While summer can be a great time for fun, without the pressures of a strict schedule to follow, it can also be a breeding ground for “learning loss.”
So many of our children forget a lot of what was taught over the school year simply because they are not being exposed to it. If you don’t have to think about it, then you don’t. I have read that some experts feel that a child can forget as much as 2.5 months’ worth of learning over their summer break and many teachers say that they spend approximately six weeks reviewing basic skills in subjects such as math, English, and science.
Here at Toy Sense, we have just what you need to help put your children back on a sound learning path as they head back to school.
Puzzles are great for teaching cognitive skills by improving problem solving and reasoning abilities. They encourage awareness 
of whole-part relationships and increase and improve visual spatial perception. Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination are enhanced through play with puzzles. That’s not to mention the related topics that can be taught depending on the type of puzzle you choose. We have puzzles for all ages in all categories; peg puzzles of animals or alphabet or puzzles of a few hundred pieces with a world map or famous landmarks depicted. Of course, there are puzzles with kitties, ponies, dinos and tractors, just to name a few.
Construction and building toys are a fantastic way to allow your curious child to assemble and disassemble items while saving your DVD player or IPhone. (My daughter was always fascinated in this way with electronics. I clearly
remember the day our VCR was sacrificed because of that. Isn’t it amazing how many other things a child can accomplish while they are supposed to be cleaning their room?) Also a great tool for hand-eye coordination, building toys teach basic mechanics, physics and engineering principles. Self-esteem takes a real boost when they see the end results of their work, too. There are many different types of kits, depending on your child’s ability.There are even kits that allow for more than one child to work together, promoting teamwork.
Next week we'll look at board games, mind puzzles and science kits as learning toys!
Toy Sense is a giant specialty toy retailer in Thunder Bay ON and a member of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS). We offer a fun and friendly shopping environment with knowledgeable sales staff that provide the expert advice needed to the find the ‘perfect’ toy. Our products are hand-picked by our experienced staff which gives you widest selection of the best products available at a variety of price points. Our 4000+ square foot showroom boasts over 8500 in-stock items. We pride ourselves on the quality and uniqueness of our toy selection.
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