Best Friends (Benefits of Soft Toys)

Kenan is now at the stage where he loves soft toys. His favourite is this huge teddy bear that is more than half his size. He would feed his friend, teach him how to read, play with him, and when tired, simply cuddle up and enjoy a cozy moment with his good friend. It's been fun watching him!

Before you dismiss soft toys as non-educational and unimportant to a child's development, read what I discovered online:

• Soft toys offer warmth, comfort and security which is often needed when they are tired or put in unfamiliar places.
• Soft toys help with language development as they offer a listening ear to children as they try out new words and phrases, and different tones of voice and expression (and may I add that soft toys will never judge or laugh at the children so they feel safe as they experiment with language)
• Soft toys are useful tools for teaching about human expressions; parents can do so by pointing out the different expressions on the toys e.g. sad, happy, grouchy etc.
• Soft toys can be used to teach children how to care for others and develop appropriate social behaviour e.g. when a child flungs his toy on the floor, parents can tell him that the poor teddy bear is hurt and feels sad.

You can read the articles here and here.