Learning Through Play … Still?
One of the things that I never completely ‘got’ before I became a parent was toys. Toys are toys, I used to think. Simply for fun.
Then as I dove into the parenting world, I quickly learned that ‘fun’ is only a minor aspect when it comes to baby and kids toys. As I watched my own girls play with their toys, I realized that a big aspect is learning through play, all because of these products. Fun and engaging but highly educational. Early starts to counting, the alphabet, colours, social skills and so much more.
Yet there is a lot of educational {yet fun} toys out there. Where does a parent start?
Laugh & Learn is a line from Fisher-Price that teaches numbers, shapes & colours, first words and even making first friends. One of the most popular in the line is the Laugh & Learn Dance & Play Puppy, it’s found in more households than you could imagine.
Yet let’s highlight the Click ‘n Learn Remote {also available in French}, as it has them all. Here are some ways to engage your baby in play using this toy:
- Invite baby to explore and discover all of the buttons on the remote. Each one has a different response. As the toy responds to baby’s actions, the concept of cause and effect is introduced.
- Sing along to the songs. As you sing and baby listens, you’re boosting developing vocabulary by exposing them to rhyming words and phrases.
- Count as you press each number. You’ll show that each number has its own name!
- Introduce colours and shapes. “That’s the red button, let’s find the green one. The purple button has a red square—and a green triangle too!”
We all know babies LOVE those remotes and my own remotes were thrilled when a Fisher-Price one was welcomed to our home many years ago. Oh, the places that remote went, since my girls absolutely loved having it with them at all times.
Fact: it’s one of the very few ‘baby toys’ that still can be found in the toy room. Yes, still! A few times I thought of donating it, yet then I’ll see one of the twins walk by with the remote in hand. She’ll be pressing the buttons as she did years ago, even sometimes using it as a phone.
One moment that made me smile recently was when I found one of the girls using it to teach her dolly, to count. Sitting on her bed, making the doll hold the remote, she’d guide the dolls fabric hands to push the buttons and repeating the phrases to her baby. Heart explode, it was just like I did with her.
My girls learned so much with this remote, and even today it brings out such imagination. I just cannot bear for it to leave our home quite yet. Hey, and if it keeps them from reaching for the real remotes and phones – it’s totally still doing it’s job, right?!
What is your child learning right now through play?
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I’m apart of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation
with being a Fisher-Price Play Ambassador {#FisherPriceMoms}. The opinions on this blog are my own.
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My nephew has been learning shapes through play. He knows the basic ones – circle, square, rectangle and triangle but we’re working on oval, heart, star, diamond, etc. Whenever we color or draw he always draws circles (the only one he can draw really well) Adn then he’lla sk me to draw a triangle, shape etc. Once he does that i’ll on my own draw something he doesnt know et like a diamond or star and then just say “i drew a….”. It’s just a game for him but it’s helped him pick up his other shapes. 🙂
That’s awesome!! What a little learner!!
Right now my oldest is learning colors and numbers.
Right on, seems to be one of the firsts!
Some of my grandkids are learning math skills while playing Yahtzee, another one is learning shapes!
Games are a great way to learn! Too bad we are always missing pieces!! Grrr
We have bought the Laugh & Learn Dance & Play Puppy for a couple presents now. My niece is learning her number right now with a deck of playing cards. She carries them around with her all the time 🙂
So sweet!!
I saw the Click ‘n Learn Remote at Toys R Us a couple weeks ago. Looks fabulous!!! My youngest is only 7 months, so right now he is focusing a lot on learning to pick up toys and examining them!!! Super fun stage for sure! Thanks for sharing Tammi!
She would love it then!! Cross it off the Christmas wish list!
🙂
What a great toy! I loved sharing things like this with my children when they were babies!
Precious memories!!
🙂
Both my boys love to learn through play and I love that Fisher Price toys encourage that!
Indeed, I totally agree!
🙂
I think my son is learning how to annoy me but he’s 16 so that’s par for the course. I so miss the days when our home was filled with Fisher Price toys.
Hahahaha!!! Love this!
Kara is learning to count by playing with bowls and spoons as we speak! Love Fisher Price toys so much.
So sweet Crissy!!
My niece is learning about cause and effect with their Laugh & Learn Apptivity Monkey!
Yes!
My 2-year old is learning parts of his body through playtime.
Awe, so sweet. Toes were first? Fingers?
🙂
our daughter loves the remote… so she would love this toy!
Always the remotes, right?!
My almost 4 year old is learning patience through play at daycare. I thought 2 yr olds were hard, these guys are horrible for patience & understanding!!! lol…. another year of this and then onto …? more whining? I forget what happens in the 5-8yr old range.
AMEN!!! The whining is terrible at 4, I soo agree!!!
Never too early to get kids to enjoy math.
No, never! Get a head start!
My kids played with Fisher Price toys when they were little. This looks like a fun toy. You are right that kids seem to gravitate towards the remote. I like that this one is at least safe to play with. Looks like a fun toy!
My 15 year old daughter’s toy is her iPad and my 8 year old loves playing with her doll.
well mine are to old for toys but my nieces right now the 4 yr old has the wildest imagination. they have the little contraption that has the coloured balls in them. they love playing in that but she comes out of it with two balls in the boobie area and two in the butt area. she’s a ham.
Right now, my little guys are working on colours and shapes. Fisher-Price toys are so great!
I remember as a child, I had these kind of toys. It can be very educational and fun
I don’t have kids yet, but I’m not surprised to hear that Fisher Price is still putting out quality toys.
My boys use to love playing with fisher price toys when they were younger!
Fisher price allows make the best toys for kids to learn and play with!
she’s learning her colours and numbers. she plays alot of matching games as well