For young minds - children between 3 to 5 years of age - the ability to stay put in one place is a chore. Additionally, they are curious - very curious.
In other words, they are wide-eyed adventurers, dreamers and creative thinkers whose imagination knows no bounds. While as parents, we might often be at our wit’s end answering their incessant questions, there is in fact a good scientific reason behind their curiosity.
Experts say that the reason for their pitless curiosity is because of the fact that synapses are developing, causing a thirst for knowing and doing. For those who are uninitiated, synapses are the points of contact between different neurons that help in passing information from one point to another.
Needless to say, this is the time when you should be exposing them to opportunities for learning and mental growth, through a mix of STEAM toys for 3-5 year olds, educational toys, and learning toys. As the synapses absorb input in the form of bits of knowledge and skills, they develop and increase brain bandwidth. There are trillions of synapses waiting for input. Unused synapses get pruned sooner than later, thereby shrinking the bandwidth permanently.
Still confused? Think of the child’s brain as a computer with, say, 10 terabytes of disk space that you have to use up within a certain time, or else, the unused space will be lost forever! Furthermore, brain synapses get deleted once the child attains 10-11 years of age, if they are not used up by knowledge and skill development.
What is the Importance of Science in Early Childhood Education?
This is where STEAM toys for 4-5 year olds, learning toys, and educational toys come in play. They help your child in having optimal brain development while teaching them important life hacks and skills.
Scientific learning in early childhood education helps in developing a lifelong love for knowledge and application of theoretical skills. As such, introduction to scientific education should start at the very beginning of the school-going age. Children should be exposed to educational toys that combine the power of play with the joy of scientific learning. Smartivity, which is India’s No. 1 STEAM toy brand, offers a wide range of toys that are dedicated to children between the ages of 3 and 5.
From magical science kits to fantastic construction toys, we have the perfect toys for preschoolers. Here we have rounded up the 5 best STEAM toys for your little geniuses that are sure to whet their appetite for knowledge.
What Does STEAM Stand For?
STEAM is a term used in modern pedagogy, and it is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. STEAM toys India, thus, focus on development of both hard and soft skills, and inculcate a lifelong love for learning and upskilling.
In today’s world, soft skills are as important as hard skills. These skills are important to avoid interpersonal issues and to effectively use technical learning in the workplace. Smartivity toys - more specifically, STEAM toys for 3-5 year olds, can help your child develop both technical and soft skills at an early age. In a world where ChatGPT is believed to be overtaking humans, the importance of creativity in science and rationality in creativity can’t be over-emphasized. But there are other benefits too.
Smartivity toys are non-electronic STEAM toys and help cut down your child's screen time. Our toys are a refreshing change from the world of video games that make children passive watchers rather than active participants.
What are Some Good Educational Toys for Preschoolers?
Smartivity toys include a range of STEAM toys to help develop sensory and motor skills, while also focusing on language, association, socio-emotional skills and much more.
They are designed by a team of enthusiastic designers, who perfectly understand the curious minds of preschoolers. Smartivity’s STEAM toys for 4-5 year olds are screen-free toys made in India and are developed by experts after months of research and testing. They are tested by children, parents, and STEAM experts and go through endless alterations so that the best product can be made available to our scientific geniuses.
Here are five effective STEAM toys for 3-5 year olds from Smartivity toys collection.
Colour Carnival
Immerse in the beauty of colours with Smartivity Colour Carnival. This is a 5-In-1 STEAM and SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) activity kit suitable for 3-5-year-olds. Each activity is designed to spark curiosity and help your child develop foundational skills, such as:
- Motor and spatial skills
- Language and association
- Cognitive skills
- Socio-emotional skills
Try Tower
As India’s first ‘failure toy’, this STEAM toy for kids 4 and above helps your child develop perseverance. Some of the highlights include:
- Develops resilience and focus
- Boosts confidence
- Teaches to handle difficult situations in life
Transports On The Go
This is a 7-in-1 STEAM and SEL activity box for 4-6-year-olds, that helps in holistic development. The activity kit helps in building foundational skills that are the basic building blocks for children. Some of the key skills include:
- Memory
- Intelligence
- Reasoning skills
- Socio-emotional skills
- Gross motor skills
- Fine motor skills
Ocean Explorer
Love the ocean and its mysterious underwater creatures? Then this is the perfect activity kit for your little explorer. This is a 7-in-1 DIY STEAM activity kit, which includes board games and puzzles. The focus is on teaching about aquatic life in an interactive and playful method, while developing crucial life skills like:
- Gross motor skills
- Fine motor skills
- Reasoning skills
- Language and communication
Jungle Explorer
You need not travel to the Amazon rainforest to learn about ferocious creatures. Our jungle-themed activity kit is enough. It also helps in developing:
- Motor and spatial skills
- Language and association
- Cognitive skills
- Socio-emotional skills
How Can I Help My 3-year-old Son to Concentrate?
There is a lot in the world for 3-year-olds to explore and they can be easily overwhelmed. Their attention gets divided among the numerous things around them, resulting in a low attention span. It is common for parents to look for ways to get them to concentrate on one thing at a time.
Here are a few things you can do to avoid distractions and help your child concentrate better on whatever it is that you want them to focus on.
Get Rid of Distractions
Switch off the television, computer, and silence or hide mobile phones. Even as adults, we get distracted by our gadgets. If your child is easily distracted by gadgets, it makes sense to get rid of them.
Any noise around your place or the presence of other people in the house can also be distracting. Shut the door and pull across the curtains. Request other people at home or reach an understanding with them, as the case may be, but make sure to get their buy-in, so they won’t distract your child.
Engage With Your Child
Engagement is the key for healthy upbringing. For example, read out loud to them from illustrated books. Point to the pictures, and explain to them the themes. Modulate your voice, dramatise, and build enthusiasm. Involve them, get them to nod, and ask or answer questions as you proceed.
Incentivise Their Efforts
Incentives have a universal appeal. If they can work with adults in the workplace, they will also work with young children.
Motivate your child with incentives. For example, tell them that upon completion of the task at hand, they will get to go to the park, or they can eat their favorite chocolate or ice cream.
Aim For Gradual Progress
If things are not going as expected, do not despair. Start with a small goal of say - five minutes (or even lesser), and slowly expand the goal. Trust us, this works wonders.
Incorporate STEAM Play
Non-screen STEAM toys and learning toys are an easy way to get 3-5-year-olds to develop concentration power. STEAM toys are fun, attractive, and engaging. Moreover, they are designed to get undivided time and attention from the child. Your child will definitely learn to focus and expand their attention span.
Curious minds need encouragement not stifling. STEAM toys are the perfect tools that every parent should incorporate in their arsenal for upbringing. If you still need more inspiration, you know exactly where to look for…