17/03/2021
Wooden Rainbow Building Blocks (ONHAND)
Age: Toddler
Why Open Ended Toys are SO GOOD for Growing Kids?
1. Children have space to explore ideas, test theories, and engage in new concepts. In other words, they get all science-y! :) It doesn't usually appear this brainy on the outside. If only we could see the brilliant light show happening inside the child's developing mind, we'd be amazed!
2. It provides a relaxed environment where there is no fear of making mistakes. Fear is one of our greatest barriers to learning and this is especially true with little ones. Children need full freedom to take risks, explore new ideas, observe cause & effect, engage their creativity. This puts them on an exciting path to figuring out what works and what doesn't. There are no rules in open ended play so there is truly no right or wrong way to play. In this safe & nurturing environment, the child LEADS and thus LEARNS and EXPANDS.
3. It helps the child develop Social & Emotional Intelligence. When children play with open ended toys with other children, they learn to read social cues (tone of voice, facial expressions, body language) and how to respond appropriately. Their brains are in a better state to learn to read these cues because of the low-pressure nature of this kind of play. Again, no rules, just imagination. The pressure is off and each child is exploring and creating in their own way. Through pretend play the child typically explores a wide range of emotions which are expressed and then responded to by the other child which helps develop their emotional intelligence.
4. It provides the ideal circumstance for flow. We see that when the child is in flow (a fully immersed mental state where the child is effortlessly engaged and often has no sense of time) that they seamlessly move from one idea to another to another, allowing them to learn & explore many different aspects of a particular idea. Studies have shown that people in flow tend to feel cheerful, strong, active, concentrated, creative, satisfied and have higher self-esteem. The more we can provide opportunities for our children to enter a flow state the better off they will be overall.
SOURCE: BRAIN BLOX