Early childhood educators are responsible for selecting safe and developmentally appropriate toys for children of various age groups and stages of development. For toys to be developmentally appropriate, the toys and materials used to make them must meet the needs of children at a particular age and stage of development. When you're an early childhood educator, you'll need to know what is both safe and developmentally appropriate for the children for whom you're buying toys. You should consider the individual needs of each child who will use the toys.
Instructions
Research the guidelines for selecting safe and developmentally appropriate toys for all children ages birth to eight years. Then, select three specific toys you believe to be safe and developmentally appropriate for children of a selected age group, and explain the appropriateness of the toy as you answer a series of questions about each toy.
You’ll provide all of the requested information and answer all of the questions.
PART 1
Research the appropriate guidelines for selecting toys for young children. This information is available on the Internet and in many early childhood publications. Then, write a short essay of 300-350 words summarizing many guidelines regarding toy safety and developmental appropriateness. You'll likely wish to include at least fifteen guidelines in your essay.
In your essay, you must include in-text citations in APA format to indicate where the information originated from.
Essays received without proper in-text citations and a References page in APA format will be considered plagiarized, and a grade of 1% may be awarded. Ensure you are correctly citing all of your research in your essay.
PART 2
Select one of the following age groups:
6 to 12 months
1 to 3 years
3 to 5 years
Select three toys you believe to be safe, developmentally appropriate and educational for a typical child within the age group you've selected. For each of the toys, provide responses to the following questions using fully developed sentences and paragraphs:
Provide the full name of the toy, and the name of the manufacturer. If you wish, you may also include an optional image of the toy.
Provide a detailed description of the toy in your own words. Use 5-7 sentences to indicate, for example, the size of the toy, the materials it's made from, it's purpose, how it is cleaned and sanitized, how it is played with, how it is stored, its typical purchase price and where it can be purchased, and other information you wish to share.
Then, answer each of these questions, concisely in fully-developed paragraphs:
Why is this toy developmentally appropriate for a child in this age group?
Why is this toy educational? What can children learn by playing with this toy?
Why is this toy appealing to a child in this age group?
Would a parent select this toy? Why or why not?
Would you select this toy to use with a child in this age group? Why or why not?
Is the toy safe for young children? Why or why not?
What hazards could you anticipate with this toy? How can you prevent the hazard from happening?