For preschool age youngsters, spatial awareness leads to logical thinking. Now that they’re getting good at throwing and catching balls, they have to start figuring out how hard to throw and in which direction. Balls are great educational toys which can also help foster early scientific thinking, when they discover that different-size balls roll down slides at different speeds.
Simple wooden blocks are a must in the preschooler’s toy box. With blocks, patience and rudimentary hand-eye coordination are developed. The making of simple structures helps them learn about balance, and the beginnings of experimentation with symmetry. Basic principals of science are learnt eg. if a block falls from the top of a structure, it will fall until a surface stops its fall. Building requires being able to organize and enclose space. How am I going to fill that space? is a complicated question, requiring figuring out how many big and small blocks are needed to get the job done. Not only are they planning ahead, but also problem solving.
One study even showed that preschoolers who were adept at playing with blocks had higher math grades and test scores when they got to middle school than those who were not. As Sharon MacDonald, a trainer of early-childhood teachers and author of Block Play (Gryphon House), explains, “When your child works with blocks, he develops an understanding of fractions, shapes, and counting.
Colors, shapes, letters, sounds, numbers, patterns, quantity and words are all exciting and new for these young preschool learners
Puzzles, building blocks, and other construction toys together with dolls and stuffed toys, reading and coloring books, and arts and crafts materials are of great help for this stage to spark children’s imagination, creativity, and logical reasoning abilities.
Interlocking manipulative toys like Lego or puzzles challenge the child to improve hand-eye coordination, patience, and an understanding of spatial relationships.
Tags: Balls, block, block play, building blocks, child, childhood teachers, coloring books, Colors, construction toys, coordination, creativity, development, Educational, hand eye coordination, imagination, Lego, Play, Preschool, preschool age, preschool children, preschooler, Preschoolers, Puzzles, spatial awareness, stuffed toys, toy, toy box, wooden blocks
