Children with Fewer Toys are more Focused and Creative: Study

Having fewer toys helps children to focus and engage in more creative and imaginative play, states a study from the University of Toledo in Ohio.

If you are thinking to pamper your child with lots of toys, then you are going the wrong way. The above study emphasises that fewer toys can result in healthy play and initiate the cognitive development of the child.

According to the study, about 36 children ranging between 18-30 months were given 4 and 16 toys on alternative days to understand the change in their behaviour. Children playing with four toys exhibited one-and-a-half-times more interactions with the toys.

Such interaction leads to positive implications in terms of the development of the children such as imaginative play, self-expression, physical skills like problem-solving and motor coordination.

While the children with 16 toys had the least interactions and just moved from one toy to another.

It's simple: Children with fewer toys are found to be more focused and played creatively. Nalanda International School - one of the best schools in Baroda also believes in enhancing a child's capabilities, the creative way.

It's finally proven that children are happy with fewer toys.

Too many T-O-Y-S spoil the broth

Eager to know the real culprit?

Researchers claim that the ‘number of toys’ given to children matters a lot. Toddlers don’t have high-level control over attention; this creates a distraction and doesn’t allow them to enjoy their playtime.

Fewer toys help children learn to be possessive about their things, appreciate what they have and develop perseverance.

More toys back them from taking the toys that challenge them since they don’t stick it for much longer. It also acquaints them to play with patience and determination.

A few tips to help you decide the right course:

While buying toys for your child, make sure you answer the following questions:

• Do my children really need this?

• Will it help to enhance my child’s playtime?

• How can I encourage my child to play in the best possible ways?

We are not telling you to stop buying toys for your child. Instead, think if the toy will help in your child’s overall development. You can do this:

• Introduce them to new ways of playing without leaving them confused with a pile of toys.

• Rotate the toys periodically.

• Encourage your child to play outdoors and try to spend more quality time with your little one or even play with your child.

Nalanda International School is one of the best schools in Baroda that focuses on enhancing your child’s potential for holistic development. We always believe that the first step of the child's overall development starts at home and how they are raised.

What more can you do?

Always remember that memories are better than presents. Parents should focus on creating better bonding with planning a weekly or monthly movie date, game night, picnic, bake-in Sunday or weekend meals together.

According to Cornell University psychologist, Thomas Gilovich, “ People tend to look back on memories with more satisfaction than material purchases.”

Invest in free-activities or painting at home. The key is that you need to create more memories than the pile of your toys.

Nalanda International School is the best school in Baroda that focuses on the all-round development of the child in academics, activities and sports. We believe that every child is born with a unique talent and our work is to identify and foster their abilities so that they come out with flying colours.

6 Tips for Developing Healthy Food Habits in Children

Raising healthy children can prove to be a task for some parents, and it isn’t about questioning their ability.

It’s just that children can be stubborn at times. Even when children are admitted to the best playschool in Vadodara, it is possible that they do not learn healthy food habits.

It becomes crucial for parents to keep a check on what goes into their child's tummy. When healthy habits are developed at a younger age, the chances of them sticking for life are higher.

It can be tough to teach the same things as they grow older.

Let’s take a look at the 5 tips that you should follow to ensure that your child grows more healthily.

1. Clean Plate Rule

You need to take away the clean plate rule off the charts. Instead, explain to them the nutritional value of each food and allow them to decide when they’re done eating. Overeating is not a part of a healthy diet. They need to be able to recognize when they’re full.

2. Counting Drink Calories

You don’t need to have your child hear the calorific count of a drink, but you must keep a check on it. Soda and sugary drinks come in the way of your child being healthy. 100% pure juice is an excellent choice, and then there’s always everybody's favourite, milk.

3. Controlling the Supply

Being strict and overbearing is different. When you start stocking your house with more healthy foods than unhealthy foods, your child will automatically begin to steer away from the temptation of wanting to eat less nutritious foods. Their snacks for when they go to the best playschool in Vadodara should include veggies and fruits, that’s how you train them.

4. A New Menu

Is it necessary for children to have junk food when going out for dinner? Pizzas, burgers, and pasta should not be made the standard. Encourage your child to try new foods they see on the menu, talk to them about its taste and have them experiment with their taste pallet. If you’re ordering something unique, let them have a bite or two of it.

Encouragement goes a long way in their development. In fact, emotional intelligence needs to be developed in children as well. Read more about it here.

5. Food Isn’t Love

Indian moms have one way of saying I love you, and it’s not the only way. Instead of showing love through food, change the pattern and start to actually say it. Being attached to food can have them become a stress eater or use food as an excuse to cope with emotions. This is simply unhealthy.

6. Offer Choices

This one will affect how they lead their lives as adults as well. You want to offer them a choice when it comes to food, clothes, and various other things. This is a good habit to cultivate in your child, especially if you’re going to be following tip #3.

Following these tips aren’t necessary, rather advisable.

Improving your and your child’s lifestyle is in your hands. When you begin the process at a young age, you can ensure that their lives turn out to be happier and healthier without the consumption of random foods.

Here’s to raising smarter and healthier children!

At Nalanda International School, Vadodara, we encourage children to develop and maintain good values, ethics, punctuality, and provide the means for holistic development, for which poetry is often used in the curriculum. Since we are one of the best playschools in Vadodara, we have a strict ‘no tuition’ policy, and our students are left with a lot of time on hand that can be utilized for various activities.