Toy Cars - Why Your Child Must Have Them

Toy cars - how can they be educational?

The worldwide obsession with the car extends even to our children's toys. How else to better explain the lasting popularity of classic toys such as Hot Wheels and Matchbox.

These small, die-cast collectibles-as well as their modern flashing, beeping and talking counterparts-continue to entertain children. Part of this appeal, say child development experts, is that toddlers are fascinated by toys that have realistic details and parts that actually work.

Cars encourage active play as well as stretching a toddler's imagination through role play. After all, what child hasn't made "varooooooooom" noises while guiding a miniature car across the living room floor?

A typical rule of thumb I use as the "right" age to use toy cars is from about 12 months and older.

But how do I use a toy car to stimulate a baby?

There is very strong evidence that at 12 months infants are cautiously looking at all objects. And they try to imagine what will happen when they do something to the object.

At this age your infant uses his eyes more and depends more on the input and stimulus received from them. You can use this increased attention to improve your child's logical thinking and observation.

An easy way to stimulate an infant with something as simple as a toy car is to tie a string to the car. Show your baby to pull on the string to bring the car within reach. You can also cover the car with a cloth to add more stimulation.

This is only one of the easy exercises to teach the principle of logical results… if something is done, something else happens. Picking up the string is also a great activity to improve hand and finger skills.

Like other types of kid playthings, toy cars increasingly strive to be educational for all children. Cars that incorporate music, colors, letters, sounds, and shapes are more plentiful than ever and especially appeal to the toddler set.

Of course, cars for younger kids seem fairly tame compared with the newer flashy models loaded with electronics. But despite the apparent attraction for remote controlled cars, these offer very little in terms of educational value. A much better choice... for educational purposes... is the construction types like Lego and Technic.

Not only will these durable cars give endless pleasure for older kids, but they also stimulate hand skills. Technic sets are favorites to stimulate imagination and understanding complex mechanical parts.

Regardless of your child's age, there are toy cars on the market designed with his or her interests in mind… and are great to stimulate and encourage a wide range of vital skills.

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