Using Toys as a Tool for Educational Learning

Educational learning toys refer to an objects that children use for playing which can also be used for educational and learning purposes. Since toys are only used extensively by children more than any other age group of students, educational learning toys are more often used to supplement educational and learning processes for students in kindergarten and primary school. Many experts in educating children are of the opinion that toys can have a dual purpose as both educational and learning tools that can have the potential to be used not only in school, but also for educating children at home. These educational learning toys can serve as learning tools in the learning process.

Experts in children's education have often stated that educational learning toys are proven to have beneficial effects to the development of a child both at school and in the home in areas such as emotional, physical, intellectual and social development of children most especially during kindergarten years and in early elementary school levels. On a more direct level, educational learning toys enhance and improve children's' learning skills, giving them excellent hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, observation and memorization abilities, differentiating between letters, numbers and objects. This is in addition to other skills that will stimulate and develop the child's learning.

Not all toys that are currently being marketed contribute to the educational learning process of young children. Suitable educational learning toys include building blocks, board games and puzzles. However, electronic toys and computer games which are popular with kids but not with parents due to their addictive nature can also stimulate children's learning in the areas of reading, pronunciation, spelling, mathematics, logic and other basic skills.

Educational Learnings

Writing Beats Reading in the Learning Contest

Will you agree with me when I say, “We learn a lot when we write?” Most people know (know – to differentiate from believe and think) that people learn a lot when they read. For me, people do learn a lot more when writing than when reading.

You could argue with me; why not? Learning is getting information. Reading is getting information through optical signals to the brain; while writing is probably the exact opposite as it is transmitting information from your brain through the muscular veins of your hand.

But what some people overlook is that learning is a process. It does not stop at getting information. Learning is the process of accumulating knowledge in an unending cycle of getting information, synthesising them through comprehension, retaining and reinforcing them through application and use which may be repetitive or not and desiring to get more information. And so the cycle repeats again and again.

When people write, they apply and use the information they have gathered and so thus reinforcing the learning process. They also discover or realise they need to know more; they research. While doing the research, they also gather information not necessary to their writing task but are related to it and can be stored and developed into knowledge later. And so the desire or interest to get more information which is a phase in learning comes in. It consequently leads to getting more information and setting to motion the cycle of learning.

Learning more when writing can be observed in someone simply opening the dictionary (internet or printed press). Essay and other written assignments in school or work are the best manifestations of learning, more when writing. When students, writers and other persons are assigned writing tasks, more often than not, they are going to research which is not limited to reading – which includes, listening, watching, feeling, tasting, smelling and some other forms of observing to get information.

Educational Learnings