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As adults, we take what we can do with our hands for granted and use them effortlessly. Yet very young children need to be encouraged and taught how to use their hands.
All hands to the deck
Manipulative Toys are essential to early childhood play experiences. Manipulative Toys build skills such as gross and fine motor skills. They very often require some level of thought, so they are not only fun toys providing creative and imaginative play, but they also help foster planning and problem solving skills. As there is no forced outcome children are left feeling confident and encouraged to play again rather than frustrated they have got it wrong.
The development of hand control is known as fine motor or manipulative development and supports other areas of a child’s development. For example, when a child uses a manipulative toy they are stimulating vital nerve pathways that helps develop essential motor and cognitive skills.
A-maze-ing
The range of manipulative toys for children is almost endless and can open a world of wonder for them to explore. From discovery boxes filled with wonderfully coloured shapes and objects, to the Tubie Toys and the ever popular Pound a Ball the choice of toys is endless. One of the best known manipulative toys is the maze cube. A maze cube offer a huge variety of play potential and there are quite an assortment available. They tend to have activities on the top and all four sides. They enable children to manipulate small parts safely, building motor, language, and cognitive skills as they move beads and coloured shapes along wires and through wooden mazes.
Wall mounted manipulative toys like the crocodile wall game, bear wall game and hippo wall game have the advantage of not taking up a large amount of room – and they never need to be cleaned up, but still offer a good range of manipulative activities.
Stringing along
Toys such as stringing toys, threading toys and lacing toys develop fine motor skills and hand to eye coordination while enhancing language and cognitive development. Lacing activities such as the lacing cube and lacing butterflies enable children to gain mastery of the hand to eye coordination, develop finger strength and confidence as they work out how to thread, re-thread and undo knots.
Lights, buzzers, action
Impulse toys are inexpensive, delightful skill-builders. Most address a single need and offer a single reward such as the lights and sounds buzzers. By pushing on a buzzer children are rewarded with a sound teaching them the simplest theory of cause and effect.
Each manipulative toy in its own way helps challenge, stimulate and delight children as they refine and enhance their dexterity. No two children are alike in the abilities, personalities or development so manipulative toys are perfect for children wherever they may be in their developmental journey.
Originally written 22 January 2016