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Wooden Toys UKEducational Wooden Toys For Children
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Children are never too young to become interested in math and science. In fact, young children are natural scientists and mathematicians. They are curious. They ask questions all the time. They like to explore and experiment. When you encourage their questions and help them explore and find out the answers, you are building their interest in math and science. And children who have such experiences when they are very young develop an enjoyment and a confidence in math and science that pay off when they're older. Here are some simple things you can do to develop a preschooler's interest in science and math.
Go for a walk with your child. Take time to notice what's around your plants, animals, ants, mosquitoes, dandelions, etc. Stop and watch. Talk about what you see. Draw pictures together. Draw what you see on a walk, from your front steps, in the backyard, from your window. Ask your child to draw a plant, an animal or a favourite place. Ask your child to tell you about the drawing.
Turn a drawing into a story. Write down what your child says about the picture. Read it together as a story. Make a book of your child's art and stories. Listen to children and ask them questions about what they're seeing and doing. Children need to have time every day to tell another person about what they have seen or what they think. When your child tells you what he or she saw on a walk, or what he or she liked best about the trip to the zoo, here's what happens. Your child has to think and choose words. Children practice saying out loud what is inside their heads. And they learn that their ideas are important to you.
Choose toys that help children learn. Children learn about the world by playing. They need toys that encourage them to imagine and explore, not the latest, most expensive gadgets advertised on television. The toys they need are often simple, last a long time, and don't use batteries. They don't have to be expensive either. Great toys include:
BALLS: Balls of all kinds and sizes can be bounced, rolled, thrown in the air, and raced across the floor or grass or sidewalk. Which kind of ball bounces highest? Lowest? Which ones sink in water and which ones float? Water: Let kids experiment with different objects in a dishpan of cool water. Let your child try sinking and floating balls, soap bars, toy figures, and other household objects. Let your child put the "sinkers" in one pile and the "floaters" in another. Blocks: Building blocks are a great science and math toy. You can buy a set of wooden, plastic, or cardboard blocks at the store or use egg cartons, cereal boxes, or wood scraps. For young children, make sure blocks are big enough to handle easily. Have enough of them in various shapes and sizes to build something really interesting. Children who build are learning geometry, even though we don't use that term.
Puzzles: Puzzles help children solve problems! Doing a puzzle means thinking, practicing, and learning shapes, sizes, and colours. Young children need puzzles with a few large pieces. You can make your own by cutting a magazine picture into large pieces. As children get older, they can do harder puzzles. The more they do, the better they get. Plant a garden with your child. Planting a garden, any size garden, is a great family activity. A garden can be a patch of dirt in the yard or a container on a window sill. Measure the space or container. Figure out where the plants will get sunlight. Find out how much seeds will cost. Count the seeds. Measure the rows. Watch the plants grow. Pick vegetables. Look for insects. Learn what plants need to be healthy. What a lot of math and science there is in gardening!
Read to your child. Read books out loud every day. Look at picture books together. Find alphabet and counting books. Plan a regular time to go to the school library, public library, or bookmobile. Older brothers and sisters can be good story readers. So can aunts, uncles, or grandparents. Have your child read to you if he or she wants to, or tell you a story based on the pictures in the book. It doesn't matter if you read in English, Spanish, or Armenian! Just develop the habit of reading.
Monitor TV watching. Turn off the TV and limit viewing. Too much TV viewing takes time away from other activities' like playing with blocks or balls, being outdoors, doing puzzles, drawing, or looking at books. It's a hard habit to break. Kids who do things other than watch TV usually do better in science and math in school. When you do let them watch TV, choose the shows they watch carefully. Try to find good programs for young children like Sesame Street and 3-2-1 Contact. Find out about other good programs and watch them with your child.
This article is provided courtesy of the National Urban League
