Toys that encourage proper visual development by S. Moshe Roth O.D. Toys and play are the work of children, but child’s play is more than just play. This is the very way that children learn how to the develop very important skills that help them learn about the world. Children love to play video games, but if a child spends too much time on a computer, then he or she won’t develop many of the underlying skills required for academic success. Physical play, such as climbing, running, tumbling, and crawling seem very basic, but at times are overlooked as some of the important skills in absorbing information from the world around us. Did you know that vision also needs to be developed, and can benefit from a variety of toys and activities? In fact, there are many toys that help develop learning and cognitive skills. There are over 20 visual skills that are vital to reading and learning. Seeing 20/20 is just one of those skills. When children spend too much time, either playing on the computer or watching TV, they often don’t develop the visual skills that are critical to success in the classroom. When looking for toys, it is important to seek toys that help build eye-hand coordination. Games and toys that stress general movement skills, shape and size discrimination, as well as space and distance judgments are critical for your child’s development. Similarly, visualization and visual memory skill toys enable children to develop the concepts that will help them in the future. Visual skills are like building blocks; we must make sure that they are delivered at the right time and at the right sequence for other skills to build on them. According to the American Optometric Association, certain types of toys and activities are better for different aged children in order to help them build age-appropriate visual skills, and to make sure that they are developing the skills that they will need later on. Specifically, for one-year olds, some great toys would be bright balls, blocks and zippers. Rocking horses and other riding toys pushed with the feet are excellent during this early stage of development. Activities like rolling and throwing a ball are also beneficial. Two-year olds’ toys such as pencils, markers and crayons also help with development. Likewise, beanbag or ring toss games, peg hammering toys, puzzles, and sorting shapes/size toys help to develop visual skills. Reading to your child, playing catch, and spending time outdoors, though seemingly ordinary are critical to early visual learning. For 3- to 6-year-olds, building toys with large snap-together components as well as puzzles, pegboards, and finger-paints help build visual skills. Playing with chalk, modeling clay and using simple sewing cards also aid in visual development. Simple activities like climbing, running, and using playground equipment such as balance beam, are all ways that kids can build their visual systems and have fun doing it. The following toys are not only fun to play with, but also help develop some of the visual skills that are critical to reading and learning. Battleship Chalkboard (24 x 36 inches min.) Tinkertoy Construction Set Erector Set Boy Scout signal set Pegboard and pegs Coloring books and crayons Connect the dot drawing books Jigsaw puzzles Twister Building blocks Indian beads for threading Painting by number Models (car, airplane, etc.) Card games (old maid, etc.) Dominoes Lego toys Lincoln Logs Velcro darts and dart board and Velcro covered balls Sewing cards Checkers Tiddlywinks Concentration Ring toss Chinese checkers Finger paints Encourage your children to play some of these games. If you find your child doesn’t like these games, it could be a sign of a vision problem. If that is the case, then it is important to schedule a developmental vision evaluation with a developmental optometrist. For more information on what a developmental optometrist is and how vision develops, you can visit: www.visionforlearning.org or www.NJEyeSite.com. S. Moshe Roth, Optometric Physician, practices at Family Eye Care, in Old Bridge. He is a developmental optometrist and provides specialized services in the diagnosis and treatment of vision-based learning problems. Dr. Roth is a popular speaker with parents and professional groups and may be reached at 1-732-679-2020.