Stuffed animals can be very helpful for the development of children. Learning stuffed animals can help with basic things at first. Then they can turn into educational stuffed animals and help kids learn, play and sing.
Often children’s first real glimpse and memory of the real world is tied to a stuffed animal. It is the toy of choice for the craddle. But a stuffed animal can be much more than that.
The benefits of educational stuffed animals for children
As CreativeChild and HealthGuidance say, there are a quite a few benefits of learning stuffed animals. For babies, for example, stuffies will be a great companion. They can also help them learn the sense of touch. Just be sure to pick stuffed animals that are big enough so they can’t be swallowed. They also need to not be too furry and not to have easily removable accessories.
Kids upto 3 years old will start bonding with their toys. They will give them names and will become the emotional vent for the kids. Many children will express and learn to express their emotions thanks to their stuffed friends. They will also start to know animals and will be able to classify them.
Slowly kids will also start imaginative play with their stuffed animals. This will help them greatly with the development of creative skills.
Even older children (approaching the age of 10 or a little above) can still be attached to stuffed animals. They can develop love for real animals too and learn how to take good care of their pets. Older children can also learn some practical skill by repairing their stuffed animals or making accessories and other items for them.
If they are especially interested, you can help them sew their own stuffed animals and have them really create something new and unique.
Specialized toys
There are also some special educational stuffed animals. Like My Pal Scout from LeapFrog who you can see in the picture above. You can personalize the toy with your kid’s name, favorite songs and etc. Scout can interact with children, talk with them, play songs, teach them to count and more. He can even help with teacing daily routines and feelings.
Another interesting option is the My Barnyard Friends Playset. It comes complete with a plush barn, a rooster, duck, cow and a pig. They all live in the barn and can make the sounds we all know and help the younger kids learn about farm animals.
Or how about a talking Elmo. This one is from Playskool and will help your children learn the alphabet. He will also entertain the kids with some of his catchphrases.
