Learning Through Play – The Benefits of S.T.E.A.M Toys

As parents, we all want our children to grow up with a lifelong love for learning and fun. One of the best ways to foster this is to encourage a child’s natural curiosity by learning through play. 

Science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (S.T.E.A.M) toys have been proven to simultaneously strengthen these skills while providing a unique opportunity to understand how all the disciplines interact and instilling a love of learning that aids in skill development, creativity and problem-solving.

Child psychologists and experts agree that early childhood is the best time for children to be exposed to these concepts and that strengthening learning through play in early childhood is vital to activate their interest in these subjects by introducing these concepts from a young age.

“It’s never too soon to expose young kids to S.T.E.A.M-related concepts through play,” says Catherine Jacoby, Marketing Manager at Toys R Us. “S.T.E.A.M toys are excellent tools to introduce your little one to the fundamental concepts of science, technology, engineering, art and maths and provide a variety of opportunities for hands-on learning.”

She says that playing with S.T.E.A.M toys can be a great way to encourage your child’s natural curiosity. “During the formative years, the development of cognitive skills, emotional well-being, social competence and sound physical and mental health builds a strong foundation for success well into the adult years.”

According to UNICEF, play is an essential strategy for learning, the early formative years really matter. “Scientific research over the past 30 years has taught us that the most important period of human development is from birth to eight years old,” comments Jacoby.

“While learning takes place throughout life, early childhood learning through play is one of the most important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills,” she explains. “It’s for this reason that learning opportunities that promote play, exploration, hands-on learning is at the core of a young child’s development.”

Jacoby adds that S.T.E.A.M toys are designed to encourage active and interactive engagement. “They inspire children to discover more about the world and themselves about active play, which means children interact with the toys in a whole new way.” 

S.T.E.A.M. toys are not only fun, but they also help in four key developmental areas such as confidence, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. “These focused activities provide children with plenty of opportunities for creative thinking, which helps them develop skills in the areas of problem-solving, spatial reasoning, engineering concepts, and more,” she adds.

She says that popular S.T.E.A.M. toys include those that allow children to: explore space, learning cause and effect, discovering the body, experiencing how nature grows and visualising complicated physics concepts.” 

In addition to these concepts, some of our most popular S.T.E.A.M toys include:

Science:  

Orboot Dinos AR Globe by PlayShifu: 

Technology:

Educational and Bilingual Laptop French/English: 

Engineering: 

Alexander Constructor Vehicles and Robots: 

Art:

Re-Cycle-Me S.T.E.A.M Collection Science: 

Maths:

Monopoly:  

For more information visit: www.toysrus.co.za