Educational Quality Toys - Observe Your Toddler

The bond and interactions between parents and their children form the basis of learning for the rest of the child's life. Spending quality time with your child is the best investment you can make in them. Observe your child enough and you will be able to determine the best educational quality toys for your child.

Educational Quality Toys - Toys are Learning Supplements

Parents must realize that toys aren't a substitute for their child's human interactions. Instead, toys supplement the interactions to encourage their child's physical and cognitive growth and development. 

We as parents should be the foremost observers and be among the first to determine the needs of our children. In doing so, your observations will help you determine what educational quality toys and materials will encourage your child's interests, promote their development, and further strengthen your relationship.

Parents Can Learn a lot From Observation - Learning Toys for Toddlers

Having a solid understanding of a child's unique development will allow parents to anticipate their children's emerging abilities. The only way to have a solid understanding is by spending time with the child. It is not enough to be just physically present. Parents must also be mentally present.

Not only is a child is continuously learning during interactions. Parents are also learning!  For parents, whenever possible, step back and observe as your infant, baby, toddler, or child explores their environment. Pay attention for cues that indicate their readiness for interaction or when they need support.

A common challenge that we all face as parents is how much do we assist our child. Sometimes, providing just enough assistance allows toddlers to explore materials and engage in tasks independently. Other times, through play and interaction, parents and early childcare providers can expand infants' and toddlers' learning by introducing new materials, playing alongside them, or asking questions. By being mentally present when with your child you will start to notice their cues and hit the assistance level 'sweet spot'.

Finding this 'sweet spot' between observation and assistance will help you determine what educational quality toys your child will get the most out of. You will be able to decide what learning toys for toddlers are the best for your child.

Parents should spend time assessing their observation

Parents need to take a moment to assess their children's play area or nursery. Consider how the materials contribute to the learning and development of the infants and toddlers in their care.

When they take a moment to observe, they can consider how the toys, furniture, and room layout contribute to the learning and development of infants and toddlers. 

The Benefits of Toddler Tunnel Observation: A Case Study

Introduction: The simple act of observing your child as they play can be incredibly enlightening for any parent. This was the key takeaway from a recent study focusing on 'toddler tunnel observation.' Watching toddlers as they engage with play tunnels, such as the Monty Organic Cotton Play Tunnel, offers a unique opportunity to understand their developmental milestones, problem-solving skills, and even their emotional and social tendencies. This case study delves into what parents can learn from such observations and how this understanding can positively influence their parenting approach.

The Study and Observations: In the study, a group of parents observed their toddlers playing in a tunnel over several sessions. The tunnel provided a safe, enclosed space that encouraged the toddlers to crawl, explore, and engage in imaginative play. Parents noted significant behaviors such as hesitation before entering the tunnel, the decision-making process upon encountering an obstacle inside, and the joy of emerging from the other end. These observations were key in understanding various aspects of their child's development. For instance, hesitation was often linked to the development of cautiousness and risk assessment, while navigating through the tunnel displayed problem-solving skills and adaptability.

Developmental Insights: One of the most striking findings was the range of developmental milestones that could be observed during tunnel play. Parents reported seeing physical development aspects like gross motor skills and coordination. They also noticed cognitive skills, such as spatial awareness, when toddlers figured out how to navigate through the tunnel. Furthermore, the study highlighted emotional and social development; for instance, how toddlers expressed joy or sought encouragement from their parents upon emerging from the tunnel. This observation gave parents a deeper understanding of their child's emotional needs and communication methods.

Conclusion: The case study on 'toddler tunnel observation' underscores the importance of play in a child’s early years and the valuable insights parents can gain just by observing. It goes beyond mere entertainment, offering a window into a child's developmental progress and emotional state. For parents, this means an opportunity to bond, understand, and support their child's growth journey effectively. The study advocates for the use of simple play tools like tunnels in early childhood environments and encourages parents to take the time to observe, connect, and grow with their toddlers during these formative years.

Educational Quality Toys Factors

Here are the factors that must be considered, and questions parents must ask to help when deciding on the best and suitable developmental toys or furniture for children.

1. Safety

Regarding safety, here are some thought processes that adults can employ:  

• What material is the toy or furniture made of?
• Are the materials in excellent working condition? 
• Are they clean and safe?

Ensuring that toys are clean and functional and pose no health or safety risks is crucial. 

How can parents better ensure safety?

Parents should stay attentive to this aspect, swiftly taking away unclean, broken, or hazardous toys. Also, please pay attention to incomplete materials and those that have small fragments that children may hazardously swallow.

2. Quality

Quality is synergistic with safety. High-quality toys and nursery essentials are made from safe, durable materials and have a premium feel to them. Quality, however, isn't just about the "premium" feeling and the materials used in building the toy or furniture for the babies or any essentials for them. Quality is also about the build and the meticulous process to create or assemble the item. 

Here are some questions that parents can ask themselves. 

• Are the materials well-constructed and of high quality? 
• Does the design of the toy or furniture encourage your child to discover aspects of our world on their own?

Keep quality in check. 

Infants start exploring by grabbing, mouthing, and sliding objects, while toddlers tend to collect, move, and even throw toys. Incorporate various sturdy containers of different sizes, shapes, and materials to encourage free exploration.

Regularly clean and sanitize the containers, making sure they remain intact and don't easily break. Remove and replace any containers that show signs of damage.

3. Age Appropriateness 

Age is extremely important when choosing toys for children. For example, Monty Toys are all designed to help children explore different parts of our world at certain developmental stages. Each toy is engineered to match a developmental stage and challenge a child to explore on their own.

The Monty Organic Play Tunnel targets a toddler's gross motor skills and spatial awareness.

The Rue baby jumper targets gross motor skills and provides babies with the sometimes calming, sometimes exciting, sense of the freedom of individual movement.

Frustration often happens when toys provided to children are ahead of their current level of development. Two things can happen. First, they don't use it at all. Second, it can leave them upset. 

If this happens, that is ok! Just put the toy away until you notice further physical and cognitive development in your child that relates to that toy. Then bring the toy back out and see how your child interacts with it.

When deciding on proper developmental toys you should ask yourself the following questions: 

• Do the materials match the children's age?
• Is the toy too tricky for children to play? 
• Are the children showing interest in these toys? 
• Are the toys appropriate for their child's age?

How to determine age appropriateness? 

It's essential to provide materials that are neither too challenging nor too easy for infants and toddlers. Please pay close attention to how they interact with the materials to gauge their appropriateness. 

If parents need clarification about a toy's suitability, seek advice from other infant and toddler teachers or consult resources on age-appropriate materials. 

4. Developmental Appropriateness 

Developmental milestones, not age, should be considered when deciding on proper developmental toys for your child.

To help you decide on the appropriateness of a developmental toy ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the choice of materials aligned with each child's development and interests?
• Is the toy too difficult or too easy for them? 
• Are they showing interest and paying attention, or do these toys frustrate them? 

How to better asses the developmental appropriateness of toys for children? 

It's not sufficient to rely solely on age when selecting materials. Infants and toddlers have unique developmental paths and rapidly evolving interests. Observe their play and exploration closely better to understand their strengths, needs, and interests. It will allow you to support their development effectively using specific materials. 

5. Size

Ensuring the appropriate size of materials is paramount when providing furniture and equipment for children. This consideration promotes safety and independence during their exploration and daily routines. For instance, stools and chairs should be of low height to enable toddlers to have their feet touch the floor comfortably.

Having furniture of the proper size will allow your child to move naturally while also sending the message that your home is also their home.

Here are some key questions that parents and adults can ask to help them afford their children's toys, furniture, or other essentials that are appropriate to their size.

• Does your child fit comfortably on the furniture?
• Can you child easily access the furniture, or do they struggle?
• Is it too small, which may pose some hazards? 
• Is it too big that it would be unusable for the time being?

Choose the right size

Children's interest levels can be determined by observing their exploration patterns. Infants are often intrigued by simple, everyday objects they can feel, mouth, bang, and examine. It is not uncommon for infants to repeatedly engage with the same objects. Being aware of their interests facilitates the creation of enjoyable environments.

Objects that directly relate to their personal experiences tend to captivate their attention. For example, toddlers in farming communities may greatly delight in playing with toy tractors in the sandbox, while those residing near the coast may relish playing with pretend sea animals or toy boats.

Monty Toys - A Revolution in Child's Play