Preschool is an exciting time of growth and discovery as little ones begin to explore their abilities and the world around them. The right toys can greatly enrich their growth during this formative period. When choosing toys for your preschooler, select those that foster imagination, teach skills and inspire curiosity through interactive play.
In this article, we’ll cover five of the best preschool learning toys that accomplish these goals. Among them, we’ll focus on the multifunctional LCD writing pad and how this classic toy can develop many valuable skills in your child at a young age.
1. Magnetic Blocks and Tiles
Magnetic blocks allow children to build pieces and structures based on their imagination. Playing with these blocks develops
- Creativity and problem-solving skills
- fine motor skills
- Shape and color recognition
- Spatial reasoning ability
- Balance and precision skills
- Cooperative play with others
The ability to endlessly connect and pull apart wooden blocks helps develop a child’s dexterity. Building tall structures also introduces concepts of gravity, balance and geometry.
2. Play-Doh and Modeling Clay
Molding, shaping and creating with dough helps with progress:
- hand-eye coordination
- Strength and control of the wrist, palm and fingers
- visuospatial skills
- Creative expression
- Composition of letters, numbers and shapes
- Coloring by mixing clay colors
- Texture Exploration
Open-ended possibilities stimulate creative thinking as preschoolers make everything from pretend food to pretend creatures. Making coil jars or using clay tools also builds fine motor control.
3. Pegboards
Nailing nails into holes in a board may seem simple, but it actually increases efficiency:
- hand-eye coordination
- Flexibility and muscle control
- Problem-solving skills
- Organization and focus
- Counting and numerical skills
- shape recognition
- Recognizing patterns and sequences
Colorful pegboards make designs come alive. Following pattern cards or copying pictures is a great introductory activity for preschoolers to use a pegboard.
4. Puzzles
Puzzles are great for promoting learning:
- Reasoning and problem solving
- hand-eye coordination
- Fine Motion Control
- shape recognition
- Understanding of spatial relationships
- visual perception
- Self-confidence upon completion
Choose puzzles with large knobs that are easy to grip and have pictures on both sides. 12-24 piece puzzles are perfect for small hands and developing abilities.
5. LCD Writing Tablets
The LCD writing tablet allows you to draw, write, color and more on an electronic screen that can be wiped clean and reused an unlimited number of times. This popular toy builds:
- Hand-eye coordination by controlling stylus movements
- Finger, palm and wrist dexterity and strength
- Improve early writing skills by practicing letters, numbers and words
- Get creative by drawing anything imaginable
- Visual-spatial reasoning through graphic and cartographic design
- Confidence in learning new technologies
- Independent use of their own special toys, taking responsibility
Next, we’ll explore why LCD tablets like the Boogie Board are ideal for early education at home or in the classroom.
Why Kids Need LCD Writing Tablets for Playful Learning
LCD writing pads appeal to children’s natural creativity while subconsciously building the academic and motor skills they need to succeed in school. Below we will detail the many benefits these toys provide:
Endless Reusable Art Surface
The magic of being able to draw anything imaginable, erase it in a second and start again promotes creative exploration without wasting supplies. Mistakes disappear and kids can create with confidence and without any limitations.
Shapes Emerging Hand-Eye Coordination
Learning to control the stylus to trace shapes and lines enhances hand-eye coordination. Strokes have different effects depending on the pressure applied, which also helps to develop motor dexterity.
Practice Writing Letters and Words
Children can repeatedly trace letter shapes, their names, sight words, and also practice writing without using up a lot of paper. Repetition develops proper stroke technique.
Make Learning Fun with Interactive Games
LCD tablets can transform games such as riddles, tic-tac-toe, and doodle games into interactive fun that subconsciously reinforces skills.
Alternative to Screen Overuse
The Writing Board replaces passive tablet and cell phone screen time with active, creative play that builds real skills. Kids can engage with technology without being overly exposed to screens.
Learn Anywhere with Portable Fun
The compact tablet fits easily into bags and purses, so boring gadgets are always at hand for car rides, plane rides and restaurant visits. No need to carry or misplace it.
Collaborative Play opportunities
Taking turns creating pictures and playing games together builds sharing, teamwork and social skills.
Boosts Visual-Spatial Reasoning
Illustrative designs, patterns, diagrams, and images help improve the visual-spatial intelligence needed for math and science.
Fosters Problem Solving
Creating drawings or winning games by developing strategies exercises critical thinking in a way that screen games cannot.
Improves Focus and Attention Span
Creating on a tablet teaches one to stay on task, an ability that is critical to academic success.
Alternative to Paper Notebooks
Writing words, letters, or stories without wasting paper allows preschool writers to practice early academic concepts.
Promotes Confidence and Independence
Children will be proud to master the skills of writing, drawing and creating on their own tablet. It is ideal for independent play.
Maximizing Benefits with Engaging Activities
To maximize the value of a writing pad, engage preschoolers in fun learning activities that target skill development:
- Have them trace straight, curved and zigzag lines. Turn it into a game!
- Draw basic shapes such as circles, squares and triangles. Can they name and count these shapes?
- Practice letter and number formation. Turn it into an alphabet scavenger hunt by finding items that begin with letters and numbers.
- Play simple games such as “X’s” and “O’s”, coding with simple symbols, mazes, and dot-to-dot games.
- Create stories frame by frame like a comic book.
- Illustrate “I Spy” objects from a storybook. How many can they recall?
- Make a daily drawing journal with pictures to review the day’s activities.
The other toys on this list also work well with LCD tablets. Let kids create tall towers to draw, carve characters from a story, design a wallboard pattern, or paint a puzzle. The possibilities are endless when combining great toys with activities that reinforce learning through play.
Gift Preschoolers Learning Fun
LCD writing pads intuitively combine the traditional drawing and writing activities that young children love with magical technology that erases their work like magic. With many developmental benefits, these writing tablets make the perfect gift for preschoolers. Pair these tablets with the other top preschool learning toys featured here to develop your child’s well-rounded skills.