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Sensory Motor skills are integral for promoting children to venture out in the world and become independent, confident, and self-reliant individuals.  During the initial stages of development, children are constantly going through drastic changes to achieve control over their movements and develop an understanding of the world surrounding them.  Sensory stimulation or sensory input and motor skills (gross motor skills and fine motor skills) work together to help individuals easily maneuver through tiger surroundings.  Sensory and motor interactions are the foundation for optimum growth and holistic development in children.  In fact, sensory-motor skills allow children to coordinate their movements with respect to their senses.  Providing children with the proper learning and developmental opportunities as they grow up is crucial for facilitating holistic development.  Just like the development of sensory, physical, cognitive, social, emotional, gross motor, and fine motor skills, the development of sensory-motor skills is equally vital.  If you are a parent who is looking for ways to enhance and develop sensory motor skills in your child but does not know where to begin, look no further.  Here is all you need to know about sensory motor skills and their importance to help you curate the best learning environment and provide your child with the best activities to develop their sensory-motor skill. What are Sensory Motor Skills? The child’s foundation for learning and developing is heavily based on their sensory and motor interactions with the world that surrounds them.  Sensory development and the development of both fine motor skills and gross motor skills are crucial for becoming an independent, confident, and self-reliant individual.  Sensory-motor skills are activities where both sensory and motor skills work together to help you efficiently maneuver through your surroundings. Children during the initial stages of development rely heavily on their sense of sight, taste, smell, hearing, touch, vestibular, and proprioception senses to make sense of the world that surrounds them.   Ideally, sensory motor skills require sensory stimuli or sensory input to produce an accurate response based on their motor output.  So, sensory-motor skills allow children to produce an accurate motor response based on their sensory input.  Sensory motor skills are a three-pronged process that involves the coordination between both sensory and motor skills: Sensory-motor skills develop in children between the ages of birth to 7 years during which the child learns how to easily maneuver through their surroundings.  Sensory-motor skills are vital for children to coordinate their movements and develop spatial awareness. What do Sensory Motor Skills Comprise? Sensory motor skills are crucial for the child’s learning and development process that allow them to become ingredient and self-reliant.  Here is a list of skills that sensory-motor skills encompass to help your child easily maneuver through their surroundings and learn: A List of some of the Best Sensory-Motor activities: Finding the right play activities to enhance and facilitate your child’s development process can become a quite daunting and perplexing task for most parents.  Sensory motor skills are crucial for early childhood development that helps children perform basic tasks effortlessly.  Here are some exciting, fun, and engaging sensory-motor activities that will help your child become independent and effortlessly reach age-appropriate developmental milestones. Do-anywhere Sensory Motor Activities: Here is a list of some fun sensory-motor play activities that can be practiced and enjoyed anytime or anywhere: 1. Crab walk: Crab walk gross motor activity is a gym class classic that can help children coordinate their motor movements based on their surroundings.  Furthermore, carb walk activity can also be a great way of developing your child’s core strength. 2. Jumping: Children of any age group enjoy jumping around whether it is in the house or outdoors.  Believe it or not but jumping can be a great way of developing your child’s gross motor skills, vestibular sense, and proprioception. 3. Rolling: Rolling or crawling is a fun way of facilitating the development of gross motor skills. You can help your child develop their sensory motor skills by allowing them to roll and unroll wrapped in a blanket or crawl under a tunnel. Indoor Sensory Motor Activities: Here is a list of some exciting and engaging sensory-motor activities that can be enjoyed even in the comfort of your home: 1. Sensory Bins: DIY sensory bins involving rice, beans, or even beads can be a fun way to develop your child’s sensory motor skills.  Allow your child to get their hands in the bin and experience new tactile as well as visuals sensation as they play. 2. Baking or cooking: Baking and cooking activities are an exceptional way of developing your child’s sensory motor skills.  Baking and cooking activities allow children to indulge in a multisensory experience to develop their proprioception, vestibular sense, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills. 3. Finger Painting: Allow your child to bring out their inner Picasso while they learn and develop new sensory motor skills. 4. Dough Play: Whether it is play dough, salt dough, or even moon sand dough play activities help enhance your child’s tactile sense and fine motor skills efficiently. 5. Puzzles: Mazes, dot-to-dot books, and jigsaw or object puzzles can be an easy way of enhancing your child’s fine motor skills, visual sense, categorizing skills, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and hand-eye coordination. 6. Bath and lotion: Believe it or not but daily self-care tasks can be a fun way of developing your child’s sensory motor skills.  Bathing can be a fun way of providing your child with a unique sensory experience and helping them become more aware of their movements.  Outdoor Sensory Motor Activities: Here is a list of some fun and engaging sensory-motor activities that will promote your child to hit the outdoors: 1. Bubbles: Blowing bubbles or blowing on pinwheels can be a great way of facilitating the development of sensory-motor skills in children.  These activities allow children to develop core strength and develop breath support and breath control. 2. Sandboxes: Sand can be a great tactile sensory stimulus for children and can be an easy way of facilitating mess-free tactile development.  Promote children to dig through sand in the sandbox and develop their hand-eye coordination and vestibular sense. 3. Catch: Tossing and catching activities is a great way of facilitating the development of gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness. 4. Strolls: Walking or strolling around can be a fun way of developing your child’s gross motor skills and visual sense, and providing them with calm and tranquility.

Are you looking for a pack and play crib for your tiny toddler but do not know which brand to splurge on? If yes, then you have come to the right place.  Whether you like to travel a lot or you do have enough room to set up a floor bed or a crib in your infant’s nursery, Pack and Play beds can be an easy solution to all your toddler crib problems.  Pack and Play cribs come as a simple, versatile, quick, and easy aid for parents with babies and toddlers especially while traveling.  Believe it or not but Pack and Play beds can be more beneficial than just providing your tiny toddler with one extra place to nap in.  These beds are highly versatile, budget-friendly, easy to set up, and fairly quick to take apart making them a perfect partner for your tiny toddler and a sigh of relief for most parents.  While many first-time parents swear by using Pack and Plays for their infants and toddlers other parents think otherwise and consider Pack and Plays to be completely necessary. If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver looking for a good-quality, durable, and versatile pack and play for your toddler, look no further.  Here is a comprehensive guide to Pack and Plays to help you find the best bed that fits your toddler’s developmental needs. What are Pack and Plays Anyway? Pack and Plays also known as Pack n’ Play or Playards are a form of compact and portable crib that can be used by children from birth to toddler stages.  Pack and Plays are convenient and safe enclosed spaces for infants and toddlers that can be mobilized to almost any place at home.  Ideally, pack-and-plays are foldable and lightweight beds that are travel-friendly and portable making them ideal for families that love to travel or live in smaller spaces.  Pack and plays are highly versatile and can be used for myriads of purposes like a crib, a changing station, and even a bassinet. Pack and plays also come with wheels to help you move the crib from one room to another. Are there different types of Pack and Plays? Every Pack and Play aims to provide your child with optimum safety and comfort along with the perk of being highly versatile and portable.  Pack and play can be used anytime and anywhere whether it is in any corner of the house or even when you are on a trip or traveling.  While the primary characteristics of pack and plays are the same, these nifty and versatile cribs come in a few different variants.  To help you better understand the different types of pack and plays, here are the three main categories of pack and plays: Traditional Pack and Plays: The classic or the traditional pack and play is a simple, lightweight, and portable pack and play that can be used as a portable crib.  These basic or traditional are hassle-free, portable, and safe variants of the pack and plays that integrate the following elements: Care Station Pack and plays: Baby stations are crucial for infants and developing babies and the care station pack and play just be the perfect option for you.  The Care Station pack and play is specifically designed to provide you with a baby care station and changing station even on the go.  Here are some important components the care station pack and Plays incorporate that help set them apart from the common Pack and Plays: Travel Crib Pack and Plays: While all pack-and-plays can be used as portable traveling cribs, this crib is specifically designed while keeping all the traveling needs and requirements in mind.  Travel Crib Pack and Plays are lightweight and compact that can easily turn into a crib or a play area for your toddler.  These pack and plays are often more triangular in shape when compared to other counterparts.  Here are some key components of travel crib pack and plays that make them travel-friendly for both you and your child: What are Some Features of Pack and Plays to look for? Finding the right pack and play crib can be exceptionally difficult especially when you do not where to begin.  Hence it is best to cater to your toddler’s needs and requirements and choose the right pack and play that integrates the right features or components.  Here are some important features to look for when purchasing pack and play for your toddler: Size: While many people associate pack and play with newborns and infants, these cribs can be used by children up until the stages of toddlerhood.  If you are looking for a pack and play for your toddler it is best to look for one which is larger in size to provide your toddler with some extra room. Accessories: Pack and play cribs are more than just cribs for toddlers and babies to sleep in. These cribs can also be a great source for promoting open-ended play in children.  Hence it is best to find a pack and play crib that is not only larger in size but also incorporates fun accessories.  You can search for pack and plays that integrate fun accessories like squish toys and other accessories like compartments. Foldability: What’s a pack and play without the feature of foldability? It is important to search for pack and play that is not only easy to set up but equally efficient to pack or fold. Wheels: Other than foldability, mobility and portability are also important features to look for in a pack and play.  Finding a pack and play with wheels can help you easily mobilize your toddler’s crib from one room to another without over-exerting yourself. Weight: Lastly, the weight of the pack and play and the mattress in the crib are also important especially when you are traveling.  It is best to look for a lightweight yet good-quality pack and play that doesn’t weigh you down or put some extra weight on your luggage while traveling. A list of best Pack and Plays for Toddlers: Finding the right furniture, toys, and activities during the early stages of childhood development can be quite difficult.  Hence, searching for the right pack and play for your toddler is no different. Pack and plays come in a variety of styles, types, and variants that often contain different components making the task of choosing the right one even more perplexing.  If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver looking for Pack and plays for your toddlers, look no further, here is a list of some of the best pack and plays: 1. Graco Pack ‘N Play Go Playard: The Graco Pack ‘N Play Go Playard is a top pick for both parents and children alike! As this pack and play crib are all that your toddler will need.  Made from high-quality sturdy materials, the Graco Pack ‘N Play is a versatile, simple, and compact crib that can easily turn into a baby care station. 2. Graco Pack ‘N Play Dome Playard: The Graco Pack ‘N Play Dome Playard is another great pack and play for toddlers that is perfect for parents and toddlers who are always on the go.  This pack and play is the perfect convertible for any household and comes with multiple compartments, a baby changing station, and a bassinet. 3. Lotus Travel Crib: Are you looking for a pack and play to take along with you on your next road trip? If yes then the Lotus Travel Crib might be meant for your toddler.  This pack and play is not only easy to fold and convert but also lightweight and perfect for traveling.  The Lotus Travel pack and play crib comes in the form of a triangular shape with a full mesh net and a larger play area. 4. Baby Trend Retreat Nursery Center: If you are looking for a pack and play that integrates all the fancy features and are not afraid to break the bank, then the Baby Trend Retreat Nursery Center is definitely a higher-end variant for your toddler.  This pack and play comes in the form of a nursery with a bassinet and soft plush toy set up for your child. 5. Hiccapop Play Pod Deluxe: Are you in search of a pack and play that doesn’t limit your toddler’s play experience to just indoors? If you and your family love to camp out or enjoy the fresh outdoor breeze then the Hiccapop Play Pod deluxe is meant for your toddler. This Pack and play come in the form of a tent that can be easily set up and is equally easy to take apart.

Mattresses are essential for a good night’s sleep and happy dreams, hence finding the best mattress for your toddlers or baby’s pack and play.  Pack and Plays are travel-friendly, versatile, compact, and portable cribs that can also be used as a playpen and a changing station.  From nap time to tummy time mattresses are an exceptional partner for any crib, floor bed, or pack-and-play.  As a parent of a baby or a toddler, you would know the struggle of putting your younger one to bed.  While most pack-and-plays come with a designated sleeping area and a corresponding mattress, these mattresses can be quite uncomfortable, preventing your child from falling into optimum slumber.  Choosing the right mattress for a developing child can be quite bewildering especially when they have difficulty falling asleep.  However finding a convertible, foldable, and adjustable mattress for a pack-and-play can become an even more challenging task.  If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver of an infant or a toddler looking for the best mattresses for their pack-and-play but need to know where to begin, look no further.  Here is all you need to know about Mattresses for Pack and Plays to find the one that suits your child’s needs and requirements. What are Pack and Plays Anyway? Before jumping on to the list of the best Mattresses for pack and plays it is important to know what pack and plays precisely are. Pack and Plays also known as Pack n’ Play or Playards are a form of compact and portable crib that can be used by children from birth to toddler stages.  Pack and Plays are convenient and safe enclosed spaces for infants and toddlers that can be mobilized to almost any place at home.  Ideally, pack-and-plays are foldable and lightweight beds that are travel-friendly and portable making them ideal for families that love to travel or live in smaller spaces.  Pack and plays are highly versatile and can be used for myriads of purposes like a crib, a changing station, and even a bassinet. Pack and plays also come with wheels to help you move the crib from one room to another.  What is a Pack and Play Mattress? Just like the pack-and-play itself a mattress for pack-and-play is also developed by keeping portability, comfort, and longevity in mind.  Mattresses for pack and play are developed and designed to provide your child with comfort and calmness.  However, these mattresses are also highly durable, convertible, and easy to clean up making them equally beneficial for parents.  These mattresses are manufactured specifically to fit neatly into the pack-and-play and are foldable making them travel-friendly.  Some Pack and play mattresses are also machine washable, waterproof, and can even be cleaned up with a cleaning wipe. What to Look for in a Mattress for Pack and Plays? While finding the right pack-and-play wasn’t hard enough, finding the right compatible mattress can be an even more perplexing task, especially when you do not know where to begin.  Although most Pack and Plays come with corresponding and compatible mattresses, these mattresses often lack in terms of comfort.  To help you find the right mattress for your baby’s Pack and Play, here are some basic elements to look for: Size of the Mattress: First and foremost, size is among the most important factors to consider when purchasing a mattress for Pack and Plays.  While most mattresses are manufactured to easily fit into a standard-sized playard, it is important to keep a note of the measurements as a smaller mattress might have gaps that can lead to potential injuries. Portability and Foldability: Mattresses for pack and play should not only be compatible in size with your crib but also have the functions to promote its portability.  Make sure to purchase a mattress that has easy-to-fold and converting functions or a carry bag to make the mattress more travel-friendly. Materials: Mattresses made from higher-quality materials will be more durable and might last longer than the ones that aren’t. Furthermore, it is important to look for a mattress that is made from non-flammable, hypoallergenic, and breathable materials to ensure your child’s safety. Comfort: Comfort is among the most crucial factors to look for especially when you want your baby to fall into a sweet good-night slumber.  Make sure to find a mattress for the child’s pack-and-play which is not only sturdy but also soft. Washability: Children can be highly active, curious, inquisitive, and exceptionally messy when they play around.  Hence, finding a mattress that is machine wash friendly or has a removable mattress cover is important. Price: The last factor you must consider is the price of the pack-and-play mattress, as many of these mattresses can be quite expensive. It is best to splurge on a mattress with a middle-of-the-road price point which is not the cheapest in quality and price point but also not as expensive as their higher-end variants. A List of the Best Mattresses for Pack and Plays: Once you have considered all the important factors to consider when purchasing a mattress for Pack and Plays it is now time to choose the right mattress for the playard.  There is a diverse range of portable, compact, and foldable mattresses available in the market that are compatible with your baby or toddler’s Pack and Plays.  With a variety of Mattresses available in the market, it can become pretty perplexing for parents and immediate caregivers to choose the right mattress for the Pack and Play. To help you find the best Pack and Play mattress for your child here is a specifically curated list of some of the top-tier mattresses compatible with Pack and Play Playards: 1. Dream On Portable Foam Mattress: The Dream on Portable Foam Mattress is a Green Guard gold-certified and expertly crafted mattress which is perfect for any Pack and Play.  Crafted by the experts, this wonderful mattress comes with a firm memory foam surface which is firm enough for the baby to crawl around but soft enough to facilitate a sweet night’s sleep.  The Dream On a portable foam mattress is a three-inch thick mattress that contains no toxic or harmful substances.   Furthermore, the Pack and Play mattress comes with a soft antibacterial vinyl cover that is waterproof and helps prevents issues like mold and odor. 2. Hiccapop Pack and Play Mattress: The Hiccapop Pack and Play Mattress is made from polyurethane foam which provides a safe yet comfortable sleeping environment.  This mattress features rounded edges and is one inch thick as well as comes with a removable mattress cover that can be tossed into a washer.  Furthermore, the Hiccaoop pack-and-play mattress incorporates tri-fold technology making it travel-friendly. 3. Spring Spirit Trifold Waterproof Bamboo Mattress: The Spring Spirit Trifold Waterproof Bamboo mattress is a soft and delicate mattress for Pack and Play which is highly comfortable, breathable, and compact.  It is made from high-quality jacquard bamboo making it exceptionally comfortable for the baby to slumber on.  It also integrates an air-bleed system that helps facilitate air flow keeping the mattress nice and cool. 4. Babelio Pack and Play Mattress Pad: The Babelio Pack and Play Mattress Pad is a convertible and transformable mattress pad.  This mattress integrates a four-fold technology that can help you convert it from a crib to a playard quite easily.  This mattress for Pack and Play beds also fashions small holes for ventilation which makes the mattress more breathable and comfortable. 5. Biloban Waterproof and Anti-Slip Mattress: The award-winning Biloban Waterproof and Anti-slip Mattress are perfect for your baby’s pack-and-play playard.  Not only is this foldable mattress cozy, soft, and comfortable, but it is also anti-slip and waterproof making it great for both babies and toddlers.  Furthermore, this pack-and-play mattress is made from a spill-proof, high-quality, machine-washable which does not shrink when washed. 6. Stuffed Tri-fold Pack and Play Mattress: Lately, the Stuffed Tri-fold Pack and Play Mattress are perfectly compatible with your Graco Pack ‘N Play.  This Pack and Play mattress is made from high-quality foam with little to no gaps between the folds making it accident-proof.  This Pack and Play Mattress is comfortable and soft, yet firm enough to promote your child’s safety.  This mattress is great for children up to the age of 12 months and provides them with the ultimate plush for a sweet night’s slumber.

Parents contribute significantly to the child’s development process and are vital parts of their lives.  Parenting styles are considered to be basic strategies or methods adopted and applied by parents to foster values and raise their children.  Researchers and psychologists for many years have been in search of how parenting styles can affect their child’s behaviors and development process.  In fact, parenting styles and actions displayed by the parents can affect the child’s behavior and development process.  Every parent strives to provide their child with a happy, nurturing, and healthy environment to help them develop into loving, caring, healthy, independent, and confident individuals.  It is safe to acknowledge that children learn how to process their emotions and regulate their behaviors by observing their mannerisms.  Relationships between parents and their offspring contribute significantly to shaping the child’s behavior and personality as adults.  Believe it or not but parenting styles and the home environment during early childhood development can even affect their relationships as adults.  If you are a vigilant and concerned parent who is looking for ways to curate the right developmental environment to facilitate optimum holistic development for their child, look no further.  Here is all you need to know about Parenting Styles and How these parent styles can affect your child’s behavior and development process. What is a Parenting Style, Exactly? Before learning about different parting styles and their effects on the behaviors and development process of children, it is important to know what ‘parenting style’ exactly means.  Parenting styles are basic constructs, beliefs, and strategies adopted and applied by parents to raise their children.  Ideally, a parenting style encompasses the attitudes, behaviors, emotional environment, and atmosphere the parents utilize to raise their children.  Many developmental and child psychologists for years have been researching how parenting styles can affect the child’s overall development process and behaviors.  However, finding specific causes and effects of such intangibles as parenting styles and their effects on child development has been quite difficult.  According to some studies, parenting styles often govern the development of personalities in children during adulthood.  For example, children from a positive home environment are able to establish healthier relationships and are more confident than the ones who aren’t.  Furthermore, it is also noted that children from the same household who are brought up with the same parenting style can also develop significantly different personalities during their adult lives. Are There Different Types of Parenting Styles? As a matter of fact yes, there are four distinct categories of parenting styles that encompass certain parenting strategies.  Based on research conducted by Diana Baumrind in the 1960s on about 100 preschool children, she identified the important dimensions and paradigms of parenting styles.  These dimensions and paradigms were based on disciplinary strategies, maturity, behaviors, control, communication styles nurturing, warmth, and expectations set by the parents.  Based on her study she identified three parenting styles that the majority of parents adopt to raise their children.  However, based on a later study conducted by Maccob and Martin, another category of parenting style was added to the list.  Parenting styles have been proven to directly affect the child’s social and emotional development and also contribute to the development of emotional resilience and behaviors. While parenting style can be a situation-based process, generally parenting strategies can fall under one of these categories.  The four key categories of Parenting styles as described by researchers are mentioned below: Authoritarian Parenting Style: The authoritarian style of parenting integrates strict rules and regulations set by parents that are to be followed by children.  Along with restrictive rules and regulations, the authoritarian parenting style also utilizes punishments as a form of consequence when children are unable to meet the required expectations.  Some of the key characteristics of the authoritarian parenting style are noted below: Permissive Parenting Style: Permissive Parenting style also known as indulgent parenting style is the antipodal of authoritarian parenting style.  This parenting style unlike the authoritarian parenting style involves parents who have close to no expectations from their children.  Here is a list of some chief characteristics of the Permissive Parenting Style: Authoritative Parenting Style: Just like Authoritarian Parenting Style the Authoritative parenting style also integrates certain rules and expectations that children are obliged to follow, however this approach to parenting is more democratic than the former.  Some common characteristics of the Authoritative Parenting style that sets it apart from Authoritarian parenting are mentioned below:  Uninvolved Parenting Style: The fourth style of parenting was introduced by Elanor Maccoby and John Martin after the three parenting styles were introduced by Diana Baumrind.  The fourth parenting style is called the uninvolved parenting style or the neglectful parenting style.  Generally, this parenting style includes parents who have close to no concerns for their child’s well-being, are unresponsive, and have no communication with their children.  Some of the characteristics of this parenting style are mentioned below: How do Parenting Styles Impact Children? According to Research, parenting styles have a direct effect on the early childhood development process.  Here are the direct effects and impacts of parenting styles that may affect children in the long run: Social Relationships: According to a study, parenting styles and their impacts permeate into the child’s social behaviors and might affect how they build new social relationships and how they other peers.  For example, children raised in permissive or uninvolved families might be bullied by their peers, while children who are from authoritarian families might be the ones who bully their peers. Self-Esteem: Believe it or not but parenting styles can significantly affect the child’s self-esteem and confidence. Children from authoritative families or households are more strong-willed and have higher self-esteem than children who are raised by other parenting styles. Academics: Parenting styles also affect children’s motivation and vigor to study or excel in academics. While parenting styles that focus on structured and positive reinforcements have children who excel in academics while children with unstructured or negative parenting styles often feel unmotivated to study. Emotional Development: Parenting styles can affect the child’s emotional well-being and mental health way more than one may think.  According to a study, children who are raised by authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved parenting styles may experience heightened anxiety when compared to children who are brought up by authoritative parenting styles. Adult Relationships: According to a study, children raised in an authoritarian household often deal with emotionally and physically abusive romantic relationships. Can You Alter Your Parenting Style? Every parent strives to provide their child with a calm, soothing, warm, and nurturing environment which promotes optimum holistic development.  However, while a warm, free, and nurturing environment is important, striking a balance between freedom and structure is also important.  The authoritative parenting style is among the best parenting styles that helps provide children with an attentive, understanding yet structured environment to learn and grow.  If you have noticed that your parenting style resembles the characteristics of authoritarian, permissive, or uninvolved parenting styles and you would like to make some changes, you can follow the steps mentioned below: Listen to the child: Although children are young and naive, listening to their needs and requirements is imperative.  Make sure to listen to your children’s concerns, complaints, needs, requirements, ideas, and worries to make them feel heard and comfortable with you. Observe the child’s input: Authoritative parenting styles require strict rules and regulations to help provide children with structure and balance.  However, it is important to avoid forcing the child to follow the rules and instead to allow them to willingly follow the rules. Set Boundaries and Rules: Setting boundaries is integral for providing the child with a nurturing but structured environment to the child.  Make sure to communicate your expectations with your child when setting rules and boundaries. It is also important to actively explain to the child the basic rules and boundaries. Be consistent: Consistency is important when establishing rules and setting boundaries. It is integral to integrate consequences that are educational, fair, and proportionate. 

Children during their initial stages of development are able to thrive when provided with opportunities to explore new information and experiences independently.  In fact, the best way to describe a tiny toddler is by referring to them as active, curious, and definitely energetic.  Toddlers develop an innate interest in understanding the world and want to establish their independence willingly.  During the toddler stage of development, the child begins to recognize themselves as separate entities and are able to identify themselves in the mirror or in a picture.  Associating cognitive development and the education of basic cognitive skills with early childhood development can be quite unconventional, however, these skills are paramount for the toddler’s development process.  Cognitive activities allow your tiny toddler to broaden their horizons and develop the ability to understand, comprehend, communicate, and enhance their creative imagination.  Activities that promote cognitive development in toddlers allow your tiny tots to venture out and engage in meaningful activities that bring about several learning opportunities to help develop their preliminary skills. If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver of a tiny toddler looking for fun and exciting Cognitive activities to incorporate, look no further.  Below will be a list of some of the best activities to promote cognitive development in toddlers. When Does Cognitive Development in Children Begin? Learning begins in children as soon as they are born and children begin to reach appropriate milestones in terms of cognitive skills as they grow up. The child starts to develop an understanding of the world based on their senses as soon as they are born.  Infants and toddlers are able to learn important communication skills by imitating their adults like their parents or their immediate caregivers.  Children from the stages of infancy to adulthood are developing new cognitive skills to think, communicate, read, learn, talk, remember, and pay attention.  Cognitive skills help individuals process incoming information or stimuli and categorize the information in the appropriate areas of the brain. What are the Major Cognitive Milestones for Toddlers? According to the renowned Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget, children when they reach their toddler stage also reach their sensorimotor stage.  The sensorimotor stage is among the first stages of cognitive development in children when the infant or toddler is between the ages of 0 to 24 months.  During the sensorimotor stage, both gross motor skills and sensory development allow children to develop their cognitive skills.  If you are a curious and vigilant parent of a tiny toddler willing to learn if your child is reaching age-appropriate milestones, we’ve got you covered.  Here is a list of some age-appropriate milestones your child reaches during their toddler stage of development: A List of the Best Activities to Promote Cognitive Development in Toddlers: During the toddler stage of early childhood development, the child requires ample opportunities to expand their horizons to develop an understanding of the world.  In fact, children during this stage of development require activities that promote cognitive development by enhancing the child’s critical thinking, problem-solving skills, logical reasoning, creative imagination, memory, and attention span.  If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver looking for fun Activities that not only stimulate learning but also facilitate Cognitive Development, look no further.  Here is a list of some of the best Activities that help promote cognitive development in toddlers: Sorting Activities: Sorting activities are among the best ways to develop essential cognitive skills like critical thinking, categorizing, identifying, and recognizing skills.  Sorting skills also help children develop their fine motor skills as it allows children to manipulate and maneuver objects.  Allow your toddler to partake in fun sorting activities by promoting them to sort items based on their shapes, sizes, and colors.  Matching Activities: Matching activities are another fun and engaging activity for toddlers that help them develop their basic cognitive skills.  In fact, matching activities are an engaging way of enhancing your child’s memory and improving their attention span.  You can use pairs or similar objects or matching activity puzzles to allow the child to identify and categorize.  Sing-along Activities: Singing-along activities are another fun way of developing your tiny toddler’s sensorimotor skills and cognitive skills.  In fact, sing-along activities not only develop the child’s cognitive skills but also help develop the child’s social and emotional skills. Practice Recognizing Animal Sounds: This fun and exciting cognitive activity for toddlers helps them enhance their memory, auditory sense, and their attention span.  Furthermore, this fun cognitive activity helps the child rapidly learn new sounds and develop their vocabulary.  Arts and Crafts Activities: Arts and crafts activities are among the best ways of developing your child’s creative imagination.  Allow your toddler to take reign over their imagination and promote them to draw mold, cut color, and paint the artwork of their dreams. Playing with Cause and effect toys: Cause-and-effect toys are the best way of promoting your child’s cognitive development.  These amazing and simple toys allow your child to learn that their actions have a corresponding reaction. Letters and Number Games: Letters and numbers are the foundation for developing the child’s mathematical and language skills.  Promote your child to learn the alphabet through the alphabet song or allow them to learn numbers by using magnetic numbers.  Playing Outside: Playing activities not only promote gross motor development in children but believe it or not they also help develop their cognitive skills.  Help your child acquaint themselves with the natural world that surrounds them as well as develop the requisite skills to maneuver through the natural surroundings.  Outdoor play activities also help children develop their problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and sportsmanship.  Tactile Activities: Tactile activities not only promote sensory development in children but also allows them to develop their cognitive skills.  Promote your child to indulge in unique tactile experiences by touching and feeling different textured fabrics or tactile toys.  Scavenger Hunt: Scavenger hunt activity is a great way of developing their gross motor skills and emotional skills as well as their cognitive skills.  Allow your child to partake in a fun and engaging activity by hiding simple objects in your home and giving them a helping sheet to find the said objects.  This fun cognitive activity promotes children to develop their critical thinking, problem-solving skills, memory, and their attention span.  Indulge in Daily Routines: Daily routines are among the best ways of allowing your child to develop qualities like structure and order.  Promote your child to establish their independence by prompting them to partake in simple daily routines like dressing themselves, picking their outfits, showering, or brushing their teeth.

Are you looking for educational toys for your preschooler that not only stimulate learning but also promote holistic development? Every play opportunity becomes an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop significantly for children during their early stages of development.  Every parent strives and desires to provide their younger ones with tools that promote the development of vital skills that will benefit them later on.  During the preschool stage, children venture out of their comfort zone and seek unique sensory and educational experiences.  Preschoolers are highly active, curious, and adventurous, often asking their parents or immediate caregivers many questions to cater to their curiosity.  Hence, it is important to find toys that keep your tiny tot entertained for hours on end and stimulate learning to promote cognitive development.  Preschoolers are just beginning to establish their independence and develop preliminary and foundational skills vital for future prospects.  Educational toys for preschoolers not only stimulate learning of basic educational concepts in children but also provide them with multiple opportunities to develop their cognitive, physical, social, emotional, fine motor, and gross motor skills.  Since choosing the right educational toy for your preschooler can be pretty perplexing for the best of us, we’ve got you covered.  Here is all you need to know about educational toys for preschoolers to help you find the best ones for your tiny tot! What are Educational Toys Anyways? Educational toys are common toys or objects that provide children with simplified and tangible representations of complex concepts.  While educational toys have the term “education” in them, these toys do not necessarily stimulate the learning of curricular concepts.  Instead, educational toys allow children to enhance their basic skills and develop preliminary skills for traditional schooling. Ideally, Educational toys allow children to develop their communication, social, emotional, cognitive, and motor skills in a fun and engaging way. What to Look for in Educational Toys for Preschoolers? Common toys can be quite fun and exciting for preschoolers to interact and play with but they lack in terms of providing your child with valuable educational stimuli.  When it comes to selecting the right toys for your preschooler, less is always more, in fact, many educational toys for preschoolers are minimal, neutral, and interactive. While traditional toys integrate unnecessary components like flashing lights, loud noises, and vivid colors that can often overwhelm and overstimulate the child, educational toys for preschoolers integrate just the right amount of sensory stimuli.  If you are a vigilant parent looking for some educational toys for your excited preschooler, refer to the following characteristics: Why are Educational Toys Important for Preschoolers? Children often reach the Preschool stage when they turn between the ages of 3 to 5 years. During this stage, the child is older than a toddler with better communication, motor, and cognitive skills, but not old enough to start traditional schooling.  Preschoolers are beginning to develop a conscious understanding of the world that surrounds them.  Between the ages of 3 to 5 years, children begin to develop an understanding of spatial relationships, number sense, questioning, classifications, and symbolic play.  Toys are an important part of the early childhood development process, in fact, these fun and engaging toys are a great way of promoting children to develop crucial skills.  Educational Toys for Preschoolers are a fun way of introducing complex and arbitrary educational concepts to children.  Educational toys for preschoolers integrate age-appropriate components that help facilitate cognitive development and allow children to develop an intimate understanding of complex concepts.  These toys also help preschoolers develop essential preliminary, learning, and motor skills that are vital for the traditional schooling environment. A List of the Best Educational Toys for Preschoolers: Educational toys are among the best ways of stimulating learning and encouraging children to indulge in open-ended autonomous play.  Preschoolers are curious, active, inquisitive, and definitely excited to learn more about the world that surrounds them.  Educational toys for preschoolers are a great way of catering to their innate curiosity and allowing them to venture out of their horizons and enhance their creative imagination.  If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver who wants to integrate interactive and engaging educational toys for preschoolers, we’ve got you covered. Here is a list of some of the best educational toys for preschoolers that will help your child develop vital skills as they play along: Melissa and Doug Play Foods and Kitchen Utensils: Melissa and Doug manufacture among the best and most aesthetically pleasing educational and Montessori-inspired toys for younger ones.  The Melissa and Doug Play Foods and Kitchen utensils are a great way to cater to your younger one’s natural curiosity.  The set of these adorable play foods and utensils allows preschoolers to venture out and indulge in interactive pretend to play either alone or with their peers.  These fun educational toys are a great way of developing the child’s practical life skills, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills. Constructive Playthings Wooden Unit Blocks: Stacking activities are a great way of promoting your preschooler to develop their critical thinking, attention span, and problem-solving skills. The constructive Playthings Wooden Unit Blocks come in the form of large wooden blocks that promote children to stack and build beautiful forts and buildings. Not only does this fun educational toy promote your preschooler to enhance their creative imagination but also helps them develop their fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Imagination Generation Wooden Parking Garage: The Imagination Generation Wooden Parking Garage allows preschoolers to partake in interactive pretend play activities.  This fun educational toy comes in the form of a wooden simulation of a parking garage and includes colorful wooden cars, elevators, ramps, as well as officer figurines to make things more fun.  This toy not only helps develop fine motor skills in children but also allows children to develop an understanding of cause and effect as the child learns that in order to see the car move they have to roll it down. Lego Duplo Jumbo Set: Legos are a staple for any kid’s playroom especially if you have an inquisitive and excited preschooler.  The Lego Duplo Jumbo Set is a great way of facilitating the development of problem-solving skills, fine motor skills, and staking all the while ensuring the child’s safety.  These Lego pieces are larger in size when compared to normal Legos making them child-safe and choking-proof. Magna Tiles: The Magna-Tiles 32-piece Clear Color Set is a perfect educational toy to develop your child’s geometry skills.  This educational toy comes with 32 pieces of different colored magnetic shapes that can be connected to create different structures.  The Magna-Tiles 32-piece Clear Color Set introduces the child to math skills, geometric concepts, principles of magnets, shapes, colors, dimensions, and engineering.  Furthermore, by interacting, maneuvering, and manipulating the small pieces of this educational toy, children are also able to develop their fine motor skills as well as their hand-eye coordination. Folkmanis Puppets: The Folkmania Puppets bring boring science concepts to life and allow your preschoolers to learn about complex biological concepts.  These puppets are not only great for pretend play and collaborative play but also promote children to learn about the life cycle of different animals. Hoot Owl Hoot Game: Hoot Owl Hoot is a fun, interactive, creative, and award-winning matching game manufactured for preschoolers.  The child has to help the owls find their way back home to their nest before the sun comes up.  This Game is a great way of promoting the child to develop sportsmanship, teamwork, and cooperative and collaborative skills as it allows the child to work in unison. Remo Kids Floor Tom Drum: Who says educational toys are limited to basic educational curricula? The Remo Kids Floor Tom Drum is a great way of teaching children about cause and effect as well as promoting sensory development. This fun toy comes in the form of a small tom drum along with a drumstick that allows children to not only develop their fine motor skills but also enhance their creative imagination. Wooden Threading Toys: Wooden Threading Toys are a fun way of developing your preschooler’s fine motor skills, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking.  This educational toy comes in the form of wooden fruit-lacing cards along with a wooden threading needle. Magnatab: Magnatabs is a fun educational toy for preschoolers that promotes your tiny tot to broaden their horizons and learn about new shapes, letters, numbers, and alphabets.  This fun toy comes with a peg board with metal balls and a magnetic pen that allows children to bring their imagination to reality. Sensory Jungle Water Beads: Water Beads are not only a great sensory toy but also an amazing educational toy for preschoolers.  This fun toy not only develops your child’s tactile sense and visual sense but also promotes their fine motor skills. Matching Letters Spelling Game: The Matching Letters Spelling Game is a great way of developing your child’s language skills, fine motor skills, as well as pre-reading skills.  This fun toy comes with a spelling board, control cards, and alphabet blocks that allow children to spell out different words.  This fun activity not only promotes children to read and spell but also encourages but also allows them to develop memory through object recognition.  Monkey Balance Math Game: Monkey Balance Math Game is a fun educational toy for preschoolers that allows children to learn about quantities and numerals.  This educational toy can definitely pass as a STEM toy which comes with 65 monkey pieces along with numeral figures, control cards, and a balance scale.

Sensory Play activities and Toys are exceptionally beneficial for the development of children of all age groups, however, these sensory play activities come as a significant help for children with special needs.  Did you know that the development of the seven senses i.e., sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing, proprioception, and vestibular sense is paramount during the early stages of development? These senses both collectively and separately allow individuals to efficiently maneuver through their surroundings.  Sensory play and Sensory Play toys are specifically curated to isolate as well as enhance each sense in the child by promoting them to willingly and joyfully indulge in exciting autonomous open-ended explorative play.  In fact, Sensory Play is a fun way of integrating valuable and meaningful sensory stimuli into the child’s learning environment without overwhelming or overstimulating them.  Children with special needs like Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorders can face difficulties effectively utilizing their senses and often have Sensory Processing Disorders.  Sensory Processing disorders like Sensory seeking or sensory avoiding behaviors can affect the child’s development process.  If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver of a child with special needs, you would know how difficult it can be for children to effectively conform to traditional learning environments.  For parents and immediate caregivers who are concerned about the effects of sensory play on their child with special needs, look no further, here is a comprehensive guide to sensory play for children with special needs. What is Sensory Play? Before jumping on the list of benefits of sensory play for children with special needs it is important to know what sensory play exactly is.  Sensory Play activities are any form of activities that provide the child with isolated and appropriate stimuli to stimulate the child’s senses.  Sensory Play activities generally focus on the development of the main five senses:  These sensory play activities also promote the development of the other two senses vestibular and proprioceptive senses.  Sensory play is a unique way of allowing your child to safely and autonomously explore different sensorial stimuli and develop an understanding of the world that surrounds them.  Furthermore, sensory play is also a great way of allowing children to utilize their energy on valuable, meaningful, and beneficial activities that allow children to develop as they play. Why is Sensory Play Important for Children with Special Needs? Sensory development is vital for the early childhood development process as these skills are vital for children to not only develop an understanding of the world that surrounds them but also allow them to maneuver smoothly through their surroundings.  These play activities integrate valuable and meaningful sensory stimuli that help develop as well as enhance each sense in children.  Children with special needs face difficulties and hardships when attempting to adjust to traditional learning environments.  This is because children with special needs and special educational needs are unable to effectively process sensory stimuli leading them to feel overwhelmed and overstimulated.  Developing sensory skills in children is paramount during the early stages of development as it promotes them to process information and complete tasks.  Sensory play activities and Sensory toys are a fun way of introducing sensory stimuli to the child without overwhelming them.  Sensory play activities integrate the right and appropriate amount of sensory stimuli which not only helps children with special needs to naturally develop their senses but also enhances their language, cognitive, fine motor, and gross motor skills. What are the Benefits of Sensory Play for Children with Special Needs? Each of the senses is vital for an individual to function freely and smoothly in their surrounding environment.  Sensory play integrates systematically organized sensory activities and meticulously designed sensory toys that help children with basic foundational skills that are important for future prospects.  Children with Special needs struggle to process sensory input when partaking in basic educational activities making them feel overwhelmed, stressed, and agitated.  In fact, many children with special needs like autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and Down syndrome have sensory processing disorders that may cause them to exhibit sensory seeking and sensory avoidance behaviors.  This is where Sensory Play activities come to your aid, as these fun and engaging open-ended play activities promote children to willingly indulge in explorative play without feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated. It can be pretty perplexing for parents and immediate caregivers of children with special needs to find the right play activities for your younger one.  Here is a list of benefits of introducing sensory play for special needs children to help seal the deal: Promotes Cognitive Development: Cognitive development is paramount for children to perform tasks that require them to think, question, reason, recognize, categorize, and classify.  These skills are essential for performing tasks that require children’s problem-solving skills and critical thinking.  Furthermore, these skills allow children to effectively develop mathematical skills and scientific skills.  Since children learn about the world based on their senses, sensory play activities allow children with special needs to naturally and comfortably develop basic cognitive skills by interacting with different textures, shapes, and colors.  Sensory play promotes children to develop cognitive skills by identifying, recognizing, and categorizing different colors, textures, dimensions, and shapes. Promotes the Development of Motor Skills: Children with special needs often face not only sensory issues but also difficulties controlling their motor functions.   Fine motor skills are capabilities that involve the refined movements of smaller muscles present that are in the hands, wrists, and fingers. These abilities involve writing, holding, gripping, and gasping.  Sensory play is a great way of facilitating fine motor development in children as these activities often incorporate smaller components that are to be manipulated, moved, or maneuvered.  Tangibly interacting and manipulating such components can help facilitate the development of fine motor skills in children and strengthen their refined muscles.  Gross motor skills are abilities that involve larger muscles in the body present in the torso, legs, arms, and torso.  These muscles govern the movement of the entire body and often promote the tasks such as balance, bending, walking, jumping, running, throwing, holding, swimming, etc.  Sensory play is a form of open-ended play that provides children with ample opportunities to move around freely and develop their gross motor skills by partaking in activities involving balance boards and outdoor toys. Furthermore, sensory play involving outdoor activities can also improve the child’s vestibular strength and proprioception. Promotes the Development of Emotional Skills: When provided with random sensory stimuli children with special needs can tend to feel overwhelmed and agitated.  Sensory play activities integrate age-appropriate sensory stimuli that not only help children develop essential foundational and preliminary skills by also help develop their emotional resilience.  In fact, indulging in sensory play involving sensory toys can be quite calming and therapeutic for children with special needs.  Playing with objects of different textures like playdough, moon sand, slime, and stress balls can help relieve excess tension and make the child feel joyful, calm, excited, and relieved.  Sensory play also allows children to develop their self-confidence and a sense of self as these activities promote them to make choices based on their personal preferences. Promotes the Development of Social Skills: Children with special needs often experience difficulties when indulging in collaborative activities with their classmates and peers.  Sensory play activities allow children with special needs to provide children with opportunities to venture out of their comfort zone and actively participate in collaborative activities with their peers.  These activities are a great way of promoting children with special needs to make friends, explore, discover, and broaden their horizons. Promotes the Development of Language Skills: Most traditional means of education opt for the method of rote memorization to facilitate language learning,  Sensory play activities on the other hand provide children with visual and tangible representations of objects. These activities give children with special needs an opportunity to physically interact with specific sensorial stimuli, to quickly grasp and learn new vocabulary to broaden their horizons.  Sensory play activities integrate effective sensory stimuli that provide a visual representation of objects to help children effectively recognize, identify, and enhance their vocabulary.  Furthermore, sensory play can be a great way to introduce imaginative pretend play to children, which further helps children with autism among other special needs easily develop their communication skills.

Are you running out of ideas to make Circle time more fun and exciting in your Preschool? If yes, then we’ve got you covered! Preschool, nursery, or pre-kindergarten schools are transitional educational institutions that help develop preliminary skills in children between the ages of 3 to 5 years and allow them to easily transition to the traditional educational environment. Preschools provide children with age-appropriate learning opportunities that help them venture out of their comfort zones and play with activities and toys that stimulate learning.  Preschools are more than just fun and games, in fact, each element in a preschool helps isolate and develop specific skills.  Preschool Circle time is the most exciting and paramount element of the preschool learning environment.  Preschool circle time is a perfect opportunity for promoting socialization among children and introducing exciting activities.  Whether it is singing, dancing, running, or partaking in pretend play activities, Circle Time activities encourage preschoolers to indulge in fun collaborative activities and develop crucial social, cognitive, physical, emotional, gross motor, and fine motor skills.  If you are an educator or guide in a preschool running out of ideas and activities to introduce to your students during  Circle Time, look no further.  Here is all you need to know about Preschool Circle Time Activities to help you find the ones that will not only keep your students engaged and entertained but will also facilitate holistic development.  What is Circle Time in Preschool? Circle time in preschools is a common collaborative activity to develop positive social relationships with their peers.  Circle Time activity in preschool is ideally set up in a designated area either near a whiteboard or a library and must be on a special rug or a mat.  Children when partaking in Preschool Circle Time activity are supposed to sit in a circle along with their classmates and indulge in interactive play activities.  What is the Purpose of Preschool Circle Time? Circle time activity in preschools is a fun collaborative activity that involves the participation of the whole classroom.  This fun activity for preschoolers is a great way of encouraging children to develop vital skills like collaboration, cooperation, respect, unity, and sportsmanship from a very young age.  Preschool Circle Time encourages children to indulge in fun and exciting activities and work towards the same goal.  Circle time can also be used for conflict resolution and classroom issues like too much noise, disobedience, not following instructions, or teasing.  Another aim of Preschool Circle Time is that these activities allow children to work together, put forth their thoughts and views, as well as help children develop crucial communication skills. What are the Benefits of Preschool Circle Time? Preschoolers are active, curious, inquisitive, and just beginning to establish their independence. During the preschool stage of development, children require toys and activities with direct directions that stimulate learning.  But, Circle Time in a preschool is more than just children simply sitting around in a circle, in fact, this fun activity promotes the development of a myriad of preliminary skills and foundational skills in children: A List of the Best Preschool Circle Time Activities for Children: Preschool Circle Time Activities not only help bring students in a classroom together but also effectively facilitate holistic development all the while catering to their curiosity.  It can be quite difficult for a guide or an educator to come up with fun and exciting circle time activities for preschoolers that would keep the classroom entertained and exhilarated.  If you are an educator or teacher looking for fun circle time activities to spark the student’s interest, look no further.  Here is a list of the best Preschool Circle Time activities for children to help brighten things up and keep the classroom activity sessions exciting: Dance Freeze: Allow preschoolers to indulge in this fun and exciting dynamic movement circle time activity.  This circle time activity for preschoolers involves some joyful music, an open space, and children’s creative imagination.  The Dance Freeze Circle Time activity allows children to develop their gross motor skills and spatial awareness by allowing them to indulge in open-ended physical play activities with peers.  Bug in a Rug: Who says circle time activities are just meant for developing social skills in children? The Bug in Rug Circle Time activity promotes children to enhance their focus and memory in a fun and exciting way.  Encourage one child to hide under the blanket placed in the middle of the circle and allow children to identify which of their friends is missing.  Collaborative Painting Activity: Painting, arts, and crafts activities are a great outlet for enhancing your child’s creative imagination. The collaborative circle time painting activity for preschoolers allows children to put in a collective effort to create a masterpiece.  For this activity, you will require a large plain white sheet, vibrant paints, and your student’s creative imagination. Simply place the white sheet in the middle of the circle and promote children to pass the sheet around and paint anything they like.  Not only does this engaging circle time activity helps develop social skills and artistic skills in children but it also develops fine motor skills in children. Shake the Sillies out with a Song: This fun preschool circle time activity is as fun as it sounds! The Shake the Sillies out with a song Circle time activity promotes children to take a brain break by dancing together to joyful songs.  This fun circle time activity allows children to blow off some steam, especially after a busy study day. Pass the Movement: Passing the movement circle time activity for preschool allows children to develop their memory, focus, and gross motor skills by partaking in a fun engaging dynamic movement activity.  This activity is just like the broken telephone activity but instead of passing around a secret verbal message, the children have to imitate the movement of the peer ahead of them. Story Props: The story props circle time activity gives children the ability to bring their imagination to reality.  This fun activity involves some creativity on both teacher’s and student’s parts as the teacher has to create fun, exciting, and captivating puppets before the activity begins.  Teachers or guides can also create theme-based or festival and season-based puppets to promote children to indulge in fun circle time collaborative activities.  Animal Movement: This Preschool circle time activity allows preschoolers to develop basic cognitive skills like memorization, and identification as well as enhances their vocabulary.  This fun circle time activity encourages children to not only imitate how an animal speaks but also they move.  For example, ask children “What does a dog say?” and ask “How does a dog move?” let children enjoy and have the best time of their lives by imitating and moving like different animals.  The Feelings Book Activity: Who says reading books is monotonous and boring? This preschool circle time activity makes reading books fun and exciting! The Feeling Book by Todd Parr is a great way of promoting children to meaningfully and rationally deal with their emotions.  This book fashions different cartoon images that depict different emotions to help children develop their emotional skills and social skills. Daily Weather Chart: The Daily Weather Chart Preschool Circle Time Activity helps children develop their vocabulary and cognitive skills.  For this activity, you will require a printable coloring weather chart, some colors, and the child’s recognition and identification skills. This activity promotes children to indulge in scientific exploration and observation all the while developing their vocabulary and mathematical skills.  Alphabet Soup Game: This fun Preschool Circle Time Activity allows children to identify and recognize different alphabets to develop their basic language skills.  Simply place plastic alphabets in a bowl filled with water and promote children to pick up the alphabet and identify them.

Finding the best and worst ages of kids for daycare is among the first things to determine as a parent.  Early childhood parenting can come with its definite triumphs and turmoils especially when you have to get off your maternity leave and head on to work.  If you have caught yourself in a similar predicament, finding a suitable daycare may be the best way to not only keep your child safe and secure but also facilitate holistic development.  Daycare is a safe space for children to play and develop that also acts as an aid for parents who have a tight work schedule.  Daycares aim to provide children with a safe environment that provides your child with ample opportunities to develop social, emotional, cognitive, physical, gross motor, and fine motor skills.  In fact, the benefits of Daycare go beyond providing parents with a helping hand, these institutions promote children to socialize with children of their age group and develop crucial social skills like cooperation and communication.  While finding the right daycare for your child isn’t hard enough, determining the right age for them to start off can be a daunting task for most parents. If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver planning to enroll your younger one in a daycare institution but are confused if your child is ready to start, do not worry.  Here is everything you should know about the best and the worst age for daycare to help your child start off on the right foot. What is a Daycare? Daycares often provide a safe environment for children when parents or immediate caregivers are unable to take care of their child due to being occupied with work or hectic schedules.  Daycares provide care for children as well as help in setting routines, and schedules, and have facilities like grooming, feeding, and hygiene.  These institutions do not follow the traditional education pattern meaning it has flexible hours, school breaks, and holidays.  Children who are too young to be enrolled in a preschool are often enrolled in a Daycare institution.  Daycares promote children to engage in fun activities, socialize with other children in the classroom, and learn essential life skills that help them easily transition to the traditional school environment. What are the Benefits of a Daycare? During the initial stages of development ideally, parents and especially mothers are considered to be the sole caregivers for infants.  But when maternity leave ends and the parents have to go back to work, daycare centers often come into play.  While giving their child to complete strangers can be enough to give shudders to any new parent, Daycare Centers integrate more benefits than you may think.  If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver apprehensive about enrolling your child into a daycare center, we’ve got you covered.  Here are some benefits of enrolling your younger into a daycare center that will definitely seal the deal: What is the Best Age for Daycare? If you are planning to enroll your child in a daycare facility but are confused about the best age for their admission, do not worry.  During the early stages of infancy, babies are highly vulnerable and often rely on their parents to cater to all their basic needs and requirements.  Infants between 1 to 12 months require special one-on-one care from their parents or immediate caregivers since they are unable to autonomously maneuver in their surroundings.  Hence enrolling your child into a daycare center after they turn 12 to 14 months of age can be the ideal age to start.  According to research, children can start their daycare journey as soon as they turn 12 months of age.  Toddlers between the ages of 12 months to 2 years are ideal candidates for a daycare facility.  This is because tiny toddlers have different developmental needs and requirements than infants and thrive when provided with opportunities to indulge in explorative play.  Toddlers are exceptionally active and highly curious and often require individuals who can understand their behaviors and provide them with age-appropriate tools to embark on a journey of holistic development.  Daycares are perfect for toddlers between the ages of 1 to 2 years as these centers provide children with ample opportunities to develop their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills.  Furthermore, Daycare centers have highly trained professional educators and staff that help facilitate optimum holistic development in children along with providing toddlers with a safe and secure environment. How Long Does the Child Stay in a Daycare? Children can be in a daycare facility up until they turn about 3 to 4 years of age. By this point, your child does not require excessive care or nurturing from daycare and instead requires educational stimuli to develop basic cognitive, gross motor, and fine motor skills.  Children, after they turn three years of age, are ready to pick up new educational stimuli and acquire new skills.  Hence, they require activities that not only develop their skills but also challenge them to push through and venture out of their comfort zones.  What is the Worst Age for Daycare? The worst age to start Daycare is during the early stages of infancy when the child is between 0 to 12 months.  During this stage, the infant requires extra care and compassionate one-on-one attention from their parents and immediate caregiver.  Infants also need to bond with their parents and especially their mothers and are highly vulnerable.  Apart from the early stages of infancy, children between the ages of 3 to 5 years are also unsuitable candidates for daycare centers.  Children between the ages of 3 to 5 years are highly active and require challenging activities to brush up their cognitive, physical, social, gross motor, and fine motor skills.  During the 3 to 5 preschool stage children do not require the nurturing and comforting environment of a daycare.  Hence it is best to enroll children between the ages of 3 to 5 years in a preschool that integrates more challenging activities and caters to their developmental needs and requirements. Signs that your Child is Ready for Daycare:

Cause and Effect toys are exceptionally beneficial for children, especially during the early stages of development.  In fact, the understanding of Cause and Effect concepts comes even before the child develops their linguistic skills.  Children from a very young age are highly curious and often absorb information through physical and sensory experiences.  Toys are a fun and exciting way of introducing new foundational concepts to the child without intimidating them.  While toys are an essential part of the early childhood development process, the toys you introduce to your children play a significant role in the child’s early parts of language and holistic development.  Whether it is touching a soap bubble and seeing it pop, shaking a rattle, or pulling and pushing toys, children are highly active and highly curious about the world that surrounds them.  Cause and effect Toys cater to your tiny explorer’s natural curiosity and strive to provide them with unique stimuli to help them develop an intimate understanding of the world and develop foundational skills.  If you are a parent or an immediate caregiver looking for some effective Cause and Effect Toys for your child, look no further.  Since choosing the right toy for your child can become a perplexing task, here is all you need to know about Cause and Effect Toys to choose toys that are suitable for your child’s needs and requirements. What are Cause and Effect Toys? Children especially during the early stages of development are highly active and curious about the objects present in their surrounding environment.  Cause and Effect toys are a great way of catering to your younger one’s natural curiosity as these toys allow children to learn that their actions can have possible effects or maybe the cause of something that happens.  In other words, Cause of Effect Toys can be described as objects where action can create some form of effect on the toys.  For example, when a child throws a ball on the tower of blocks and the blocks tumble or touch a bubble or see it pop. Why are Cause and Effect Toys Important? Developing an understanding of Cause and effect during the early stages of development is paramount for language development in children.  In fact, it is integral for the child to realize that their actions have a cause and may lead to plausible effects in their surrounding environment.  If you are considering incorporating Cause and Effect Toys into your child’s play but are skeptical about their importance, we’ve got you covered. Here is why Cause and Effect toys are important for your child’s development process: A List of the Best Cause and Effect Toys for Children: It can become pretty perplexing and quite bewildering to find the right toys that efficiently allow children to develop an understanding of Cause and Effect.  While every toy in the market holds the capability to effectively entertain your child for hours on end, Cause and Effect Toys provide children with valuable information that allows children to comprehend how the world works.  If you are interested in purchasing Cause and Effect Toys for your child but don’t know where to begin, look further. Here is a list of some of the best Cause and effect toys for children: Busy Popin Pals: The Busy Popin Pals is a fun and interactive cause-and-effect toy that allows children to develop their problem-solving skills and fine motor skills.  This toy makes the child realize that in order to make the toys pop up they have to interact with the switches and activate them.  Peek a bug Pop Up Toy: The Peek a Bug pop-up toy involves four buttons of different colors, sizes, and shapes along with their corresponding bugs ie., caterpillar, ladybug, snail, and bumblebee. Each button has a unique effect and makes different sounds when pressed.  Galt Pop-Up Toy: The Galt Pop-Up Toy is another fun and exciting cause-and-effect toy for children that promotes them to develop their fine motor skills as they interact with smaller components.  This cause-and-effect toy is made from all-natural wood and involves four different colored figures with hidden springs that pop up every time the child pushes them.  Car Ramp Racer: The Car Ramp Racer may seem like any other common racing car toy but this toy introduces the child to the concepts of cause and effect.  This toy develops the child’s problem-solving skills and makes the child realize that in order to cause the car to slide down the ramp they have to drop the car down from the top of the ramp.   Roly Poly Giraffe: The Roly Poly Giraffe Toy is an adorable plush toy that allows your child to understand cause and effect.  This toy involves a soft plush toy giraffe that plays calming music that promotes children to push the toy to see it come back up.  Spin Again: Spin Again is another toy that promotes children to learn about cause and effect as well as develop their gross motor and fine motor skills.  The child realizes that in order to see the colorful discs go down they have to push the discs down the corkscrew and learn how to place the discs correctly on the bar.  Full-Size Spinning Drum: This is a fun Montessori-inspired toy meant for children between the ages of 6 to 12 months.  The baby can turn the barrel of the drum with the help of a lever and see colors switch while they hear the bell inside jingle.  This Cause and effect toy is also great for promoting sensory development and the development of fine motor skills in children.  Melissa and Doug Deluxe Pounding Bench with Mallet: The Melissa and Doug Deluxe Pounding Bench with Mallet is like any other Cause and effect toy but with a fun twist. As one colorful peg of the bench is pushed down with the mallet the other one pops up.   Wooden Drum: The Wooden Drum Cause and Effect toy encourages children not only to develop fine motor skills and gross motor skills but also to promote sensory development in children.  The child learns that in order to create sounds they have to hit the drum with the drumstick.  Fisher Price Chatter Telephone Push and Pull Toy: Push and Pull toys are another great way of promoting the development of understanding cause and effect.  This exciting push-and-pull toy involves an antique-style chatter telephone that is tied to a rope that can be pushed and pulled.  This toy not only develops the child’s gross motor skills but also helps the child realize that in order to move the chatter telephone they have to pull on the rope. Hape Walk-A-Long Snail Wooden Pull Toy: The Hape Walk-A-Long Snail Wooden Pull Toy is another pull-and-push that promotes children to learn about cause and effect.  Not only does this fun toy allow children to pull it and develop their gross motor skills but the snail toy also contains several puzzle blocks for the child to play with to develop their problem-solving skills.  Melissa and Doug Vehicle Sound Blocks: The Melissa and Doug Vehicle Sound Blocks include pictures of various vehicles on wooden blocks that when perfectly aligned produce different sounds.This toy is Montessori-aligned but also helps in developing the child’s auditory sense, fine motor skills, and visual sense.  1-2-3 Bowl with Me: If you are a parent of a tiny toddler you would know that they love toppling things over.  The 1-2-3 Bowl with Me is a great cause-and-effect toy that keeps your child entertained for hours on end by allowing them to topple over plush bowling pins by rolling a plush bowling ball.  This fun toy also promotes the development of gross motor skills and fine motor skills in children.  Hog Wild Unicorn Popper Toy:  The Hog Wild Unicorn Popper Toy is meant for toddlers or preschool-level children. This adorable and exciting cause-and-effect toy includes a unicorn squish toy with foam balls that can be shot over 20 ft away.  The toy not only promotes the development of fine motor skills and gross motor skills but also allows the child to understand that in order to shoot the ball they have to insert the ball into the squish toy and squeeze to eject it.