| "Open-ended play encourages this
highly individual experience and is fueled by imagination. Toys that
leave room for a child's input and creative imagination are the ones
that they return to over and over again – they are captivating,
enduring."
"It's important to start kids on the right road to imaginative
play from their earliest months of infancy. The Singers point out recent
research that shows children who are encouraged in imaginative play
prove to be more creative a few years later, have a richer vocabulary,
are less impulsive and aggressive and often become leaders with their
playmates."
"When looking for toys that will help your child develop imagination,
look for those that lead to open-ended play, not only allowing for,
but rewarding the child's creativity. It is precisely this type of imaginative
play that many child development experts recognize as helping prepare
a child's mind for learning facts and figures as well as preparing his
or her mind for life."
- John Lee
President and CEO
Learning Curve International
(makers of Thomas & Friends) |
“Developmental play
constitutes a major part of a preschooler’s life and is a valuable
aspect of a child’s cognitive, social, physical and emotional
growth. As we examine the numerous benefits of this type of play, we
will see that the adult personality may very well have its foundation
in the play of the child.”
- Drs. Dorothy and Jerome Singer
Yale University
"toys that can be adapted to different age and ability levels will
be more useful...since developmental differences across one year can
be great"
"A major way children take ownership of new information
is by playing with it. Learning requires an interactive balance of
gaining the facts and skills required by the culture and making information
one's own. This interactive cycle helps children understand their
world in an intrinsically motivating fashion"
|