I have written in a previous post how puzzles can help young children develop important hand-eye coordination and motor skills. Puzzles are a fun way for children to solve a problem and to enjoy a picture or design at the end as the solution. They get a very real sense of accomplishment when they have put all the pieces together on their own.

This puzzle goes a step further than most puzzles for young children. Made from sturdy wood, the puzzle is actually in three layers and each layer is a step involved in growing a garden. As the child constructs the puzzle, the story emerges.

In the first layer the child sees a young boy and girl carefully planting seeds into the earth. The sky is blue and birds fly merrily up above. In the second layer they see that their efforts are paying off! The plants are growing, but there's still more work to do. Weeds need to be taken out and the plants still need watering. Finally, in the last and topmost layer, they can barely see the children! After all of their work, the sunflowers are growing tall and strong.

With twelve shapes in total, this puzzle teaches colour, shape, size, sequence, and problem solving. Children over 2 years will love the bright colours and chunky pieces.

For more information on where to buy, go to Right to Learn Toys

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A new electronic toy seems to be helping children with autism develop language skills. Helma van Rijn developed the toy as part of her graduation project at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

The electronic toy, which is called LINKX, consists of blocks that the children must place against a specific object. The objects -- for example a table or a window -- are equipped with a small electronic device of a certain colour. If the children place a block against such an object, the block lights up in the same colour as the object and the child hears the word that corresponds to the name of the object (this word has been pre-recorded by the child's parents).

Van Rijn has tested this method on autistic children (aged 3-5 years old). Parents and teachers have reacted extremely positively to LINKX. More importantly: it appears that the children do indeed learn new words, although it is still too early to arrive at any definitive conclusions about the long-term effects of the toy. Following further tests, the project group for which Van Rijn designed the toy, plans to include the toy in its product catalogue.

Van Rijn: "The most important thing is that I first thoroughly familiarised myself with these children and then, based on my experience, I created the design. I also worked very intensively with the parents, because they are the experts with regard to autistic children."

The approach taken in the design represents a departure from the most commonly used methods; these methods primarily require children to learn the language via a computer. Van Rijn's method is clearly based on real-life experiences.

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Adapted from materials provided by Delft University of Technology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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image by brighterworlds

Toys are an integral part of a toddler's world. It is very important to choose the right toys because so much of their play centres around the imaginary world they create using these toys. Never again will they learn so fast and so easily, so if the toys are educational as well as fun, they will be entertained at the same time as being taught important skills and ways of grasping the world around them.

It is at this age that children start being aware of their surroundings and notice everything with surprise and awe. Their toys should help them make sense of their world and their place in it.

Most toddlers are very active and inquisitive, and want to explore and experiment with everything around them. Toys which allow them to be active and also help develop their gross motor skills are perfect for this age group.

Climbing structures, puzzle blocks, balloons, interactive dolls, and toy bikes and cars are all great. Some more educational toys are puppets and stuffed toys, coloured building blocks, peg boards, pedal toys and swings. These toys provide physical and mental exercises, developing the body muscles and brain cells, including thinking and logical capacity.

Toddlers are also fascinated by colours so coloured pencils and crayons with simple colouring books or drawing books can be useful for teaching shapes and colours while providing fun. You can encourage your child to scribble, colouring, and experiment with the colours to develop their creativity.

With the development of the brain cells, toddlers start associating objects with whatever they are taught and thus, arranging blocks according to shapes, sizes, and colours can be a very educational game. Blocks can be used in a myriad of ways and can be incorporated into many different games. Stacking, sorting, even knocking them over is huge fun.

Toy trains, wooden logs and interlocking blocks help build the toddlers' hand and eye coordination abilities. Playing with sand and clay can also be a very good way of building their imagination and developing their muscular flexibility.

As parents and guardians we must make sure that there are no small objects incorporated in the toys we give to toddlers. Children this young love to put things in their mouths, so keep a watchful eye out and there should be no problems.

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Every parent wants to give their child a head start when it comes to their early development, and there are many educational toys available that can stimulate your child to grow and develop in fun and playful ways. It’s been scientifically proven that young minds need stimulation to develop thought and reflex patterns and good hand/eye co-ordination. The toys available must also entertain your child if you want basic learning skills to develop. The child won’t even realize that lessons are being taught, because it’s so much fun!

Toys that feature a lot of turning buttons and items will help to develop motor skills and co-ordination. Toddlers and infants especially love the toys that make noise. Also, toys that feature keyboards or noise-making buttons can help your child to associate actions with obtainable and fun sounds. A basic ability for sound recognition is usually developed in this manner.

It’s important to realize that there are age-specific toys for every level of childhood, because children grow through various stages of their development. Educational toys must stimulate the child’s imagination during play to be effective, and these toys must match their learning ability. Interactive toys are some of the best educational and fun toys for a child. They usually stimulate and entertain the child so that they can learn while having fun.

Any activity that involves pulling or pushing something is also a favorite activity, followed next by filling and emptying anything. Toddlers are curious and have to touch and look at everything in their world. Action toys, cause and effect toys and any activity that challenges their minds are always favorites. Stacking blocks, simple puzzles and any toys that pop up are also high on the list of fun and educational toys.

Shape sorters, which are colorful and interesting, can keep a child entertained for hours. Bath toys are also colorful toys that are a great way for your child to have fun and learn in an unlikely spot. Interesting bath toys that bob and float and make noise are wonderful playmates in the bathtub! Some great bath toys include the traditional rubber ducky, foam letters and numbers, and the more sophisticated bath play areas that are educational and fun additions to any child’s bath time.

Older toddlers can have fun with colorful fridge magnets, books that feature sounds and songs and other interactive toys. Any sorts of fanciful play sets, such as garages, airports and dollhouses, can also be popular and educational ways for your child to learn about the world around them. Toys that feature clay modeling, chalkboards or anything that the child can write on will help to give the older toddler an outlet for expression.

Mastermind Toys is a Canadian online toy store featuring educational childrens toys such as lego, lego Mindstorms, Aquadoodle, science toys, outdoor toys, music toys that will help your child learn while having fun.http://www.mastermindtoys.com/

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