Playing Is Educational

It’s been proven that kids who have active imaginations while they’re young tend to be more creative, innovative, and successful as adults. But in addition to fostering imaginative practices, it’s also important to address early learning. We learn a significant portion of the sum of our knowledge when we’re young, and children who start learning as early as 3 or 4 will have a much better chance at advancing in education than children who don’t start learning until kindergarten and grade school. Early learning can encompass a variety of topics, including the basics like problem solving, deduction, and reasoning, as well as more advanced subjects like reading and math. Giving your child fun educational toys and games, and spending time learning with them will help them develop more quickly.

It’s also a good idea for you to ensure your children interact with other children their age.  Developing social skills is also an important part of development, and children who have educational skills but lack social skills will be at a disadvantage, and vice versa.

Too often these days kids sit around playing video games in dark, cramped, and musty rooms. There was on kids I knew that ate nothing other than birthday cake for a week because he was so engrossed in playing his video games! I don’t want that to happen to my kids, so I have made sure to introduce them to educational games that are fun, yet informative.

At first my kids wanted to know what made these games educational and why they couldn’t play video games like all the other kids. After a while they became used to the new games. Now they look forward to playing the games, and even ask me if they can take them over to their friends’ houses!

When children are in the early stages of development, their minds absorb and retain an astounding amount of information. This is why little children can learn a new language and understand tens of thousands of new words in a few years time, when it takes some adults months of training just to gain a rudimentary understanding. During these first years, it is important to help your child learn and make education fun.

One of the best ways to promote learning is through the utilization of fun and interactive toys. There are a variety of playthings on the market today for infants and young children. Many toddler educational toys are reasonably priced, and are a sound investment in your child’s future.

If you’ve been reading newspapers or checking online news sources in the last few years, you may have noticed a series of stories detailing the downfall of Americans’ geographic knowledge. In 2006, a National Geographic poll found that almost 33 percent of young Americans couldn’t locate Louisiana on a U.S. map. This came less than a year after Louisiana was grabbing headlines in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Of course one could cite sample size and other statistical problems with the study, but there’s no denying that young people could benefit from learning more about the world around them. Educational childrens books like Merriam Webster’s Notebook Atlas are an indispensable resource that kids can use at home as well as at school. It seems that our public education system is leaving a bit to be desired, so it’s up to parents to help fill in those knowledge gaps.

When most kids arrive in kindergarten class, their reading skills are virtually nonexistent. Teachers spend hours trying to instill the ABCs and the basics of pronunciation in their young charges. Imagine the academic advantage your toddler could eventually enjoy if you give him a reading head start. By the time he gets to school, he’ll be advanced beyond his years.

Phonics games appeal to a child’s developing senses in a way that’s virtually unmatched. Some phonics books even feature a multimedia CD, which allows kids to hear other children attempting pronunciations right along with them. It takes only a few minutes of a conscientious parent’s time each day to make a noticeable difference in the academic life of a child.

As our society continues to take dramatic steps into the future with increasingly sophisticated technology, the world becomes a better place. Medical breakthroughs have effectively eradicated many deadly diseases. Communication has never been easier now that most Americans have cell phones and Internet access. Technology is wonderful, but sometimes we learn to rely too much on computers to do the work for us.

Children shouldn’t have to pull out a calculator to perform simple math equations, nor should they require a digital clock to tell time. Even if analog clocks have fallen out of fashion, the practice of teaching kids how to tell time shouldn’t go by the wayside. Parents can take a stand against this possibility by instilling their children with the basic knowledge required to tell time. It’s important to be patient, as children learn at their own pace, but don’t give up until they master this valuable skill.

A kindergarten teacher’s job isn’t easy – just consider the rambunctious children, long hours and minimal pay. As they undertake one of the most important societal roles – molding the minds of our children – many of these teachers would take any help they can get. By continuing the learning process at home, parents can take a bit of the burden off overworked teachers even as they give their own children an educational advantage.

Parents can remain an active part of their kids’ educational development by reading stories and playing games with them. Children acquire most of their vocabulary at a very young age, which is why it’s crucial to introduce progressively advanced reading material. Early childhood education only feels like a parental chore for a short time; soon enough, the child will begin to pursue knowledge without much need for guidance.

Early childhood education is a general term that describes a diverse range of programs. Some refer to any type of daycare, as education. However, evidence overwhelmingly shows that early daycare may actually be a detriment rather than a benefit to young children. Longer stays at home with a single caregiver are argued to be more intellectually stimulating to young children. As well, the child who stays at home is more likely to benefit from breastfeeding for longer, which many say is of great advantage to the child.

Most experts agree that early education works best in low pressure, social, and friendly environments. It is also more effective when preschool is only a small part of a four or five year old’s day. Preschool that bleeds into long hours at daycare may not carry the same benefit for children, because it means more time away from parents. Not all programs are equally beneficial, and can vary depending upon funding, teacher to child ratio, and teacher experience.

Some of the long-term benefits of early childhood education in quality preschools include: greater parental involvement, fewer referrals to special education or remedial services, higher grades, better social skills, and greater ability to focus. As well, some studies show that children attending pre-school are more likely to graduate and pursue higher education, and be well integrated socially as an adult. It is also said that children with an early childhood education are less likely to commit illegal acts, and tend to earn more money.

A child’s early learning is enhanced by early childhood activities that promote imagination, from independent play to interactive play.  There are a wide variety of early childhood toys available to enhance their imaginative play. 

On a daily basis, your child see you prepare and cook meals.  There are many toys available for your child’s food play activities that will provide hours of educational play.  Pretend play food is available that ranges from fruits and vegetables to multicultural meals, such as, sushi from Japan, pasta pronto from Italy, and fiesta flavors from Mexico.

Have your child prepare you a pretend meal.  They can prepare a picnic lunch basket, have a pizza party, or set the table with plastic play dishes and have a fine dining experience.

What is your favorite pretend food play experience?

This human brain cross-section model is a valuable tool for teaching students about the complexities of the human brain’s anatomy. 

The cross-section model comes apart for hands-on classroom demonstrations.  One half  of the brain model is labeled with the parts of the organ while the other has letters for testing purposes.

Parts of the human brain and their functions:

Cerebrum / Cortex - Largest part of the human brain associated with higher thought and action, that is divided into the following sections:

• Frontal Lobe - associated with attention, motivation, reasoning, problem solving, planning, decision making, parts of speech, movement, and emotions
• Parietal Lobe - associated with movement, orientation, recognition, and perception of stimuli
• Occipital Lobe - associated with visual processing and recognition of the printed word
• Temporal Lobe - associated with memory, perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech

Other sections are also illustrated on the human brain model.