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good, too, because the chi ld has to
remember the question, which is
excellent preparation for school.
If,
however, these questions are left
unanswered, we have let valuable
learning experiences go by.
Children of all ages benefit by
being includea in the day's regular
activities. Shopping, painting the
fence, visiting friends, planting the
backyard garden are all helpful
educational experiences.
Personality and Language
Development
As time . goes on you will notice
your child's personali ty developing.
At age 2 , sorne children are capable
of using expressive language.
Building compound and complex
sentences can be handled at this
age, though sorne youngsters do
take a bit longer. At age 2, a child
has a speak.ing vocabulary of about
200 words, but during the next
three years it can reach 2,000. This
shows the steady, rapid progress
that can be made during these cru–
cial preschool years.
Help your child put immature
responses into words. Don't let him
get away with nodding or pointing.
Have you r toddler speak in correct,
full sentences.
In all teach ing, remember: A
child will strive to live up to our
expectations.
If
we have a low stan–
dard, the child will settle for that.
If
it's a high one, he will reach for it.
Teach and train in a positive,
happy, warm, loving way. You
shouldn't allow yourself to get so
overburdened with other tasks that
impatience sets in. Have time for
laughter and fun. Make family life
enjoyable.
Your Child's Play
Play is the child's work!
It
is impor–
tant in his or her life and develop–
ment. Far from being an extra, it is
vital to growth. From the earliest
days, play experiences help develop
coordination, tastes, maturity and
personali ty. Character is largely
formed in early play experiences.
Through play a chi ld rehearses
patterns of living . Play doesn't
always have to include toys. Teach–
ing your child to perform house–
hold chores can be equally fun and
constructive.
If
proper play experi–
ences are offered, a child is likely to
February 1985
transfer much of the pleasure of
play into what adults call work.
Toys are important, though .
They are a child's tools for learn–
ing. They can be used to develop a
strong, healthy body and an alert
mind. They can help form a child' s
personality and creative skills.
When purchasing toys, parents
should select those suitable for the
child's age, sex and temperament.
U p to one year children enjoy
and profit from toys they can look
at, feel, safely cbew on, hold in
thei r hands and drop. T hey should
be washable and unbreakable and
have no sharp edges.
One-to-two-year-olds often like
toys they can take apart and put
together again, and toys they can
push and pull around. Balls, blocks,
little airplanes, cars and dolls would
generally interest them.
For toddlers and younger chil–
dren, toys that can be assembled,
that give children the chance to learn
different colors, and help them learn
to count, are good.
As a child grows older,
he likes to turn pages
(teach him how) and
The manipulative
skills of 4- and
5-year-olds need
toys that
stimulate their
coordination and
mental abilities.
experiment with newly discovered
abili ties. Nontoxic model ing clay,
safe vegetable dye paints, various
balls (which help coordination, tim–
ing and agility) and construction sets
are good, depending on the child.
If
a
child has difficulty catching balls,
toss things to your offspring, such as
soiled laundry to put in the hamper.
Girls enjoy dolls that can be
dressed and have underclothes
changed. Boys, too, should be famil–
iar with the procedure.
The manipulative sk.ills of 4- and
5-year-olds need toys that stimulate
tbeir coordination and mental abili–
ties, speed and accuracy. Trains,
hobby materials in arts and crafts,
construction or model sets, tricycles,
real carpenters' tools and games that
can be played out of doors are appro–
priate here.
Outdoor play is excellent for
health and coordination. A swing,
jungle gym, outdoor tub (under your
supervision) are good, as is a sand–
box, replete with shovel, bucket and
sieve.
Good educational experiences and
toys should involve active personal
participation. This is essential to the
whole pattern of development.
Be sure the toys are safe and
durable. Sorne suggestions of the
U.S. National Commission of
Product Safety include:
Test doll heads. Twist and turn
the head, as well as the arms and
legs, as a child might. Look for
sharp edges.
Make sure the eyes and ears of
toy animals are firm.
lf
a toy comes only in a package,
ask the retailer for a sample you
can examine.
Be wary of electrical toys.
Get assurance that paint on toys
is nonpoisonous.
Above all, use good common
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