Where do smart children come from? Why does one child do better at school than another? Psychologist Anna Bykova, author of the book “Developmental Activities for a Lazy Mom,” knows the exact answer to this question. The whole point is how often the simplest games were played with a child at 1-2 years old, which forced him to keep his attention. Try it - and in 5-6 years we will evaluate the result! In addition, these attention games will help you keep your child occupied on the go and during unplanned waits.
What determines a child's learning ability? It is clear that heredity plays a role - and this is a factor that parents can no longer influence; what has come has come. But there are other factors that directly depend on the efforts of parents and grandparents. What can you offer your baby to help him be successful in school? Is it possible to influence this?
These questions concern not only parents, but also scientists. As usual, studies were conducted in which a direct relationship was established between the intelligence of children at 5 years old and at 10 years old. That is, children who showed high results in intelligence tests at the age of five showed the same high results at ten years.
But no such relationship was found with intelligence indicators at the age of 1–2 years: assessments of the baby’s intelligence did not correlate in any way with assessments at other ages. Why? Maybe they measured something wrong?
After lengthy research, scientists came to the conclusion that the development of intelligence is mainly influenced by the ability to maintain attention. Moreover, endogenous attention. That is, one that arises from within, through one’s own activity and will, and not just as a response to external stimuli.
Rating of the best toys for children over 1 year old
The list included products based on reviews from parents and lists of popular products from online stores.
Educational toy Giraffes “Multicube”
This toy is intended for both girls and boys one year old and older. She will delight the baby for a long time and develop his skills.
There are different games on each part of the cube:
– on both sides there are details of different colors and shapes;
– the labyrinth contributes to the development of the child’s logic;
– a telephone with buttons with a variety of music will introduce the child to sounds;
– a piano with keys of different colors and painted music buttons also introduces the baby to sounds;
– on the door of the cube there is a mirror and a key that will help the baby open the existing door.
With the help of a variety of games, this toy will delight your baby for a long time. And to play music games on the cube, 4 AAA batteries are used. The approximate cost of such a toy is 2000 rubles.
ADVANTAGES:
- brightness
- multifunctionality
- quality materials of the product
- sound effects
- development of logic, thinking, motor skills, dexterity
FLAWS
- not detected
Educational toy Giraffes “Multicube”
Chicco talking farm
This toy is a small house with useful functions. The toy will help your baby get acquainted with the first words of animals in Russian and English, as well as master counting. Thanks to this toy, the child develops logic, fine motor skills and speech skills. The toy is plastic and bright in color. This toy has levels. Having passed the first level, the child moves on to the next level. Each subsequent level is more difficult than the previous one. The approximate cost of such a toy is 2,450 rubles.
ADVANTAGES:
- strong plastic
- no odor
- clear, pleasant voice acting
- volume control (2 modes)
- opportunity to study in English
- light effects on the side of the toy
FLAWS
- not detected
Chicco talking farm
Kiddieland Multicube
A bright toy with rounded edges and effects with music. The pentagonal parts of the multicube are equipped with music and games for the development of the child. The toy has:
- piano with keys of different colors;
- 4 buttons in the form of a musical instrument;
- a music disc in the shape of a sun that rotates and glows;
- smile clock with sound;
- several animals with sound;
- counting rhymes and songs.
This toy uses 3 AA batteries. The approximate cost of such a toy is 4230 rubles.
ADVANTAGES:
- strength
- sound and light effects
- promotes the development of thinking, speech, coordination, sense of rhythm
- batteries included (3 pcs.)
FLAWS
- you can't turn off the sound
Kiddieland Multicube
Ficher-Price Fun rhythms. Bibel (FBC98)
This toy is educational. To operate, you just need to press a button on your leg or stomach, and it will dance, sing songs, read and count, and the child will repeat all this after the robot. The robot's head is a monitor, and its ears are antennas. There are numbers on the arms, and buttons on the legs and stomach to activate different games. With the help of this game, the child develops perception, hearing and attention. The approximate cost of such a toy is 3,760 rubles.
ADVANTAGES:
- attractive design
- clear pleasant sound
- bright display
- toy mobility
- Engine noise doesn't drown out the music
- volume control
- ability to record voice and convert to song
FLAWS
- not very clear sound when recording
Ficher-Price Fun rhythms. Bibel (FBC98)
BRADEX Bizicube
This bizicube is a small center for games of bright colors, on the sides of which there are an abacus of different colors, a hammer and a xylophone. The set also contains parts in the form of various figures depicting numbers from 0 to 10 for other interesting games. The details can be put on a cord in the form of beads.
With the help of this game, the child learns colors and counting, and also develops logic, hearing and fine motor skills. The approximate cost of such a toy is 1,400 rubles.
ADVANTAGES:
- good price/quality ratio
- multifunctionality
- high-quality processing of wooden elements
- Great for learning colors
- wooden handle on a strong rope
FLAWS
- not detected
BRADEX Bizicube
Kiddieland Active box
This box is a toy with a book and many functions. The sides of the toy introduce the child to different figures, a TV with a real monitor, animal sounds, and a telephone that makes sounds. This toy uses 4 AA batteries to operate. The approximate cost is 2750 rubles.
ADVANTAGES:
- build quality
- sound and light effects
- promotes the study of geometric shapes, colors, counting
- develops ear for music, motor skills, social skills
- 4 batteries included
FLAWS
- not detected
Kiddieland Active box
Alphabet Talking cube. Counting, shapes, colors
With the help of this toy, a child will master different shapes, get acquainted with the most necessary colors at his age, and also learn to count. This cube has colorful images on its faces. The cube contains animal voices and interesting songs. The toy develops the baby's hearing and imagination, and also expands his horizons. The approximate cost of such a toy is 550 rubles.
ADVANTAGES:
- quiet sound
- variety of songs, melodies, phrases
- 6 active faces
- 4 themes: counting, colors, shapes, animals
- batteries included
FLAWS
- According to some buyers, it is difficult to replace batteries
Alphabet Talking cube. Counting, shapes, colors
Toys for the development of children play a fairly large role in their lives. Therefore, the selection and purchase of such toys must be taken responsibly. Before purchasing, you should find out who made the toy (in which country), familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the toy and the material from which it is made. It’s also important to read customer reviews before purchasing the right toy.
Features of the gameplay with a one-year-old child
In order for educational games with children under one year old to bring the desired result and not be a burden, you need to follow several principles for organizing the game process:
- Increase the difficulty of tasks gradually. This should be done after the baby has mastered the previous stage well.
- Developmental exercises should not be a burden for the child. It is impossible to force a baby to do something at the age of one year, so try to make them bring positive emotions.
- When purchasing gaming materials, consider your child's tastes. For example, when buying a ball, invite him to choose it himself. He will first pick up the toy that he likes the most.
Choose games for babies that your parents played with you, no need to reinvent the wheel. Developmental exercises that have stood the test of time are always the best option. If you don’t remember what you played with your parents, ask them for help; grandparents, as a rule, love to tinker with their grandchildren.
10.01.2014
Plasticine crow
. Mothers usually think that their child’s first acquaintance with plasticine should take place no earlier than 2.5-3 years. However, even for one-year-old babies, playing with plasticine can be very exciting, and they will definitely be useful for the development of fine motor skills. Of course, such little ones cannot yet mold anything, but they are already able to knead a piece of plasticine in their palms: this is excellent gymnastics for little fingers.
There is another option for using plasticine at such a young age
. Mom can roll small balls of different colors out of it, place them on a piece of paper in the shape of a flower or any other shape and ask the baby to press on these balls with his finger. For the first time you will need to show the baby how to do this. But soon the baby himself will get involved in the process (be sure to praise him for this!) and, most likely, will remain delighted with how a marvelous flower blooms or a star lights up brightly before his eyes.
Important
: one year is the age when the baby is still inclined to put everything in his mouth, so the mother must be on guard. By the way, for such little ones a special modeling mass is produced, which tastes very salty: after licking it once, the baby is unlikely to want to repeat the experiment.
Everything is spot on.
At the age of 1-1.5 years, babies really love to put something somewhere. Prepare several boxes of different sizes and take various small objects - small toys, tea bags in individual foil packaging, pyramid rings, etc. The baby will be very happy to put toys into containers and transfer them from one to another: this is his first time become familiar with the concept of volume. Also at this age, games with insert cups are in great demand - multi-colored containers of different sizes that are placed one inside the other like nesting dolls.
Hide and seek.
Choose the right moment - when the baby goes behind the closet or crawls under the blanket - and pretend that you can’t find him. Children love it when people look for them. Ask loudly: “Where is Sasha? Where did my baby go? Sasha, oh! Where are you?" The baby will hide and then start laughing. “Find” the baby just as loudly and emotionally, hug and kiss him: “Here is my baby! Found! Hurray!.. Oh... Hidden again?
A fairy tale come to life.
Most kids really enjoy watching their mother draw - even if they themselves do not yet show much interest in pencils and paints. Try to turn your next drawing session into an exciting adventure: draw a whole fairy tale or story where your little one will be the main character. It is not necessary to have any special talent. The main thing is to comment on each of your actions and name each element. For example: “Once upon a time there was Sasha (we draw a little man). Here is his head, here are his eyes, and here is his nose. And then Sasha went out for a walk on the street (we draw houses, cars, a road). And then it started snowing heavily (we draw snowflakes). Sasha decided to build a snowman,” etc. This type of drawing will not only captivate the baby and arouse his interest in drawing, but will also contribute to his development: after all, the baby will correlate each image with your words.
Ball
- a universal toy for children of almost any age. When the child does not yet walk, but is already sitting, he and his mother can roll the ball on the floor. When the baby learns to walk, you can try playing football with him: for starters, it will be enough just to learn how to kick the ball - this helps to develop coordination of movements. A gate can be any doorway that has nothing breakable behind it. You can also try playing bowling with your baby, where empty plastic water bottles can serve as pins.
First paintings
. Many early development specialists believe that a baby should be introduced to drawing as early as 8-9 months! At this time, he is already able to sit and hold a pencil or felt-tip pen in his hand. However, it is best to start with wax crayons. It will be much easier for your child to learn them than classic pencils, since you can draw on any side. In addition, wax crayons are thicker and fit more comfortably into a child's hand. Pay attention to the triangular-shaped wax crayons: they are made so that 1-2 year old babies can hold them comfortably. There are also special finger paints for young artists - they are ideal for.
As for paper, it is best to take large sheets of whatman paper or a roll of unnecessary wallpaper - so that the little artist has room to spread out. And be sure to save your baby’s first drawings - over time they will become one of the most valuable exhibits in your family museum.
At the age of one, the baby already stands up well, crawls and sometimes walks confidently. At the same time, he boldly looks into cabinets and chests of drawers, examines nooks and shelves, and opens doors. It’s not boring for him to be alone in the room, but the mother should not leave the baby alone, even for a few minutes.
