Give Toys This Christmas That Help Your Child "See Smarter"

Nov. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- This Christmas parents should look for toys and games that do more than just entertain.  The right toys can also enhance a child's vision.  And seeing better can mean being smarter.

That’s the advice given by Stephen C. Miller, O.D., an optometrist and developer of "Seeing Smarter" (http://seeingsmarter.com), a web site for parents that provides guidance on infants’ and children’s vision development. “Children learn to see, just like they learn to walk and talk. They need opportunities through play to stimulate and enhance their developing visual abilities. Good eye focusing, eye teaming and eye tracking skills play a key role in reading and learning,” states Dr. Miller.

Toys and games can foster the development of specific visual skills a child needs for
learning. Age-appropriate toys, games and activities provide opportunities for children to
practice skills in the following developmental areas:

•  General movement abilities for the coordination of sitting, crawling, standing and walking skills.
•  Special movement abilities to enhance eye-hand coordination skills.
•  Eye movement abilities for improving eye focusing, eye teaming and eye tracking skills.
•  Vision-language abilities for the formation of communication skills.
•  Visualization abilities to assist in the development of interpretation and perception skills.

To assist parents in selecting toys and games that can help their child “see smarter”, Dr. Miller has developed a recommended list of toys to give this Christmas.  Among his top picks are:

•  Developlay Activity Center (Tiny Love) - Double-sided activity center provides numerous  opportunities to stimulate the senses and encourage visual development as your baby grows.

•  Dado Cubes (Fat Brain Toy Co) - Colorful, durable building blocks combine art and
science to enhance visual spatial perception and problem solving skills as children create an unlimited number of 3-D structures.

•  Set Game (SET Enterprises) - This award-winning family card game tests, challenges and  improves visual perceptual skills.

A total of 25 toys made this year’s list. All the toys and games were chosen because they help foster the development of vision skills a child needs for learning,” says Dr. Miller. “They also can aid in the development of a child’s creativity and imagination.”

To read the SeeingSmarter complete list of the “Top Toys and Games for Christmas”, go to http://seeingsmarter.com and click on Top Picks. Recommendations are divided into three age categories to help parents select the most age-appropriate toys.

The SeeingSmarter.com web site also gives practical, easy-to-understand information on:

• Key steps to enhance the visual abilities of infants through school-age kids.

• Ways to detect hidden vision problems, before they become learning problems.

• How to train the eyes and brain to work together to improve a child’s learning
  and thinking abilities.
            
Parents interested in learning how they can promote early vision development and good vision habits that help their child “see smarter”, need to check out the resources available at http://seeingsmarter.com today.

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