Enhancing Playtime With Toys That Teach!

By Michelle Lee

Children gain a tremendous amount of their knowledge and experience through playing. They learn how to problem-solve, how to share, and even how to cope with their frustrations. Playtime can also be a significant tool in helping a child to develop their motor skills, hand-eye coordination, communication, and social skills. To a child, playtime is more than just a time for fun- it is an opportunity to grow, discover, and explore the world around them.

“Every day parents, educators, therapists, daycares, and school districts come to visit our website and consult with our Special Needs Advisory Board to purchase useful and fun educational toys and games for both children and adults of different ages, attention spans, and abilities” says Carol, co-owner of GlammaTOYS.com. “Educational toys and family games can be used to help to bridge the age and ability gaps and to create a fun and memorable social/learning experience for everyone involved.”

As a parent, introducing educational toys into your child’s playtime can help you to maintain a safe and productive play environment at home. “Every single item that we carry on GlammaTOYS.com has been thoroughly tested to ensure its quality and safety” says Carol. “We won’t even consider a toy line if they haven’t undergone rigorous safety testing or if they lack the proper safety documentation. We’re parents too… Our commitment to our customer’s safety and 100% satisfaction is far more important to us than any bottom line.”

When considering which toys to buy, it is important to take your child’s specific needs and abilities into consideration. Selecting a toy based on your child’s age is not always enough when it comes to toys for children with special needs- You will instead want to consider and evaluate toys that are suitable to your child’s particular abilities. When choosing a toy, consider the level of skill that is required to utilize the toy. Can your child handle it without too much frustration? If you don’t think so, pass it up. This will help to ensure that playtime is a safe and positive experience for both you and your child.

Positive stimulation is always encouraging and more importantly, rewarding. In the long run, positive experiences will help to enhance and maintain your child’s physical, emotional, and social well-being. The ultimate goal is for your child to feel challenged, but not frustrated while playing. After all, above all else, playtime is supposed to be fun! Positive playtime experiences will go a long way to helping your child develop both emotionally and socially while still embracing the learning process.

Make time for play time. By taking the time to sit down and play with your child you can follow, supervise, and monitor their progress. Keep in mind that developing imaginations will often disregard the “intended use” a toy and will simply make up their own game instead. One of our favorite toys for imaginative play is the Bilibo.

These colorful shells leave room for your child's imagination while to helping to develop their proprioception, which is the body's sense of itself in space. Instead of imposing any specific play pattern, the Bilibo is open for a wide range of interpretations and even encourages children to invent their own games, play, and just have fun in an active and creative way. Indoors and outdoors, in the sand-pit, in the water, or even in the snow... Like your child, the Bilibo is always full of surprises.

Another one of our toy toys for special needs are Citiblocs. According to GlammaTOYS Special Needs Advisor Benjamin Takemori, “These beautiful wooden building blocks are a great tool for learners and children of all ages and abilities. The simple uniform shape allows children to discover cause and effect and problem solving as a natural learning process. Additionally, the natural wood has a tactical quality that is intrinsically appealing and comforting.“

Remember that the best educational toys are safe toys which will both attract your child’s attention and provide them with a positive learning experience. For more information on toy safety or toys for special needs, please visit us on the web at www.GlammaTOYS.com or call us toll free at 1-866-967-TOYS to speak with one of our toy consultants.

About GlammaToys: Specializing in Toys that Teach, GlammaTOYS is an e-retailer of educational toys, unique specialty toys, games and gifts. Owned and Operated by moms and dads with years of experience in the toy industry, our product lines are carefully chosen to include items that are not only are the best at enriching lives & entertaining kids, but are also the safest and highest quality toys available. For our full catalog please visit us on the web at www.GlammaTOYS.com or call us toll free at 1-866-967-TOYS to speak with one of our toy consultants.