Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Creative Play for Toddlers and its Effects on Growth and Development

Creative thinking is settled as the ability to come up with various innovative ideas, artworks, do basic problem solving skills and constitute unique thoughts based on one’s own personal approach. Creativity and Intelligence are often associated with one another but little do we know, these are two different characteristics that are both important for a growing child.

Children are naturally creative and questioning when it comes to the surroundings and people they constantly encounter. They tend to ask too many questions and come up with strange ideas that most adults fail to understand and acknowledge. Parents should be ready to deal with their children's curiosity and find this as an opportunity in contributing to their child's knowledge and stimulating their imagination which is more advantageous for kids at this point .

Creative play for toddlers is highly suggested for children ages 18 months to four years. At this stage, toddlers have improved hand and eye coordination. They are able to express their personal identity through pasting, tearing, piercing, printing, modeling clay and working with any materials to create collages and artworks. Patience is the key for parents to be able to understand their kids and encourage them to develop their skills further as they tend to discover more out of their environment.

At the age of one year onwards, toddlers love to replicate activities that most adults do and they start looking to distinguish themselves with pretend plays which is also one way in expressing one’s creativity and imagination. Research shows that children that are very active when it comes to pretend plays are proved to be more spontaneous, original and can considerably set to new situations presented to them. Parents should encourage their children to be intricate in creative play by lending them materials like dressing-up clothes, dolls and pretend play toys that will allow them to memorize and enjoy their very own make believe fantasy.

Parents and significant others must be able to recognize the uniqueness of their child from other kids and understand the importance of being supportive to boost their kid's self esteem . Most children, at this point of development, rely on other people’s approval and appreciation in order to gratify themselves with the feeling of self sufficiency and autonomy. The idea of creative play develops a more independent individual and tends to make them less susceptible to peer pressure as they grow up . They become more open and surefooted when it comes to their own ideas and opinions that will eventually give them the opportunity to achieve their optimum level of mental and emotional development.

All About Doll Houses


The laughter of children is invaluable for parents. Parents are willing to give everything to keep a smile on the pretty faces of their children. However toddlers are still innocent that they only need something to play with to be happy. And one of the best toys that would satisfy their needs is a dollhouse.

A dollhouse for children is the best thing to give to let their children stay happy, and develop their creative talents. Girls usually love dolls so they love dollhouses as well. Children love to play with pretend play toys, and the realistic look of the dollhouse is more attractive for them.

There are a variety of dollhouses available in the market; there can be wood dollhouse or plastic dollhouse. You just need to shortlist which fancies your child the most. These are offered in a variety of sizes and designs and it is so amazing to see the variety of these beautiful dollhouse miniatures available today. The best and the long lasting ones can be wooden or wood dollhouses. These doll houses that are made up of wood are unbreakable or do not get damaged easily. Therefore they can be retained as long as you like and can be transmitted to future generations.

Wooden doll houses are safer than plastic dollhouses, because it reduces the risk that your child might encounter. Abstract dollhouses may be more appropriate for young children and has a very contemporary design to attract their attention. Some of them are made out of recycled rubber and wood and uses nontoxic finishes and vegetable dye based colors.

There is a series of beautiful dollhouses suitable for all age groups, which are available on the market. 'My First Dollhouse' is very popular brand for babies aged 9 to 24 months. You also have a talking wooden dollhouse, which is just much-loved by kids ages from 3 to 6 years old. Children who are slightly older, the Victorian Dollhouse is the perfect choice. Among the popular band of dollhouse, the most commended by parents is 'My First Dollhouse' by Fisher Price. Other good choices are the Melissa and Doug. The deluxe wooden doll house is a high-quality option when talking about the wooden doll houses. There are some other popular brands of dollhouses such as Real Good Toys, KidKraft, Plan Toys and Pottery Barn Kids.

Another favorite of kids is the portable wooden dollhouse because they can take it anywhere they want to. They are unbreakable and easy to reinstall. The children really enjoy the unfolding and folding. Playing with wooden dollhouses is an imaginative play and according to child experts, this play is very healthy for a child. They help encourage making new friends. They also learn new social skills and make these children emotionally strong.