Educational toys
Encyclopedia
Educational toys, are typically built for and used by child
ren. One could make the argument that an educational toy is actually any toy
. Most children are constantly interacting with and learning about the world. This definition is ultimately too broad because one could make the same argument about a rock or a stick as it is not uncommon to see a child play with almost anything nearby.
The difference lies in the child's perception or reality of the toy's value. An educational toy should educate
. It should instruct, promote intellectuality
, emotional or physical development. An educational toy can teach a child about a particular subject or can help a child develop a particular skill. The key difference is the child's learning and development associated with interacting with the toy.
More toys are designed with the child's education and development in mind today than ever before. As parents and educators grow more sensitive to the real or perceived development needs of children, toy manufacturers seek to manufacture and market to these parents.
Wooden toys which tend to last for a long time serve to maintain interest and durability for the child especially if the toy becomes a favorite.
to promote sales to parents. Such toys are often more expensive than traditional ones. Indeed, the Early Learning Centre
shop is founded on the premise of educational toys, and is more expensive than average. The packaging of many toys includes a table of skills and benefits imbued by the product. However, the actual developmental benefit of these, by comparison to a cheaper, simpler or more easily available product, is often unproven.
Some parenting styles
prefer the use of fewer and less complex toys. Instead, real objects, and participating in real activities, can be used along-side a child's imagination.
age youngsters, simple wooden blocks might be a good starting point for a child to begin to understand causal relationships, basic principles of science
(e.g. if a block falls from the top of a structure, it will fall until a surface stops its fall), and develop patience and rudimentary hand-eye coordination
. For a child moving towards elementary school
, other, more sophisticated manipulatives might further aid the development of these skills. Interlocking manipulative toys like Lego
or puzzles challenge the child to improve hand-eye coordination, patience, and an understanding of spatial relationships. Finally, a child in elementary school might use very sophisticated construction sets that include moving parts, motors and others to help further understand the complex workings of the world. Importantly, the educational value derived by the child increases when the educational toy is age appropriate.
s, to musical instrument
s, to interactive electronic toys such as robot
s or turtle roamers
, the breadth of educational toys is vast. While it is not uncommon to find computer
s in the modern elementary school classroom, it is not yet common to find children actively engaged in video games for educational development. However, as computers and video games take an ever larger role in our lives and the lives of children, so too will their role in educational toys and games. This underscores a crucial point about the fluidity of the definition of an educational toy. As the perception of what is "educational" changes, so too will the integration of new toys into our children's classrooms.
Plato
, the Greek philosopher, says in Laws
:
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren. One could make the argument that an educational toy is actually any toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
. Most children are constantly interacting with and learning about the world. This definition is ultimately too broad because one could make the same argument about a rock or a stick as it is not uncommon to see a child play with almost anything nearby.
The difference lies in the child's perception or reality of the toy's value. An educational toy should educate
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. It should instruct, promote intellectuality
Intellectualism
Intellectualism denotes the use and development of the intellect, the practice of being an intellectual, and of holding intellectual pursuits in great regard. Moreover, in philosophy, “intellectualism” occasionally is synonymous with “rationalism”, i.e. knowledge derived mostly from reason and...
, emotional or physical development. An educational toy can teach a child about a particular subject or can help a child develop a particular skill. The key difference is the child's learning and development associated with interacting with the toy.
More toys are designed with the child's education and development in mind today than ever before. As parents and educators grow more sensitive to the real or perceived development needs of children, toy manufacturers seek to manufacture and market to these parents.
Wooden toys which tend to last for a long time serve to maintain interest and durability for the child especially if the toy becomes a favorite.
Advertising
The term educational toy is often applied in toy advertisingToy advertising
Toy advertising is the promotion of toys through a variety of media. Advertising campaigns for toys have been criticised for turning children into consumerists and are regulated to ensure they meet defined standards...
to promote sales to parents. Such toys are often more expensive than traditional ones. Indeed, the Early Learning Centre
Early Learning Centre
The Early Learning Centre is a British chain of shops selling toys for very young children.-History:Originally set up as a mail order company in 1974 and was always based near Swindon; by 1980 it had ten shops; and it has grown to include 215 shops in the UK and over 80 in 19 other countries such...
shop is founded on the premise of educational toys, and is more expensive than average. The packaging of many toys includes a table of skills and benefits imbued by the product. However, the actual developmental benefit of these, by comparison to a cheaper, simpler or more easily available product, is often unproven.
Some parenting styles
Parenting styles
A parenting style is a psychological construct representing standard strategies that parents use in their child rearing. There are many differing theories and opinions on the best ways to rear children, as well as differing levels of time and effort that parents are willing to invest.Many parents...
prefer the use of fewer and less complex toys. Instead, real objects, and participating in real activities, can be used along-side a child's imagination.
Educational toys in child development
As mentioned previously, educational toys claim to enhance intellectual, social, emotional, and/or physical development. Educational toys are thus designed to encourage reasonable development milestones within appropriate age groups. For preschoolPreschool education
Preschool education is the provision of learning to children before the commencement of statutory and obligatory education, usually between the ages of zero and three or five, depending on the jurisdiction....
age youngsters, simple wooden blocks might be a good starting point for a child to begin to understand causal relationships, basic principles of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
(e.g. if a block falls from the top of a structure, it will fall until a surface stops its fall), and develop patience and rudimentary hand-eye coordination
Eye–hand coordination
Eye–hand coordination is the coordinated control of eye movement with hand movement, and the processing of visual input to guide reaching and grasping along with the use of proprioception of the hands to guide the eyes. In simple terms, eye-hand coordination involves the coordinated vision and...
. For a child moving towards elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
, other, more sophisticated manipulatives might further aid the development of these skills. Interlocking manipulative toys like Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
or puzzles challenge the child to improve hand-eye coordination, patience, and an understanding of spatial relationships. Finally, a child in elementary school might use very sophisticated construction sets that include moving parts, motors and others to help further understand the complex workings of the world. Importantly, the educational value derived by the child increases when the educational toy is age appropriate.
Educational toys in the classroom
Entering a classroom, whether one full of preschoolers or school age children, one has no doubt that educational toys are part of the modern educator's curriculum. From manipulatives, to dress up, to board gameBoard game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
s, to musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s, to interactive electronic toys such as robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s or turtle roamers
Turtle (robot)
Turtles are a class of educational robots designed originally in the late 1940s and used in computer science and mechanical engineering training. These devices are traditionally built low to the ground with a roughly hemispheric shell and a power train capable of a very small turning radius...
, the breadth of educational toys is vast. While it is not uncommon to find computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s in the modern elementary school classroom, it is not yet common to find children actively engaged in video games for educational development. However, as computers and video games take an ever larger role in our lives and the lives of children, so too will their role in educational toys and games. This underscores a crucial point about the fluidity of the definition of an educational toy. As the perception of what is "educational" changes, so too will the integration of new toys into our children's classrooms.
Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
, the Greek philosopher, says in Laws
Laws (dialogue)
The Laws is Plato's last and longest dialogue. The question asked at the beginning is not "What is law?" as one would expect. That is the question of the Minos...
:
- "I'm going to explain how one should describe education: It is this I insist that man who intends to be good at a particular occupation must practice it from childhood both at work and at play he must be surrounded by the 'special tools of the trade.
- We should learn to use the children's games to channel their pleasures and desires towards activities in which they have to engage when they are adult..."
Examples
Examples of educational toys include:- BuildingBuildingIn architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
toys, such as toy blockToy blockToy blocks , are wooden, plastic or foam pieces of various shapes and colors that are used as building toys...
s.- AutomobloxAutomobloxAutomoblox is a brand name of an educational wooden car construction toy designed by Patrick Calello and produced by Automoblox Company, LLC of Roseland, New Jersey. The toy consists of wooden car body sections with patented plastic interconnects, polycarbonate wheels and rubber tyres, plastic...
wooden construction cars - Scale modelScale modelA scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
s
- Automoblox
- Construction toys
- LegoLegoLego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
- MeccanoMeccanoMeccano is a model construction system comprising re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices....
- Lego
- Electronic toys
- Speak & SpellSpeak & Spell (toy)The Speak & Spell line is a series of electronic handheld educational toys created by Texas Instruments that consist of a speech synthesizer, a keyboard, and a receptor slot to receive one of a collection of ROM game library modules...
, Speak & ReadSpeak & ReadSpeak & Read was an electronic learning aid made in 1980, by Texas Instruments. Speak and Read was part of a family of learning toys aimed at different subjects, i.e. "Speak & Math" and "Speak and Spell"....
, and Speak & MathSpeak & MathThe Speak & Math was a popular and revolutionary electronic toy created by Texas Instruments in 1980. Speak & Math was one of a three-part talking educational toy series that also included Speak & Spell and Speak & Read... - VideoSmarts and ComputerSmarts
- Many VTechVTechVTech is the common name of Video Technology Ltd. , a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of consumer electronics...
and LeapFrogLeapfrog EnterprisesLeapFrog Enterprises Inc is an educational entertainment company based in Emeryville, California. LeapFrog designs, develops and markets technology-based learning products and related content for the education of infant through grade school children at home and in schools internationally.- History...
products
- Speak & Spell
- Models of real objects
- Model aircraftModel aircraftModel aircraft are flying or non-flying models of existing or imaginary aircraft using a variety of materials including plastic, diecast metal, polystyrene, balsa wood, foam and fibreglass...
- Model railroadsRail transport modellingRailway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
- Model carModel carA model car or toy car is a miniature representation of an automobile. Other miniature motor vehicles, such as trucks, buses, or even ATVs, etc. are often included in the general category of model cars...
s and other vehicles - Model animals, e.g. Carnegie collectionCarnegie collectionThe Carnegie Collection is a series of authentic replicas based on dinosaurs and other extinct prehistoric creatures, using fossils featured at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History as references. The line is produced by Florida-based company Safari Ltd., known for their hand-painted replicas.-...
- PlaymobilPlaymobilPlaymobil is a line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group , headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany.New products and product lines developed by a 50-strong development team are frequently introduced by Brandstätter. Some of these, such as promotional products, are only produced in limited quantities...
model scenes
- Model aircraft
- Musical instrumentMusical instrumentA musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s- Toy pianoToy pianoThe toy piano, also known as the kinderklavier , is a small piano-like musical instrument. The present form of the toy piano was invented in Philadelphia by a 17-year-old German immigrant named Albert Schoenhut. He worked as a repairman at Wanamaker's department store, repairing broken glass...
- Toy piano
- Robot kitRobot kitA robot kit is a special construction kit for building robots, especially autonomous mobile robots.Toy robot kits are also supplied by several companies...
s- Lego MindstormsLego MindstormsThe LEGO Mindstorm series of kits contain software and hardware to create small, customizable and programmable robots. They include a programmable 'Brick' computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and LEGO parts from the Technics line to create the mechanical...
- qfix robot kitQfix robot kitqfix robot kits are an education tool for teaching robotics. They are used in schools, high schools and mechatronics training in companies. However, the robot kits are also used by hobby robot builders....
- PuzzlePuzzleA puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
s
- Lego Mindstorms
- Science kits
- Science Kit and Boreal LaboratoriesScience Kit and Boreal LaboratoriesScience Kit and Boreal Laboratories is a supplier of elementary, middle school and high school-level science education materials and equipment in the United States. Science Kit primarily focuses on the following science disciplines: biology, chemistry, earth science and physics...
- Thames & KosmosThames & KosmosThames & Kosmos is a publisher of over 60 science kits for kids of all ages, which cover topics such as biology, physics, astronomy, and alternative energy. It places an emphasis on teaching real-world issues and practical skills through hands-on experimentation and comprehensive reading materials...
- Science Kit and Boreal Laboratories
See also
- EducationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
- Educational gameEducational gameEducational games are games that have been designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play...
- Educational softwareEducational softwareEducational software is computer software, the primary purpose of which is teaching or self-learning.-Early History, 1940s - 1970s:The use of computer hardware and software in education and training dates to the early 1940s, when American researchers developed flight simulators which used analog...
- Child computer
- Constructionism (learning theory)
- PuzzlePuzzleA puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
- Toy advertisingToy advertisingToy advertising is the promotion of toys through a variety of media. Advertising campaigns for toys have been criticised for turning children into consumerists and are regulated to ensure they meet defined standards...
- Parenting stylesParenting stylesA parenting style is a psychological construct representing standard strategies that parents use in their child rearing. There are many differing theories and opinions on the best ways to rear children, as well as differing levels of time and effort that parents are willing to invest.Many parents...