Age Appropriate Toys There Exists

Age Appropriate Toys There exists today a constructive rivalry amongst manufacturers of educational toys to continually improve on fundamental tried-and-tested playthings that are not only meant to contribute to the basic education of young children but that are also entertaining. Prior to being marketed to consumers most educational toys are subjected to excessive research and field testing to verify its value as an age appropriate learning tool; and to establish it as a viable commodity that must compete on a global level to a wide consumer market.

It is also evaluated on the basis of design and functionality; choice of material, assembly techniques, safety aspects, and visual suitability. Although attractive packaging is aimed at drawing the consumer's attention, this only serves as a small albeit important part of competing in the market place. Discerning consumers, particularly those who specifically want a children's educational toy that is also fun for a child to play with, demand that the manufacturer also provide relevant detailed information about the product such as its objective and long-term learning benefits to the child.

The information printed on the packaging could be in the form of text instructions combined with pictorial diagrams. It is important to indicate age appropriateness of the toy. This essay report aims to outline the value of an educational toy consisting of numerous coloured squares that teaches a child to identify and name different colours, and to memorise the sequence of colours in creating a rainbow.

The educational intent of this toy is to encourage a child of two years and older to match, name and recreate the colours of a rainbow from a colour bar; initially by duplicating the colours in the picture but eventually learning to construct the sequence from visual memory. In a playful way the child develops controlled movement of the hands and arms. The toy teaches a child fine motor skills, visual motor skills, counting and sequencing, as well as colour identification.

According to the Literacy Center Education Network, recognizing colours and reading colour names is an important part of a child's development in art and reading. Early identification of colours and colour words helps to create the cognitive link between word symbols and adjectives.. progressing from simple colour identification to colour experimentation enables the child to explore and apply colour knowledge. (Color Center) Other activities using the colour squares include creating mosaic designs, patterns and building structures.

The child's small muscle and hand-eye coordination is improved by means of these exercises, which also helps to increase his attention span, develop and expand specific concepts and to generalize concepts. The development of visual and auditory memory is also promoted. Because the purpose of block play is to assist the child in developing basic problem solving skills and language stimulation, the child is encouraged to verbalise his actions during the exercise which gives the child a sense of accomplishment.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities affirms that "reading and math are two subjects where accurate perception and understanding of spatial relationships are very important.. The importance of being able to perceive objects in relation to other objects is often seen in math problems. " (Visual and Auditory Processing Disorders) The design of this educational toy is straightforward and the construction of the colour squares and the solid wooden container is solid, hand painted with water-based colours and stained with natural resins which are child safe.

The size of the toy is about 15" x 2" x 1." Additional rainbow.