5 Ways Toys Help Your Child Learn

Toys aren't all fun and games — they're critical for your child's healthy development! As she makes her way from blocks to books to crayons to teddy bears, your child is building pre-academic skills such as:

1. Physical dexterity. Swings, wading pools, doll carriages, child-sized vehicles, and ride-on toys help build strength, confidence, and balance.
2. Creativity. Finger paints, play dough, paper, and crayons all encourage artistic development, plus the fine-motor skills required for writing.
3. Problem-solving. Nature-based activities such as making mudpies and digging in the sandbox, help your child become an experimenter and investigator. Blocks, and anything your child can separate into groups, also encourage both manipulation (good for motor-skill development) and categorization.
4. Language development. Reading picture books together is extremely important to building your little one's communication skills.
5. Social skills. Dolls and stuffed animals can be used to represent people and play out troubling emotions or situations.