From the moment they are born, children have a natural inclination
to explore the world around them. How do they do that? Largely through play. If
play is such a naturally occuring window through which kids see the world, it
follows that the kind of toys they play with will have a large impact on the
kind of play they get to participate in. This is the topic that Fisher-Price
set out to explore at their event titled “Learning Revolutionised”, overseen by
Dr. Deborah Weber, Director of Early Childhood Development at Fisher-Price.
Educational toy-maker, Fisher-Price has been at the forefront of
developments in toys since the company was formed in 1930. While the team of
adults there have proven to be wholly committed to developing toys that are
safe, durable, and high-quality - there is no better way to ensure those toys
will be fun than to ask the consumers themselves: children. This is where
Fisher-Price’s Play Lab comes in. The Play Lab research facility puts
observational research at the centre of its design strategy. Over the years, it
has seen more than 127,000 babies and pre-school children and 1,700 parents
through toy trials.
“The ability to observe how children play has been instrumental in
allowing us to create toys that they love,” explained Dr. Weber. “Play Lab
allows us to determine the age-grade for our products - ensuring that
Fisher-Price is creating toys are both appropriate and enriching for developing
children.”
Dr. Weber discussed the development chart that Fisher-Price uses
to group their toys. She shared about why it is important for parents to an
age-appropriate play guide as play can help facilitate their children’s growth.
While the stages of development are a good reference for parents, Dr. Weber
stressed that it cannot be taken at face value - that all children develop at
their own pace and reach milestones at different times.
This could not have been a more timely reminder in our
technologically advancing world. It isn’t uncommon to see young children at a
dinner table with a smartphone or tablet propped in front of them while the
adults at the table chat or do the same. Gadgets are undeniably effective as
devices of distraction, but healthy parameters do need to be set. Dr. Weber
provided some useful tips that parents could apply in managing gadget time for
their kids: review content appropriateness, limits on gadget time, and
ensuring that there are periodical breaks between each session.
On the topic of technological advancements, Dr. Weber highlighted
the growing importance of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics) method in today’s early childhood development. The STEM method
puts an emphasis in active and systematic thinking - sharpening critical
thinking and problem solving skills. It plays a large role in preparing
children to build globally competitive characters, ready to take on a wide
range of technical and creative careers in the future.
With the intention to meet the growing need for an early STEM
education, Fisher-Price presents the Think & Learn line of toys that
combines STEM methods and technology-based learning systems. Dr. Weber
demonstrated how one of these toys, the Code-A-PillarTM, works to
do exactly this. The toy features 9 easy-to-connect segments that preschoolers
can arrange and rearrange to “tell” the toy how to move: forward, left, right,
wiggle, dance or even wait for a couple seconds before moving again. Kids start
the Code-a-pillarTM at point A and figure out how to get it to move to destination
point B through sequencing.
Dr. Weber emphasised “Every parent wants to give
their children the best possible start in life. It is important that throughout
the process, parents are also involved in play time, witnessing their child’s
early development first hand. In a technologically changing world, it is
becoming more crucial for children to develop problem solving skills and what
other way to best develop this skill then through play! When kids are busy playing, they are building more than preschool
learning: they are building the foundation to grow into big thinkers.”
With Fisher-Price at the helm of very exciting developments in
play time, parents can rest easy, knowing that their kids are in good hands. Can click here to watch baby MH video.
For more information about Fisher-Price,
Website : http://www.fisher-price.com/SEA
Facebook :
https://www.facebook.com/FisherPriceSEA/
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