Give GIfts that Helps Thinking Caps Go On

What does dress-up, finger painting and action figures all have in common?? The top guess would be that they are all things kids love to play with. They are much more than that though. Children who pretend to dress up to play a role, paint a great picture, play action figures as if the war is for real are all using their imaginations as they play. Perhaps it makes sense that children that spent time doing these things also built skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. 

Some of the best toys that help build skills of imagination that may and often do lead to skills needed in education include:

• puppets, dolls and action figures
• books for coloring or / and filled with activities
• art and craft supplies as well as stickers
• pretend dress up clothes and props such as play food, toy cars, etc...
•  blocks and materials to build with
• musical instruments

Critical thinking skills that help children analyze and evaluate problems to be able to solve it alone are often learned first thru play. Think about it when your child answers a riddle or plays a completive board game they are using their minds to complete such tasks. In a like manner these skills are needed to solve math problems, learn vocabulary words as well as to learn how to read and write. Toys that require children to use logic in thinking allows them to learn how and why things work as well as to search for correct solutions. Toys that are best for teaching logical thinking include:

• jigsaw puzzles or for younger children start with shape sorters
• puzzles that require logic knowledge for younger children start out with busy boxes
• games such as clue, chinese checkers, guess who that teach strategy 
• construction toys such as marble runs for younger children nesting and stacking toys work great
• science and chemistry sets

So when you are out selecting the perfect Christmas gift for the children in your life consider the toys that may show progress year after year as they grow 

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