Vehicle play for your child can consist of playing with cars, trains, planes, boats, motorcycles, trucks, tractors… you name it. Frequently associated with vehicles are toys dealing with construction. These allow kids to create roads, bridges, tracks, and more upon which the vehicles they play with can drive and operate. How the vehicles maneuver along their route is affected by the construction of pieces such as this. The result helps develop logical thinking in a child. Build a bumpy road and the vehicle is likely to fall off or crash. Build a smooth, easily maneuvered road, and things go better. Ramps or inclines require a little more effort while children can simply allow a vehicle to roll downhill on its own.
There are many things to be learned by your child through vehicle and construction play. Let's take a look at some of the aspects involved.
VEHICLE PLAYTIME BENEFITS
It's all about pretending.
What child hasn't shouted out in glee and excitement when spotting a particular vehicle? The trucks, cars, etc., that children see in their daily life can be incorporated into their tiny world by pretending. Here, a child can put creativity into effect and increase their sense of the surrounding world.
Role models are frequently copied by preschoolers who see something done by mommy and daddy, cops and robbers, doctors and nurses, etc., and try to mimic it. This can be further encouraged by use of realistic looking cars, trucks, tractors, etc.
HELPING YOUR CHILD TO DEVELOP PHYSICALLY
As children wheel vehicle toys from place to place, physical movement is encouraged. It presents a child with the opportunity to have lots of fun while, for example, learning to crawl at the same time. In play, they become more confident while their gross motor skills, balance, and coordination develop.
While holding tightly onto the vehicles and pushing them up and down imaginary roadways, fine motor skills will be developed and strengthened. As the child develops more and more, so can the toy vehicle. Rather than clunky and simple vehicles, cars, and trucks, more sophisticated vehicles can be used. These have moving parts (trunks, hoods, doors, etc.) and little people that can be put into and removed from the vehicles. They encourage even finer motor skills. Cognitive development occurs as kids start putting all of these things together.
Around 18 months and older, ride-on toy vehicles are a great idea because they motivate movement of the child's legs and help them strengthen much-needed walking muscles.
ENCOURAGE WORLD UNDERSTANDING IN YOUR CHILD
Through play, children become more familiar with vehicle differentiations as that between a van, tractor, and a truck. Community rules can be introduced to children through toy vehicles such as police cars, delivery vans, recycling trucks, etc. This helps to build the child's knowledge of community and the world around them. Toy vehicles have, in fact, stood the test of time because of the connection that is made between play and real life.
How many of you can recall sitting behind the wheel of your parent’s vehicle and pretending to drive? These days, children can do the driving themselves with the right age-appropriate toy vehicle.
KIDPOWERED HAS A WIDE SELECTION OF TOY VEHICLES
Trucks, cars, trains, planes, tractors, motorcycles, and more all fall under the categorization of toy vehicles. Encourage your child's imagination while helping them develop fine motor skills and dexterity by supplying them ample amounts of vehicle themed toys. At Kidpowered, we have a wide selection of all kinds of vehicles for your child to play with.
Shop our website by toy category, brand, or theme to make things easier. Or, you can simply check out our entire inventory at your leisure. The important thing is that you take the time to see what we've got before going anywhere else for your child's toys.