Play's The Way Babies Learn Best

Monday, March 1, 2004

Play’s The Way Babies Learn Best (NAPSA)—Learning is not just child’s play—but it can be. From earliest infancy, play is the way children naturally learn and explore the world around them. A game as simple as peek-a-boo teaches sophisticated concepts such as time and anticipation. Ringing the doorbell and hearing the sound it makes or switching lights off and on teaches cause andeffect. Babies learn through singalong songs such as the “ABC” song and by simple repetition but mostly they learn by having fun. “Right from the beginning, babies learn just about everything through everyday experiences,” said Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Ph.D., Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price and early child development expert. “By observing their surroundings and mimicking caregivers and through repetition of newly found skills, babies make sense of the world around them.” Not surprisingly, the best toys are those that engage baby with new things to discover and explore. For example, once babies can sit up, they enjoy toys that fit together—whetherthey are nesting boxes or pots and pans. Such play is not just fun. It teaches about size and spatial relationships. Babies love toys that mimic the familiar everyday sounds and activities that surround them like opening and closing doors. An interactive house called the Laugh & Learn Learning Homecapitalizes on this interest. The house lets baby engage in everyday experiences, like going to get the mail, while providing early expo- 7 47 i Playing is a natural way for ba- bies to learn, and a new collection of toys makes play even morefun. sure to first words, the alphabet and numbers. Young children are curious about phones. With the Laugh & Learn Learning Phone, babies can see and hear the alphabet, phrases, numbers and more, while imitating mom or dad and being exposed to basic communicating skills. Kids love to learn with a friend. A cuddly companion, the Laugh & Learn Learning Puppy, also helps baby learn parts of the body, the alphabet and colors. He is also filled with six musical games, sing-along songs, sounds and fun sayings. Parents can use the latest Fisher-Price toys to build upon children’s natural curiosity with learning and musical activities, knowing that babies learn and develop through everything they experience in their daily lives. For more information, parents can log onto the Fisher-Price Web site at www.fisher-price.com.