I visited the home of a friend recently and watched as five adults tried to cope with the youngest member of the family, a 3yr.old boy. The child was leaping over the furniture right past the huge pile of toys in the livingroom,with a large red plastic expandable sword in hand,chopping everything and everyone in site.He would stop for a moment in front of the big-a-vision,where brightly colored cartoon characters were doing the same and more, and off he would go again with all exasperated adults unable to direct him.
I stopped the child, and asked him to show me his toys. I immediately saw a problem. Not one toy was designed to develop creative thinking or constructive activities.There were also no toys that were designed to be used in a group.
When asked why I thought that he acted so much better at the home daycare he attended, I smiled and answered, it is simple, your child is bright, his toys need to be more imaginative and social. If you choose to use T.V. as an amusement, you need to select shows with the behavior that you want your son to copy. Right now he is doing what he is being taught and with what he has been given. (Yes, we are still friends after these statements.)
I then recommended Lego sets, puzzles, art supplies, early music instruments, video art programs, matchbox cars with tracks that can be built several ways and can be used in or outdoors. I also suggested early board games. Playing board games as a family fosters social skills and conversation.
All children will pretty much play with these types of toys but you will see very soon that some will excell in certain areas:
If a child creates complicated Lego projects he or she most likely has scientific, inventive gifts.
If a child loves puzzles and soon needs little help and will work on one that takes very much time, he or she most likely is gifted in mathmatics.
If a child is artistic he or she is most likely also musical. You will find that if you turn off the T.V. and put on music especially classical or classical type music while your child works on an art project, it will boost their creativity.
If your child can carry a melody between the ages of two and three, he or she is musical.
Knowing the gifts in a child is a great advantage, for then they can be encouraged to develop. To give a child the chance to grow in the gifts he or she is born with in order to be prepared for what he or she was born to do as an adult, is one of the greatest gifts a parent can ever give a child.
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