Games
Encouraging your child to play with a wide range of games is a great way to support their development in many different and fun ways.
Bayside Toy Library has a huge range that encourage family time, social, physical and mental skills for all stage of your little one’s development.
Why are games important?
Playing with games is a really diverse way for your child to develop across so many areas.
Their fine motor skills will be firing with all those small pinching and grasping movements needed to move pieces.
Mentally, they’ll be challenged with problem-solving, reasoning and negotiation tactics.
Plus, a good variety will help them work different parts of their brain without even realising!
On the social-side of things, this is how they’ll learn to play fair, work in a team and get a taste of that winning feeling!
Better yet, playing games with your children is a lovely excuse to bond and spend precious time together as a family. You’ve got to love that.
GAMES AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Encouraging your little one to play with games that involve them either playing on a team or involves negotiation will help them in learning to cooperate, listen to others and take turns.
This might be challenging at first, but they’ll soon get the hang of it.
Some great ideas to get you child working well in a team include:
- Monopoly Jr
- Pictionary
- Battle Ships
Games that require them to be on their own team will help with their persistence and independence.
Try out these ideas:
- Trouble
- Snap
- Crazy Chefs
As well as learning how to play with others, they’ll also be learning more about the themes specific to each game!
Take Crazy Chefs for example: they’ll learn all about veggies and fruit in no time!
GAMES AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Physically, your little one won’t even know they’re developing when they’re playing all these super fun games!
They will have no idea that by counting out their riches in Monopoly Jr, they’re also actually exercising critical fine motor skills.
Here are some other great options that help your child’s physical development (without them realising):
- Snails Pace Race
- Stax Stacking
- Think Tac Toe
- S’Match
- Pirate Shapes
You can even use games to inspire some expression play, like pirates role play and exploration adventures!
GAMES AS KIDS GROW
Toddlers will love simple options like Diggers & Trucks Snap by Usbourne that introduce them to taking turns.
Other solo-based games like memory will help them to develop early resilience skills as they work toward an end goal.
Playing games like Go Fish with your preschooler will help regulate their emotions and improve their ability to take directions.
Their emotional intelligence will also benefit as they grow more familiar with sharing and cooperation between several players.
For early learners, playing more complex varieties in a group settings will help build those resilience and perseverance skills.
For example, Monopoly will help them to develop their ability to strategise, think logically and plan ahead.
The benefits of playing games are so important for your child, but the almost-endless different types can be overwhelming.
But it doesn’t have to be. Take a look at the Bayside Toy Library catalogue here.
