Practica

Have more Ideas

"Parent is a verb, not a noun." ~Barry Holzer

Parents want to spend quality time with their children, but all parents run out of ideas at some stage.

Anyone, who has ever witnessed a toddler's excited response to everyday objects such as pots and pans, will agree that young children respond better to activities that are aligned with their natural interests.

Yet, it is often difficult to "stoop" down to a baby's level. Toddlers and pre-schoolers become bored and frustrated when their energy isn't channeled in positive ways.

The Practica Program knows that parenting is more rewarding if you have a better understanding of how children's needs and interests change over time.

That is why we provide our parents with thousands of age-appropriate activity ideas. In fact, we offer 1060 ideas for the first 24 months alone and thousands more up to a child's 7th birthday!

Consider the following 2 examples from the Practica Parents' Guide:

Example 1: 10 months old Put a ball of wool into a plastic container. Make a small hole in the lid, thread the end of the wool through the hole and close the lid tightly with the wool inside. Encourage your baby to pull the entire ball of wool through the hole. Show him how to move his hand to where the wool comes out of the hole, and pull it from there.

This 10 month old absolutely loves this game plainly because it is perfectly age-appropriate. It involves two of the special interests that a 10 month old has: (1) learning about how objects continue to exist even when they're out of sight and (2) practicing a more mature grasping action, which involves using their thumbs and fingers together.

*Example 2: 15-17 months old* Pour water into a plastic bowl, immerse one of the large animals from the PRACTICA ANIMAL SET in the water and put it into the freezer. Allow your child to play with the ice cube until it melts and she can get hold of the object at last.

At this age children are naturally attracted to anything that is inside something else. They also naturally attempt to solve problems through a method of 'trial and error'. This game helps a child of this age to focus his attention while solving a problem and learning the names of animals and colors. Once again - an ideal activity for this age group!

The benefits of having more age-appropriate activity ideas at hand:

	It will be much easier to keep your child busy. He won't be bored and frustrated and he will spend less time in front of the television.
	You can maximize your child's brain development. The various regions in a child's brain are more sensitive to the impact of stimulation at certain stages of his development. As a result, the impact of what you do to develop your baby's brain will be maximized when you do the right thing at the right time.
	You build concentration skills. Concentration, like fitness, develops with frequent practice. The more age-appropriate games you play with your child, the longer his concentration span will become.

Parents Say:

We bought a Practica set when Paul (now 3) was 6 months old. Practica has given me self-confidence as a parent. I've learned to be totally at ease as I play with my child and stimulate his development at the same time. I've learned to look at everyday situations and things like trees, animals, railway tracks and road signs with new eyes.

Paul is a very intelligent little boy. The Practica toys and games are really 'all-in-one'. It has made it so much easier for me to bring my son to where he is today. He has also learned to love stories, painting, cutting and pasting pictures. He collects rocks, loves to sing and builds camps for his 'animals' in the garden. We bake cookies together and he (sometimes) helps to set the table. He loves life.

Thank you so much for the advantage that I could give my child.

I will recommend the Practica Program to any family.

Regards, Belinda Oosthuizen

Belinda with her husband Paul,
little Paul and daughter Michelle

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