Toys: How to ensure their safety?

There are plenty of toys from different manufacturers available in the market. One may offers great toys for motor development skills, stimulates the children’s brain etc. We as parents always look for the best, which is beneficial for our children’s developments and most importantly is their safety while playing with the toys.

Some tips to ensure safety:-

1)      When we first buy the toys, to ensure that it is as per the age recommendation by the supplier on the box. For instance, toys such as blocks or Lego may not be suitable for children below the age of 3 due to choking danger. As most of us well understood, children under this age category tend to put everything insides their mouth. Thus, toys with small parts are definitely a no-no for them.

2)      Immediately discard the plastic items and all packing materials when buying new toys.

3)      Avoid buying toys with sharp edges or that is easily broken. Toys with long cords or strings also need to be avoided, which may lead to strangulations

4)      Check for any damages or broken parts of the toys regularly. Immediate throw away any broken & worn-out parts immediately.

5)      When playing bicycle, tricycle outdoors, always be sure that they are being monitored by us their parents and use helmets or knee-guard

6)      Teach our children to put away their toys that may lead them to tripping or fall over the toys

7)      For those who have elder children, always teach them to put away their own toys from their younger siblings especially those with small parts and not recommended for younger age.

8)      Always ensure that our children play in a safe environment either in the playground or large area, and away from stairs and water area

9)      Last but not least, be sure that all toys are clean! Do wash them as per the instructions at the box.

Have fun in making your children’s toys safety!

Tips on how to teach your child to solve a puzzle

1. Choose the most interesting puzzle for your children according to their age. A cartoon puzzle may be a good one for your kids, just to get them excited and have fun playing with puzzle. The number of pieces also plays an important part. Make sure you choose a small number of pieces i.e. (<20 pieces) for children below 3 years and at a reasonable size. Not too small to avoid choking.
2. Show him/her the whole picture of the puzzle before they start separating/mixing the pieces. This is to ensure that they know and at least have a picture in their mind on what are they solving of.
3. Make sure all pieces are facing up, i.e. the colour pieces are on top, so that it will be easier for our children to match and solve the pieces.
4. Be with them, show and ask them whether they can notice on what actually the pieces shows. For instance; let say your child is trying to solve a big puzzle of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Try to ask and relate one picture of Mickey’s leg and ask them to find another pieces for the other legs-same colour of shoes etc
5. Make the activities more interesting and motivate them by saying “Well done dear!”, “Good job baby” for every pieces that they have successfully solved although it is just a pair of them. Clapping hands for them will also encourage them to solve even more until they completed the whole puzzle.
6. Enjoy solving the puzzle with them and make it a favourite past time activity as solving puzzle is one of the development and good brainy activity for children.

Learning Tools for kids

While our children are developing skills via playing, we as parents need to give supports and be part of them during the development process. Since we do not want them to just play around without get the opportunity to learn, good learning tools are definitely a must for them.

There are many choices available in the market for you to choose. First, you need to identify on what skills actually you want them to develop at that point of time. For instance, if we want them to improve their critical motor skills in addition to learning the cause and effect, a wooden toy train can be a good learning tool.

Letting them playing with puzzle may also encourage our children manipulating and coordination skills via trial and error when solving the puzzle. Our children may also develop good problem solving skills; help them to increase their visual and overall special awareness.

Do you know any other learning tools that are widely used by other children?