Wooden puzzles help introduce toddlers and preschool kids to a variety of different subjects. Melissa and Doug puzzles include themes such as farm animals, ocean life, the solar system, geography and a myriad of other aspects of life and living. Older children learn the alphabet and numbers with puzzles. Melissa and Doug wooden toys include several map puzzles, including a USA, Canada, and the world. These unique teaching aids can also serve as a religious educational tool, including Baby Moses, Adam and Eve, Jesus and other Bible characters. The keys to success are selecting the right theme and matching the child’s age and abilities with the appropriate puzzle.

Wooden puzzles are not all the same. We often think of them as jigsaw style with about 6 to 24 big chunky pieces. However, there are many different types. Melissa and Doug wooden toys such as their peg style puzzles are designed for toddlers to match the pieces putting them into uniquely shaped holes. This simple puzzle teaches motor skills and improves hand-eye coordination. It also facilitates cognitive development as the child seeks to analyze and understand the pieces as they hold them and try to decide which hole it will fit into. Other creative approaches include wooden puzzles that make sounds, such as farm animals and emergency vehicles, while also teaching kids how to match the pieces to different shapes.

Another unique approach is larger sizes designed for the floor. The Beginning Skills Floor puzzle is actually four in one; numbers, shapes, colors, and the alphabet. Brightly colored pieces cleverly provide toddlers with a learning experience as they must match each piece correctly. A great example of a floor puzzle is the Zoo Friends Circular Floor Puzzle, another product from Melissa and Doug Wooden Toys. It contains five animals, each with a short sentence, such as “lion is standing.” This 24” floor puzzle teaches children an action that the animal is doing (sitting, standing, walking), and shows the animal in motion. Additionally, the simple sentence helps teach children understand that letters combine to make words.

Wooden puzzles offer something for everyone. For some children, the aspect of hearing and seeing increases their learning ability. For others, the hands-on aspect helps them develop physical skills. For kids of all ages, they offer a great learning tool.

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Tags: Brain Injury, Children And Parents, Day Care Centers, Development Of Language, Educational Benefits, Farm Animals, Melissa And Doug, Melissa And Doug Puzzles, Melissa And Doug Wooden Puzzles, Melissa And Doug Wooden Toys, Nursery Schools, Preschool Kids, Proper Sentence Structure, Reasoning Abilities, Schylling, Sensory Abilities, Teaching Aids, Walks Of Life, Wooden Puzzle, Word Usage

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Wooden Train Toys Like Thomas Train Can Help Kids Social Development

November 21st, 2009

Wooden train toys are popular with kids the world over. They’re bright, they’re durable, and they’re fun for toddlers and preschool kids. Manufacturers of wooden train brands like Thomas Train and Melissa and Doug have thoughtfully designed their products with the little people in mind, making them safe and colorful way to have fun with never ending play time activities.

But wooden train toys are more than popular play time activities. They are also great tools for social development of young kids. This article provides examples of how Thomas Train facilitates development of social skills.

Everyone is Special – a key component of childhood social development is recognizing that everyone is special. Thomas Train toys help teach children the value of being an individual, as each train has its own personality. Draw your child’s attention to this by asking them to draw a picture of their favorite wooden train toys while talking about their favorite character. Point out the similarities between the train and the child, emphasizing your child’s good qualities, and pointing out what makes them special. Next, talk about your favorite train, or a sibling’s favorite train, and do the same exercise, pointing out the differences, and how differences make us special.

Thomas May I? – Similar to Simon Says, this game helps children learn to follow directions while still having fun. If Thomas isn’t your child’s favorite character, feel free to pick another. Have children form a group about twenty feet away, then call out “Thomas says you may–”. Before completing the directed action, children must ask “Thomas, may I?” to stay in the game. Whoever makes it up to the front gets to play Thomas. Let children take turns choosing which character will be in charge. This game stimulates a lot of social interaction, allowing kids the opportunity to practice and refine social skills.

Associative Play – Wooden train toys allow children to express themselves while also learning to work with others. How? The design of Thomas Train toys caters to children as individuals, allowing them to build the track to suit their own personal vision. This same design, however, allows several children to share the same set of wooden train toys. This means children can share pieces, passing them back and forth and communicating while still playing in a way that suits their individual personalities.

Free Play – Though it’s tempting to structure playtime, free play is just as important as any activity. Let children sit with Thomas toys and listen as they make up their own stories and structure. If they look to you for ideas or advice, resist the urge to make suggestions. Instead, encourage children to experiment. Ask questions about what they think should happen, or even why they’re asking you for advice. If your child is still unsure, consider switching activities for a while. It’s possible he or she is uncomfortable with independent play, or just needs some reassurance. Snuggle up with a book for a while and let your child get comfortable. When you think they’re ready, talk about why they were uncomfortable with free play. Take baby steps. Don’t push, but don’t be too soft, either.

Wooden train toys are fun for the whole family. They’re an excellent way to encourage group play and social development. By selecting quality brands like Melissa and Doug or Thomas Train toys, children can explore their individuality in a safe, encouraging, and fun environment.

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