Learning Resources® educational toys and games
Yesterday I read a story to my granddaughter, not by the glow of her nightlight surrounded by the usual suspects (three teddies, Zog, a hippie rabbit and a brown doll with an alarming squint) but by the magic of facetime on my iPad.
For we grandparents this is the ‘new normal’; our usual role of backstop carer and distributor of love, treats and wisdom is still crucial to our grandchildren’s well-being, it just takes a little more ingenuity to deliver.
If you’re looking for ideas of how to engage with your grandchildren during the Covid Crisis I recommend you visit Granny Smith’s Diary, there are some great ideas there including going for a virtual walk or playing a distanced treasure hunt.
Of course, every child likes to receive a package addressed to them personally, and the rise of online shopping during this time gives indulgent grandparents many opportunities to order a treat to be delivered to the door. On Learning Resources® you’ll find great educational toys that you can order and then share remotely with your grandchildren. Here are some suggestions for toys and activities by age:
Up to Three Years
These are all great ‘Hide & Seek’ or ‘finding’ activities; easy to engage with remotely via video. Use them as a way of sharing the joy of discovery and then set further challenges.
Four to Five Years
This is the age when children can take their first steps into coding.
Your grandchildren will be delighted to have a ‘pet’ of their own that they send on coding adventures. These sets all come with a story book that you can read to them. You can watch as they code and set their pets off or maybe asked Mum & Dad to send you a video of the adventure.
This game has big colourful pieces and simple challenges that will show up well on your screen. Take turns to work on solving the puzzle; it may be a ‘junior version’ of the game but the later tasks are pretty tough!
This simple addition and subtraction game is easy to play remotely. Having your grandchild take your moves gives them a sense of responsibility that they really enjoy, as well as when you let them win!
Five to Seven Years
These are a great way to engage your grandchild in creating a shared story. Rolling the dice gives you characters, setting and situations. Completely open-ended these dice can be the springboard for some really crazy stories.
We are all concerned about our grandchildren’s wellbeing as they experience the confinement of the lock-down. Use the innovative cubes to gently help them talk about their feelings. Make sure you take part as well showing that you to feel the vulnerability of the situation.
This is a great multi-purpose tool for exploring outdoors, even if it’s only in a small garden. As the names suggests there are five different ways of carrying out measurement; each one could be a mission provided by you. Send missions via text and ask for a report in full on video!
About Learning Resources®
For over 30 years Learning Resources has been a leader in designing toys to help children build key educational skills through hands-on play. Our versatile products include play and learning activity sets, manipulatives and games that build foundational skills in all subject areas through exploration, creativity, imagination and fun. In addition, we offer simple technology products and teacher resources to support the delivery of education.
Written by Dennis Blackmore, grandparent, and MD of Learning Resources®.
About Dennis Blackmore
MD and Founder of Learning Resources Ltd, Dennis is a qualified educator with over 40 years’ experience in the business of educational toys and learning aids.
