Parents drop their children off at daycare so that they, that is, the children, can go to work. Play is the important work that children engage in, according to child development experts. Far from being trivial, play is how children learn about the world and reach important developmental milestones.
As a daycare provider, you're in an important position to be able to facilitate essential learning through play. In this article, we'll talk about how toddler play relates to areas of child development. We'll also shine a product spotlight on toddler learning toys your daycare students will love this year.
Play feeds a toddler's growing brain
The majority of our brain's growth happens before the age of five. Indeed, by the age of three, the brain has already grown to 80% of its official adult size. This growth happens in the form of neural connections, the all-important sparks that facilitate everything we do, think, and feel.
The play that toddlers engage in promotes the growth of neural pathways, and this growth happens along fundamental developmental areas that form the basis of lifelong learning and success. Think of these developmental areas as building blocks upon which your young daycare students will build their futures.
There are many "blocks" that serve as the foundation of how toddlers grow to understand the world. And there are countless ways that play can make that foundation strong with necessary cognitive, emotional, and social skills. Below are just a few examples.
Playing peek-a-boo with a child teaches object permanence and increases their awareness of their surroundings.
When toddlers bang on a drum, they are learning about cause and effect. And when they hear you beat on a drum in a steady beat or in rhythm, they learn important math concepts, such as the concept of more and how to predict patterns.
A toddler that uses blocks to build a house for a doll is learning problem-solving skills (I want my doll to have a house. How do I do that?) and math concepts (How big does the house have to be so that my doll can fit?).
Those same blocks become tools for imagination and symbolic thinking when you and your daycare students turn them into pieces of cake for a tea party.
Clearly, the toys and opportunities for play that you provide your early learning daycare students will help them develop skills that will serve them in school and beyond. Next up, we'll shine a product spotlight on toddler learning toys your daycare students (and parents) will love.
Blocks always deserve the product spotlight
As we've already mentioned, blocks help children learn countless skills. As they try to build standing structures, they learn mathematical skills, such as symmetry, balance, and estimation. Toddlers also learn to use their imagination as they develop a mental image of what they want to build.
As young children assemble blocks together with other students, they learn vital social skills like cooperation and sharing. Finally, seeing their finished block "buildings," children develop a sense of accomplishment and the rewards of overcoming challenging tasks.
Provide your daycare toddlers toys for pretend play
Giving toys to toddlers that encourage them to pretend helps them to develop important life skills. Imaginative play helps toddlers to express their internal world, a key skill in learning emotional regulation. "Playing pretend" also helps toddlers learn social and language skills.
When children pretend to be a doctor, or they imagine themselves as a fisherman, they're developing a sense of self. Putting on a puppet show or dressing up for a play encourages young children to use creative thinking skills.
Consider outfitting your daycare learning spaces with the toddler learning toys that help facilitate these pretend play experiences.
Shine a light on toddlers when the product spotlight is on mirrors
Mirrors are an often-overlooked toy that packs a big learning punch when it comes to child development. Toddlers improve their motor skills when they can see themselves in a mirror as they move their hands or jump. They build their concentration muscles when they study themselves in the mirror. And perhaps most importantly, mirrors help daycare students develop their self-awareness and self-confidence. A mirror is an important toy that teaches children that they are unique.
Provide daycare toys so toddlers can play house
A toddler's home and the adults in their life play a crucial role in their development. Imitating these adults through playing house is an important way for little ones to practice the skills of being a grown-up.
Toddlers learn problem-solving skills as they care for and feed their dolls. They learn about responsibility when they decide who will cook dinner in the kitchen playset or who will fix the sink with the pretend tool set. Through playing house with other children, toddlers also develop their language skills. Setting up their house through the placement of the table, kitchen items, or the doll's high chair, gives children a sense of control and independence, as well.
Toddler learning toys are more fun with you
The toys you provide to your daycare students are essential to their "work" of learning and growing. However, there's something - or someone - even more important to your daycare students' development, and that's you.
The adults in a student's life are often a toddler's favorite playmates. So, get on the floor and eat a piece of block "cake." After all, play is important work for adults, too. And when you have the right toddler learning toys that inspire collaborative play, as an educator, you can make a BIG difference.
Outfit your daycare with the best toddler learning toys and School Outfitters
We're here to help! Talk to our furniture experts about toddler learning toys, early learning room designs, and daycare must-haves this year! Get inspired and shop for GREAT classroom products. And when you're ready to outfit your daycare learning spaces, get a free quote.
