The growing availability of OT resources worldwide has enabled teachers, parents and guardians to identify issues early on that might have been left untreated for many older generations when they were still in school.
Early childhood development is an integral part in the acquisition of concepts, skills and attitudes that lay the foundation of lifelong learning.
“Quality development in these areas can assist young children to inhibit the basic skills needed to perform efficiently in the schooling and home environment,” says Grant Webster, COO of Toy Kingdom.
The children’s toy store places strong importance on using educational toys to help children develop the skills needed to participate in their environment, and has introduced a category system in-store for certain toys to help parents navigate according to the skills the toys build.
According to the latest Department of Education progress report, the national average of South African children aged birth to four years old participating in some sort of early childhood development programme is only 45%.
Striking a balance between screen time and traditional play
Children need to learn from a very young age how to react to the world around them, and playing with toys like dolls and action figures can help with understanding feelings like empathy.
According to registered Occupational therapist Dana Katz, educational toys, especially those that support fine motor, visual perceptual, planning and problem solving skills can help to develop more refined, higher level learning skills.
“Skill development is essentially like building a pyramid, if the lower building blocks are in place, we can continue to build on that skill.
Striking a balance between screen time and traditional play
Children need to learn from a very young age how to react to the world around them, and playing with toys like dolls and action figures can help with understanding feelings like empathy.
According to registered Occupational therapist Dana Katz, educational toys, especially those that support fine motor, visual perceptual, planning and problem solving skills can help to develop more refined, higher level learning skills.
“Skill development is essentially like building a pyramid, if the lower building blocks are in place, we can continue to build on that skill.
If all the underlying skills like gross motor, sensory motor, focus, awareness of the two sides of the body and motor planning are in place developmentally and the child is able to process sensory information effectively, developmental toys and games can be valuable in supporting higher level skill development,” says Dana Katz.
