IN Moon Township Spring 2018 | Page 13

INDUSTRY INSIGHT EARLY EDUCATION SPONSORED CONTENT TRUE TOYS AND THEIR POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CHILDREN T rue toys have no bells or whistles, they don’t do anything, and you do not turn them on. Most toys today have taken the fun out of imaginative play. Manipulating toys and giving them life develops reasoning and problem-solving skills as well as creating a base of simple knowledge of how things work. ONE-YEAR-OLDS Blocks, blocks and more blocks – Spatial relationships and size and shape discrimination lead to early math skills, fine motor control, and learning cause and effect. This true toy is fun at any age! A child may spend hours building and knocking down blocks while developing science skills including balance, gravity and concepts of weight. INFANTS Rattles – Fine motor development toy of the century! Grasping, repetitive motion that creates a desired outcome, music, hand-eye coordination and focusing visually on a moving object are all part of infant learning. Have rattles handy in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and sounds. TWO-YEAR-OLDS Paint and playdough – It is messy and that is why they like it so much! This tactile experience will open the doors of creativity and thinking. Let them mix the colors, use different tools and add to the experience by playing some music in the background. Finger paint, paintbrushes and textured paint can be mixed with a variety of painting surfaces for further exploration. READY. SET. GOddard! We help children explore and discover their interests through play in a safe environment. Highly trained teachers gently guide and encourage children every step of the way as they grow, develop and achieve important milestones. CALL TODAY! MOON TOWNSHIP • 412-262-1821 800 Commerce Avenue THREE-YEAR-OLDS A ball – Look at everything you can do with a ball: kick it, catch it, sit on it, bounce it, dribble it, play alone or with someone. A ball develops gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination and encourages healthy practices. A child needs to learn to handle a ball before he/ she can handle a pencil. FOUR- TO FIVE-YEAR-OLDS Dramatic play – Dramatic play is more than dress-up. It is a shovel, a whisk, a pad of paper. It is a pile of dirt, an old tire and a cardboard box. The sky is the limit: If your children have seen it, they want to explore it. Cut the cord off an old landline telephone and let them look inside as the service technician. True toys for a 4-year-old are simply real-life items. These toys will allow children to try on new personalities and play out roles. This Industry Insight was written by Dina Speranza & Carol Maier. They are the owners of The Goddard School®, located at 800 Commerce Avenue in Moon Township. Goddard offers both full- and part-time Infant/Preschool/ Kindergarten programs. For more information, visit goddardschool.com/Pittsburgh or call 412.262.1821. GoddardSchool.com The Goddard Schools are operated by independent franchisees under a license agreement with Goddard Systems, Inc. Programs and ages may vary. © Goddard Systems, Inc. 2018. License #00110527 , # 102804800-0001 MOON TOWNSHIP ❘ SP RI NG 2018 11