Toys to Encourage Learning For Your Young Child's Room

In the preceding article we talked about arranging your young child's room to encourage learning by dividing the room into four sections: house section, construction section, art section and toy section. These sections are similar to the areas in a high quality pre-school room arrangement and supports the young child's natural ability to learn by exploring the environment around her.

In this article we'll discuss the materials that work well inside each of the sections. Beginning with the house section you may of course wish to include the traditional dolls, doll clothes, stuffed animals and perhaps a toy stove and sink or refrigerator. Also consider including real and natural items such as real pots and pans, spoons and ladles, an old toaster with the cord cut off, real plastic dishes, an eggbeater, cake tins, measuring cups, potholders, sponges, teapot, napkins and placemats, dress-up clothes (using real clothes rather than store-bought.) old clocks, non breakable mirrors, and any similar items you may wish to include.

Natural materials may include pine cones (great to "cook" with!), dry macaroni, empty food boxes (cereal, spaghetti, etc.), medium sized stones (stone soup!), bottle caps, feathers, cloth, bits of wood (that has been sanded smooth to prevent splinters,) Styrofoam bits, shells.

A word about why real and natural materials are they better than toy dishes, toy clothes, etc. Because children see real materials all around them and see you using them every day they are very interested in these materials and using them is a lot of fun. If given the opportunity to play with these items they actually learn to use them, creating independence and self confidence. Young children can learn to pour their own milk, sweep a floor, wipe a table, stir cake mix, and so on.

Materials to place in the art section would include of course paints, crayons and markers, paper and small erase boards, and play do. Consider adding some of the following: yarn, child scissors, masking tape, paper punch, shoestrings, sponges, toothbrushes, magazines and newspapers, aluminum foil, cotton balls, paper scraps, shoe boxes, buttons, straws, egg cartons, clothes pins, cardboard tubes, paper bags, larger cardboard boxes, bits of wood, sequins, cloth, felt, carpet scraps, vinyl scraps, paper clips, rubber bands.

For the toy section we have the standard legos, puzzles, (be sure the number of puzzle pieces is appropriate for your young child (...too many small pieces will be frustrating. From 7-15 is good.) Consider some of the following: scales and balances, magnets, nuts and bolts, washers, little people, beads and strings, puppets.

For the construction section you will want some of the several types of blocks available: wooden, styrofoam or paper blocks, small blocks, unit blocks. You may also consider adding some of the following: shoe boxes, milk cartons, bedspreads, old sheets and blankets, tubes, small trucks a real steering wheel, used keyboards, phones, small people.

Be careful not to provide too many items at one time. Over stimulation with too many materials will lead to confusion. Provide the basics in each section and rotate the items that are extra. For example: house section basics would be dolls, dishes, pots and pans, stuffed animals, toy stove and sink, perhaps a toy refrigerator. Basic art materials would be paints, crayons, paper, play-do, markers, paper. Basic toy section materials could include puzzles, board games, legos. Basic construction materials include blocks, small cars and trucks.

As you experiment with providing these materials, watch your child's reaction and what he does with them. As your child builds and explores your support will be helpful if you accept the new creations with enthusiasm. Even if they don't look recognizable to you, be responsive, without criticism, play together! and your child will flourish and grow.