Toying with Learning PLAY TIPS

Toys and games have tons of play value! It’s important to think “outside the box” when playing with toys and games to fuel kids’ curiosity and imagination. Change the rules, mesh various pieces and toys together and explore new ways to interact with a familiar toy or game. There is no wrong way to play! With skills promoted and curiosity encouraged, children will see how much fun “toying with learning” can be when exploring ideas “outside the box.”

Miniland Educational Pair Game: Learning Values

• Tell stories based on the activity cards. How many of the pictures on the board can you involve in a story? For an extra challenge, remove the covers one by one, and create the story as each image appears.
• Before the game begins, identify and talk about the pictures on the activity cards to develop expressive language and understanding of topics that may come up during game play.
• Go to the library and check out books on cultures and ethnicities to learn more about others. This is a great way to expand a child’s awareness and understanding as well as cater to curious minds.

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Budding Reader

• Exercise new found vocabulary by visiting places that reflect the themes of the books. For example, monkeys at the zoo or cats at the shelter. Kids can point out their new vocabulary words and share parts of the story they see in real life.
• Promote creativity and imagination by illustrating and writing additional pages to each story.
• The Budding Reader series can give kids the inspiration to write their own stories using the bank of words from the books that they know and are familiar with.

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