Teaching With Traditional Toys


by Gary Clay - Date: 2007-05-21 - Word Count: 1269 Share This!

One of the earliest games that children get to play, either with their parents or with other children, is catch. And what do kids get to play catch with other than balls?

Balls are traditional toys that have seen some evolution through the ages. These traditional toys are always round or ovoid, but they come in many different colors and sizes. Some of these traditional toys are made of wood and some are made of rubber or leather. Some balls are hard while some are soft and squishy. The bouncing balls that we know today can trace their origins to the great Mesoamerican civilizations before Columbus ever landed in the Americas.

What makes balls good traditional toys for children? For one, this particular traditional toy teaches children motor skills as well as eye and hand coordination. These skills that are brought about by playing this specific traditional toy are developed as children learn how to bounce the ball, pass it, kick it, throw it, or whatever it is that are done with balls.

Another factor that makes balls good traditional toys for children is that these traditional toys also teach children the art of socialization. Ball games are often group games, games that they get to play with their parents or with other children. Passing the ball from one person to another requires communication skills, and communication skills are needed for socialization.

Balls are traditional toys that children must have. They are widely available both in regular and traditional toy stores.

Jackstones, also known as jacks, onesies or fivestones, is a traditional toy set that is composed of ten to fifteen six-pointed stars made of either metal or plastic and a small rubber ball. This traditional toy set is often played on a flat surface, like the floor or the tarmac of a playground. Jackstones can be played solo or enjoyed as a group game.

This traditional toy set has been in existence for hundreds of years. Its precursors were small stones and bones. Children would toss these small stones and bones into the air and catch them either one by one or as many as they can. This traditional toy later evolved and became the six-pointer star sets that we know today.

Child experts hail jackstones as traditional toys that are effective in helping children learn such skills as hand and eye coordination. This traditional toy also teaches kids about spatial relationships as well as the rudiments of cause and effect.

There are many ways of playing jackstones, and many different variations on how this traditional toy set is played have sprung up in various countries. However, the most common way of playing with this traditional toy set is by throwing the ball and picking up the stars before the ball bounces back. One star should be collected per bounce in one round, and then two stars per round, and so on. Just as there are many different variations to how this traditional toy set is played, the rules on how this traditional toy set is played are also varied and arbitrary.

Marbles are colorful traditional toys that are loved by both children and adults alike. Made of ceramic, glass, clay, wood or agate, marbles usually come in a size that is half an inch across. However, some manufacturers of traditional toys also produce marbles that are ten times the size of the playing type. These giant marbles are often collectors' items and are used for display purposes.

Among all traditional toys, marbles can probably be listed as among the oldest of the lot. The earliest dated marble artifacts ever found came from Egypt, from the time of the pharaohs some three thousand years ago. Marbles back then were precious. These traditional toys were handcrafted back then and were made from real marble, which is why marbles are called such. Wooden or clay marbles were also found as early as those times.

Marbles became more common by the turn of the 18th century when these traditional toys came into mass production. At the time, ceramic was the material of choice for these traditional toys. The First World War closed off Europe from the Americas, which then led to the mass production of marbles from glass in the United States.

There are many games developed using this traditional toy and many countries can boast of having their very own marble game. One of the most popular games using this traditional toy is called the ringer. Other games using this traditional toy are cherry pit and long tawl.

Marbles are traditional toys that are definitely worth collecting. They are traditional toys that are nice to look at and at the same time fun to play with.

Toy blocks, also known as building blocks, are basic traditional toys that are used to educate little children on certain physical, intellectual and social skills. These traditional toys are often made of wood, although plastic toy blocks have become popular in recent years. Toy blocks come in many shapes, sizes and colors. Another common form that these traditional toys come in is the letters of the alphabet.

The earliest mention that these traditional toys have in the annals of history was in the book Practical Education, written by Maria and R. L. Edgeworth in 1798. Back then, these traditional toys were called rational toys, and they were designed to teach children about physical laws and spatial relationships.

Until now, these traditional toys are still used to educate children. Among the many lessons that children can learn from playing with these traditional toys are:

Hand and eye coordination The capacity of making friends, building relationships and cooperating with others, as toy blocks are used as traditional toys for socialization.
Expansion of vocabulary, as the children learn how to describe the characteristics of these traditional toy blocks
With the constant addition and subtraction of these traditional toy blocks, the rudimentary mathematical operations
Hands-on experience of the concepts of gravity, geometry and balance
Creativity in design
Playing with toy bricks is also beneficial in developing strength in the child, especially in his or her hands and fingers. This is achieved as the child continuously learns to grasp the toy bricks and put them into place.

Most of us have probably grown up listening to Ernie of Sesame Street singing about his bathroom buddy, the rubber ducky. While it was Ernie's songs about this traditional toy that made it gain its iconic status, the rubber duck has been in existence far longer than Ernie's song.

Rubber ducks are traditional toys that are often considered as bathroom toys for toddlers. They are also traditional toys given to dogs. The standard rubber ducks are made of rubber or vinyl plastic and have squeakers that make noises when squeezed. Some of these traditional toys even emit the sound of quacking.

Often, these traditional toys come as yellow ducks with fiery orange bills. However, rubber ducks come in different forms, colors and sizes. There are angel ducks with halos and devil ducks with horns. There are rubber ducks that are made to look like celebrities. And then there is this notorious variety of this traditional toy called the dead duck - it is black and it floats upside down. The creativity and imagination that toymakers put into this traditional toy can be fascinating to explore.

This traditional toy has made fans of children and adults alike. This is simply because the rubber duck is quite uncomplicated as a traditional toy. This traditional toy is also very appealing and pleasing to the eye. And so, it is not really surprising why children and adults collect rubber ducks as a hobby. Did you know that even Queen Elizabeth II has her very own rubber duck?


Related Tags: children, toys, play, traditional toys, classic toys, wooden toys, toybox, toyshop, quality toys

Gary Clay is an expert on toys, childrens furniture and accessories for under 10's and owner of child lifestyle store Monkeyshine http://www.monkeyshine.co.uk Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

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