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Tagged with 'literacy'

Learn through fun outdoor play!
Playing outside is an essential part of a child's development. From making mud kitchens, to getting to know nature, learning and playing outside will help little learners form key developmental skills such as physical health & self-confidence!
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10 reasons why an educational toy isn’t just for Christmas

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We believe educational toys and games aren’t just for Christmas; they inspire a lifetime love of learning! Play nurtures development and is the foundation for all learning, helping children to build everything from communication and language skills to imagination and creativity. With this in mind, we’re confident that our educational toys will be played with all year round and have put together a list of ten areas of development that they support.

1) Communication and Language

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Educational toys can provide children with opportunities to use their vocabulary and discover new words. Imaginative play tools such as puppets help young learners to express themselves, ask questions and practice the art of conversation.Educational board games are a great way to help children make sense of social constructs such as following rules, listening to others, asking questions, winning and losing. Family games also help children to play co-operatively and, by actively listening, they will begin to take account of other people’s ideas and feelings.

2) Physical Development

image
Toys that aid physical development help children to be active and develop their co-ordination, control and movement. Fine motor skills refers to small movements such as gripping object and uses the small muscles of the fingers, toes, wrists, lips and tongue. Resources such as Jumbo Tweezers and Handy Scoopers™ help to strengthen these muscles and prepare children for tasks that will increase their independence, such as holding a pen or dressing themselves.Gross motor skills refers to the movement and co-ordination of larger body parts such as the arms and legs. Active play is a great way to develop gross motor skills through actions such as running, walking, jumping and crawling. Toys that encourage movement such as Pancake Pile-Up!™ and Math Marks the Spot™ help to promote physical activity alongside learning essential core skills.

3) Personal, Social and Emotional Awareness

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Toys such as Mirror Boards and Puppets help children to build self confidence and form relationships. Children can use these tools to initiate conversations that help them to manage their feelings and sharpen observation skills. Through play, children become familiar with social constructs such as turn-taking, helping them to form relationships and develop respect for others.

4) Sensory Awareness

image
 Children discover the world through their senses. Toys that promote tactile awareness and sensory exploration help young learners to make sense of the physical world around them.  By combining sensory awareness and scientific discovery with exploration toys such as magnifiers, projectors and microscopes children can satisfy their natural curiosity in the physical world.

5) Creativity and Imagination

image
Play is a full time job that is fuelled by creativity and imagination. Imaginative play resources encourage children to draw on first-hand experiences in pretend play scenarios, helping them to make sense of day to day life. By the age of three, children are able to absorb themselves in make-believe and will often start to create elaborate story lines. This type of play is important as it helps young learners to build confidence, perseverance and self esteem.

6) School Readiness

image
Starting school is an important chapter in a child’s life and educational toys help them to develop basic early skills to prepare them for their new adventure! By playing with toys that help with pre-writing, speech language and communication, confidence, numbers and early phonics, young learners will have the head-start they need to shine at ‘big’ school.Learn more in our ‘School Readiness’ blog post.

7) Outdoor Exploration

image
Outdoor learning and active play are an essential part of a child’s development, building a variety of key skills including confidence, social skills and well-being whilst experiencing the wonders of the world around them. Hands-on tools such as Kidnoculars® and Jumbo Magnifiers encourage children to get up-close to nature, helping them to understand the world around them.

8) STEM learning

image
STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. STEM toys encourage children to solve real-world problems through enquiry-based problem-solving, hands-on experimentation, trial and error, and self-discovery. Challenges follow the Engineering Design Process (ask, imagine, plan, create, improve) and can pose challenges such as building simple machines or programming a Robot Mouse.
image
 

9) Core Skills

image
Learning Resources’ toys are designed in-line with the National Curriculum for England and help to support core skills across Literacy, Maths, Science and Geography. Through exciting game play and engaging activities, children will improve essential skills from the alphabet and phonics to fractions and measurement, without even realising they’re learning!

10) Learning is fun!

image
We think it’s important to keep children captivated while learning! Hands-on toys that are fun to play with, help to keep children present in the moment so that they can uncover their true potential. #LoveLearning#Givethegiftoflearning
10 reasons why an educational toy isn’t just for Christmas
image
We believe educational toys and games aren’t just for Christmas; they inspire a lifetime love of learning! Play nurtures development and is the foundation for all learning, helping children to build everything from communication and language skills to imagination and creativity. With this in mind, we’re confident that our educational toys will be played with all year round and have put together a list of ten areas of development that they support.

1) Communication and Language

image
Educational toys can provide children with opportunities to use their vocabulary and discover new words. Imaginative play tools such as puppets help young learners to express themselves, ask questions and practice the art of conversation.Educational board games are a great way to help children make sense of social constructs such as following rules, listening to others, asking questions, winning and losing. Family games also help children to play co-operatively and, by actively listening, they will begin to take account of other people’s ideas and feelings.

2) Physical Development

image
Toys that aid physical development help children to be active and develop their co-ordination, control and movement. Fine motor skills refers to small movements such as gripping object and uses the small muscles of the fingers, toes, wrists, lips and tongue. Resources such as Jumbo Tweezers and Handy Scoopers™ help to strengthen these muscles and prepare children for tasks that will increase their independence, such as holding a pen or dressing themselves.Gross motor skills refers to the movement and co-ordination of larger body parts such as the arms and legs. Active play is a great way to develop gross motor skills through actions such as running, walking, jumping and crawling. Toys that encourage movement such as Pancake Pile-Up!™ and Math Marks the Spot™ help to promote physical activity alongside learning essential core skills.

3) Personal, Social and Emotional Awareness

image
Toys such as Mirror Boards and Puppets help children to build self confidence and form relationships. Children can use these tools to initiate conversations that help them to manage their feelings and sharpen observation skills. Through play, children become familiar with social constructs such as turn-taking, helping them to form relationships and develop respect for others.

4) Sensory Awareness

image
 Children discover the world through their senses. Toys that promote tactile awareness and sensory exploration help young learners to make sense of the physical world around them.  By combining sensory awareness and scientific discovery with exploration toys such as magnifiers, projectors and microscopes children can satisfy their natural curiosity in the physical world.

5) Creativity and Imagination

image
Play is a full time job that is fuelled by creativity and imagination. Imaginative play resources encourage children to draw on first-hand experiences in pretend play scenarios, helping them to make sense of day to day life. By the age of three, children are able to absorb themselves in make-believe and will often start to create elaborate story lines. This type of play is important as it helps young learners to build confidence, perseverance and self esteem.

6) School Readiness

image
Starting school is an important chapter in a child’s life and educational toys help them to develop basic early skills to prepare them for their new adventure! By playing with toys that help with pre-writing, speech language and communication, confidence, numbers and early phonics, young learners will have the head-start they need to shine at ‘big’ school.Learn more in our ‘School Readiness’ blog post.

7) Outdoor Exploration

image
Outdoor learning and active play are an essential part of a child’s development, building a variety of key skills including confidence, social skills and well-being whilst experiencing the wonders of the world around them. Hands-on tools such as Kidnoculars® and Jumbo Magnifiers encourage children to get up-close to nature, helping them to understand the world around them.

8) STEM learning

image
STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. STEM toys encourage children to solve real-world problems through enquiry-based problem-solving, hands-on experimentation, trial and error, and self-discovery. Challenges follow the Engineering Design Process (ask, imagine, plan, create, improve) and can pose challenges such as building simple machines or programming a Robot Mouse.
image
 

9) Core Skills

image
Learning Resources’ toys are designed in-line with the National Curriculum for England and help to support core skills across Literacy, Maths, Science and Geography. Through exciting game play and engaging activities, children will improve essential skills from the alphabet and phonics to fractions and measurement, without even realising they’re learning!

10) Learning is fun!

image
We think it’s important to keep children captivated while learning! Hands-on toys that are fun to play with, help to keep children present in the moment so that they can uncover their true potential. #LoveLearning#Givethegiftoflearning READ MORE

Tried & Tested - Plot Blocks™ Story Building Activity Set

Product: Plot Blocks™ Story Building Activity SetReviewed by: Belinda Robertson, Specialist Speech and Language TherapistEstablishment: Hitchin Speech Therapy

How did you use the product?

1:1 in a quiet speech and language therapy session, school based.

What was the agerange of the children you used it with?

I used these cubes and composite picture cards with KS1 children – aged 6 - 8 year olds as well as a Year 4, 9-year-old. 

What are the benefits of the resource?

  • Very portable – strong, well made picture cards and I put the cubes in a draw-string ‘feely bag’.
  • Some familiar and some less familiar scenes which promoted further discussion.
  • A fabulous resource to develop understanding and use of ‘narrative’ and storytelling. The visuals were superb at supporting the logical sequencing of events to enable students to a) plan and then b) tell their narrative.
  • I used this resource with individual students, but I can easily see how this would be a fantastic resource for group therapy as well; it would encourage and target turn-taking, social skills, focus, eye contact, listening to others, negotiation, vocabulary, narrative, higher level thinking, asking questions and inference…all in one!

 

Resource Review – Benefits of the product

  • This resource was so interactive, fun and tactile!
  • The complete and clear pictures, with good size cubes to roll (for smallish hands). The cubes have a lovely tactile feel that my students really liked.
  • I think I would like some more familiar or everyday scenes for younger children eg; fair/zoo/park/football pitch/classroom etc.
  •  Although there were suggestions for ideas how to use the resource, which were easy to follow, I was able to use further ideas and/or customise its use with individual children easily i.e. using less cubes initially.
  • The colour coding of the cubes was excellent (as was having the crib sheet on the back of the instructions).

What is the long term appeal of the resource?

One of the most useful aspects of this resource was that it could be used with a huge age range. EYFS students would like the cubes and pictures, my KS1 and KS2 children loved it. I could also see it working well with EAL, KS3 and older students and adults with learning difficulties.

Is the product unique?

The idea of story cubes isn’t unique, but coupling them with the overlays is. Very ingenious.
Tried & Tested - Plot Blocks™ Story Building Activity Set
Product: Plot Blocks™ Story Building Activity SetReviewed by: Belinda Robertson, Specialist Speech and Language TherapistEstablishment: Hitchin Speech Therapy

How did you use the product?

1:1 in a quiet speech and language therapy session, school based.

What was the agerange of the children you used it with?

I used these cubes and composite picture cards with KS1 children – aged 6 - 8 year olds as well as a Year 4, 9-year-old. 

What are the benefits of the resource?

  • Very portable – strong, well made picture cards and I put the cubes in a draw-string ‘feely bag’.
  • Some familiar and some less familiar scenes which promoted further discussion.
  • A fabulous resource to develop understanding and use of ‘narrative’ and storytelling. The visuals were superb at supporting the logical sequencing of events to enable students to a) plan and then b) tell their narrative.
  • I used this resource with individual students, but I can easily see how this would be a fantastic resource for group therapy as well; it would encourage and target turn-taking, social skills, focus, eye contact, listening to others, negotiation, vocabulary, narrative, higher level thinking, asking questions and inference…all in one!

 

Resource Review – Benefits of the product

  • This resource was so interactive, fun and tactile!
  • The complete and clear pictures, with good size cubes to roll (for smallish hands). The cubes have a lovely tactile feel that my students really liked.
  • I think I would like some more familiar or everyday scenes for younger children eg; fair/zoo/park/football pitch/classroom etc.
  •  Although there were suggestions for ideas how to use the resource, which were easy to follow, I was able to use further ideas and/or customise its use with individual children easily i.e. using less cubes initially.
  • The colour coding of the cubes was excellent (as was having the crib sheet on the back of the instructions).

What is the long term appeal of the resource?

One of the most useful aspects of this resource was that it could be used with a huge age range. EYFS students would like the cubes and pictures, my KS1 and KS2 children loved it. I could also see it working well with EAL, KS3 and older students and adults with learning difficulties.

Is the product unique?

The idea of story cubes isn’t unique, but coupling them with the overlays is. Very ingenious. READ MORE

International Literacy Day

Hello!

Today is the International Day of Literacy! Thanks to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) the International Day of Literacy was first celebrated in 1966 to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. Celebrations of ILD have been taking place all over the world for 48 years, reminding the international community of the important skills; reading and writing.

 

1 in 5 adults worldwide cannot read or write, this unbelievable statistic equates to 776 million people. Writing your own name or reading a line out of a book is a basic educational skill that countries like ours don’t need to worry about, but individuals in many third world countries are denied these skills.

UNESCO’s aim is to tackle the link between poverty and literacy, and raise public awareness of the priceless value of the written word, and of the necessity to promote an educated, literate society.

It’s hard to think where we would be without basic literacy, for one I wouldn’t be writing this blog article, and you wouldn’t be reading it! Personally, reading and writing are two things I really enjoy, and I couldn’t imagine my life without these skills. 1 in 6 people in the UK struggle with literacy, a figure which UNESCO and other charities such as The National Literacy Trust are trying to reduce.

Each year, UNESCO awards International Literacy Prizes of $20,000. Winners in 2013 included Literate India, and The Dhaka Ahsania Mission in Bangladesh. This year’s theme is Literacy and Sustainability Development, with prizes already set to be received by the Lifelong Learning School for Community Development Poligono Sur in Spain and the The Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy in South Africa.

At Learning Resources we understand the importance of introducing literacy at an early age, giving young learners the opportunity to have fun while learning an important, fundamental skill. From phonics resources through to grammar and reading comprehension, we have literacy resources to motivate and engage children into developing their reading, writing and vocabulary skills.

If you would like more information about UNESCO and the International Day of Literacy, visit their website at http://en.unesco.org/events/international-literacy-day-2014.

Until next time…

Laura

International Literacy Day

Hello!

Today is the International Day of Literacy! Thanks to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) the International Day of Literacy was first celebrated in 1966 to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. Celebrations of ILD have been taking place all over the world for 48 years, reminding the international community of the important skills; reading and writing.

 

1 in 5 adults worldwide cannot read or write, this unbelievable statistic equates to 776 million people. Writing your own name or reading a line out of a book is a basic educational skill that countries like ours don’t need to worry about, but individuals in many third world countries are denied these skills.

UNESCO’s aim is to tackle the link between poverty and literacy, and raise public awareness of the priceless value of the written word, and of the necessity to promote an educated, literate society.

It’s hard to think where we would be without basic literacy, for one I wouldn’t be writing this blog article, and you wouldn’t be reading it! Personally, reading and writing are two things I really enjoy, and I couldn’t imagine my life without these skills. 1 in 6 people in the UK struggle with literacy, a figure which UNESCO and other charities such as The National Literacy Trust are trying to reduce.

Each year, UNESCO awards International Literacy Prizes of $20,000. Winners in 2013 included Literate India, and The Dhaka Ahsania Mission in Bangladesh. This year’s theme is Literacy and Sustainability Development, with prizes already set to be received by the Lifelong Learning School for Community Development Poligono Sur in Spain and the The Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy in South Africa.

At Learning Resources we understand the importance of introducing literacy at an early age, giving young learners the opportunity to have fun while learning an important, fundamental skill. From phonics resources through to grammar and reading comprehension, we have literacy resources to motivate and engage children into developing their reading, writing and vocabulary skills.

If you would like more information about UNESCO and the International Day of Literacy, visit their website at http://en.unesco.org/events/international-literacy-day-2014.

Until next time…

Laura

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