| Kids are amazing. We may not notice it but almost | | | | a sandbox, they are working their brain cells hard. |
| every minute of every day they are busy exploring | | | | Even so, there are some toys that parents should |
| their world and learning about. What looks to us | | | | consider to encourage learning. For the youngest it is |
| adults like play can be an intensely creative learning | | | | important to have bold shapes and colours. Babies |
| experience for a child. Their senses may be | | | | especially are interested in the shape of faces and will |
| stimulated by sights and sounds and the different | | | | smile at even simple representations of eyes, a nose |
| feeling of different materials. Their imaginations may | | | | and a mouth. When still very young they respond |
| get awakened by the simplest of toys. And all | | | | best to plain black and white shapes, but then move |
| throughout play they are trying to master skills | | | | onto colour within a few months. |
| needed to cope in a complex world. | | | | Older children can often be helped in their exploration |
| Parents often get hung up about what toys to get | | | | of the world with scientific toys. These need to be |
| children and worry about whether what they have | | | | age-appropriate but there is a wide range aimed at |
| will encourage learning. In fact most could probably | | | | specific age groups all the way up to chemistry and |
| relax as almost every interaction with the world | | | | science sets for teenagers. At this point parents |
| teaches a child about it. Whether it is a toddler | | | | really can encourage children to pick up quite detailed |
| dropping something from a high chair and watching it | | | | knowledge and also learn quite specific skills. Popular |
| fall until mommy or daddy picks it up again, or a | | | | ones include chemistry sets and others with electrical |
| young child creating an imaginary world in the dirt of | | | | motors and circuits. |