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My Child’s New Set of Fantastic Educational Toys

Posted on Oct 22, 2011 in Featured, On Homeschooling, Parenting | 0 comments

Ever notice how toy stores are filled with not just the usual stuffed toys and robots but are now pushing more toys that have educational value?  Now more than ever, there is an influx of wooden toys and a clamor for the back-to-basics toys that help teach spatial intelligence, concepts like counting, matching, and sorting, and other creative learning skills that stimulate thinking and imagination.

I’m thankful that wooden blocks, wooden puzzles, paints, clay sets, play-dough and soft dolls are still very much around, and kids aren’t only presented with the high-tech options that are toy laptops and materials with robotic features.  I believe there should be a balance of “old-school toys” as well as toys that are of the “advanced technology variety.”

“Pocketful of Kids”, which is located at the 15th floor of Strata 2000 in Ortigas Center, is a treasure trove of fun and educational toys designed to stimulate your child’s creative thinking, and jumpstart levels of learning.  It also happens to be a place for kids who wish to learn reading skills, as they do offer reading programs for kids who have some difficulty in reading and comprehension.  The place also offers theater classes and other interesting programs.

I went there with Drian the other day to check out their selection of toys.  I noticed that most of their educational materials are the very same ones used in pre-schools and kindergarten classrooms today.

I was able to get these three new items that my child has been enjoying for the past days, but have offered such high educational value and yes, value for my money since I know she’ll get to play with these for a few more years.

LACING BEADS

These colorful beads (which came in the colors blue, red, yellow, green, and white) come with 3 different kinds of colored thread (red, blue, and yellow) and are perfect for kids three years old and above (Since they’re quite small they are a choking hazard for younger children).  I love how this set teaches spaces and colors and helps in developing hand-eye coordination.  The colorful wooden beads are so appealing for kids because they can also learn how to sort them.  I gave my child a few bowls and she had a blast sorting out the beads per color and also teaching her how to pour the beads from one bowl to another without them spilling.  At the store they offered that I also buy the plastic container that had an easy-to-open-and close lid that is perfect to store these beads and laces.

COLORFUL RUBBER FRUITS

This is another toy that I made sure we purchased since these colorful rubber fruits not only make for great pretend play (let your child imagine she’s running a “market store” or “fruit stand”), but they also are wonderful tools in teaching the following skills:

  • sorting
  • color identification
  • matching
I also bought the same container (like the one I got for the lacing beads) so that when I would have to store all the toys they would have a uniform look when placed on the shelf.
One educational set of cards I picked up from the same store intrigued me, and I found it to be a good addition to the educational materials I already have at home for my child.  It’s called “Understanding Emotions.”  It’s a set of cards with photos of facial expressions of children, and at the back of each card are guide questions you can ask your child as you show him each photo, like “What is this child feeling?”  When your child answers, you can ask him “What made you think he is feeling that way?”  Other guide questions like “What does it feel to be sad?” It leads the child to recognizing emotions and the reactions (like crying or laughing or shaking or smiling or fidgeting) that are part of these emotions.  It helps him identify how he also feels when he goes through feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, etc.
I found it interesting how the “prompts”or questions could make your child think and process his own reactions to the photographs in the cards.  I am a firm believer that it isn’t all about a high IQ but also about a high emotional quotient in every well-rounded individual.
Among the other fun items that you can find at the “Pocketful of Kids” store are puzzles, wooden toys, flash cards, play dough, and even Fisher Price mini-furniture and playground sets like slides, and child-safe obstacle courses.
If you’re a mom who’s interested in looking into homeschooling like me (or if you’re already on the homeschooling path with your family), “Pocketful of Kids” can give you a lot of great toys and educational material options.  That way you can have a variety of things to enjoy with your child and wouldn’t have to be limited to the things you find in the usual department store toy sections for stimulating and creative ways and tools to have fun.
Let every day be a day of learning fun!

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