Kids enjoy playing with their toys. It helps them pass the time and entertain them for hours. But one of the most preferred toys for kids of all ages and gender is the toy car. They would spend a lot of time riding on it or using their imagination for make-believe races. But investing in toy car for kids is not only for their entertainment. Young children can also enjoy plenty of other benefits for their development.
If your child has fun while playing with toy cars during their playtime, you can expect them to learn many valuable lessons they can apply in life. Here are some of the benefits kids can get from playing with toy cars.
Benefit #1: STEM Learning Exposure
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning has become an essential branch of education in recent years. Based on the latest report of the US Department of Commerce, STEM-based occupations increased by 24%. It is higher than the other occupations with a growth rate of 4%.
While there are plenty of toys with STEM stickers sold in stores today, a toy car for kids can be enough to let them have the first exposure to STEM education. Toy cars allow kids to learn about trajectories each time they launch their little cars on a loopy track. They can also have a basic idea about distance, velocity, weight, gravity, and other science, engineering, technology, and mathematics subjects.
Benefit #2: Fine Motor Skills
Kids will cultivate their fine motor skills by playing with toy cars. In addition, they can hone their hand-eye coordination and hand dexterity as they push and pull their toy cars all over the place.
Fully developed fine motor skills are essential in life. These skills develop in succeeding order. So when the child learns how to grasp and more their toy cars, they will soon learn how to hold a pencil, slice fruits, and tie their shoelaces.
Benefit #3: Foster Better Cognitive Development
Kids learn through playing. Using their imagination, they can understand the world and everything around them. It will help enhance their cognitive abilities and help them know the purpose of everything in sight.
By playing and tinkering with any kinds of toy cars like ride-ons and trucks, your kids will have a chance to be in the driver’s seat. They will finally control a vehicle and understand more about the environment through that experience. While it may still take years before they can start driving a real car, their imagination will take them to places while daydreaming about controlling the steering wheel of their toy car.
Benefit #4: Support Early Language Development
Toy cars are also perfect materials for honing early language skills, especially for late talkers or those diagnosed with speech delays. You may use it to target a wide range of language strategies while playing toy cars with your child. For example, you can encourage them to comment by asking what they are doing with the car or teach them how to pause while speaking by playing “ready, steady, go” games. Practising repetition is also possible since you can repeat several target words frequently during the play.
Your child may also learn to practice imitating actions, another essential pre-linguistic skill for young children. The kids will also learn how to practice symbolic sounds and say core words through playing.
Playing with toy cars can be highly beneficial for young children. So the next time your child urge you to buy a new ride-on car or a toy truck, consider giving in to their request so they will have something to keep them preoccupied and educated at the same time.
