Recently my 8 year old grandson and I visited the MOST –
Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse, New York. It’s a hands-on museum, kids can touch, twist
or pull things in order to see how they work, and my grandson had lots of
fun. Exposing children’s natural curiosity
to toys with STEM concepts at their core may lead to greater interests in
science, technology, engineering and math fields. STEM toys are gender neutral and
some can be introduce in very early age.
Open-ended STEM toys encourage the development of essential
skills like creativity, thinking outside of the box, and problem solving, help
children develop fine motor skills and promote special skills. One of the oldest STEM toys are blocks,
initially wooden now plastic, that entertained generations of children before
us. They inspire architectural understanding
and early engineering concepts.
When thinking of a gift of an educational toy consider the
following:
·
Area of learning
·
Skill to be developed
·
Are there different ways for the child to play
and engage with the toy
·
Will this toy grow with a child
·
Can it be played independently and cooperatively
with others
Most importantly, STEM toys at the core are still toys, they
are not seen as homework or burden to children, yet they provide learning
benefits and appeal to both children and parents. You’re invited to explore STEM toys at
LearningToyFun.com. After all, what
matters most is that kids have fun and are learning while they play.
Comments
Post a Comment