Cognitive play is a type of play that helps build a variety of children's cognitive skills. What are cognitive elements of play, specifically? Problem-solving, paying attention, reasoning, and remembering things they’ve learned and experienced are all important skills that are developed during cognitive play. Additional skills that are enhanced in cognitive development in play are vocabulary, language skills, perspective taking, and creativity.
Believe it or not, “play” is a critical component of healthy cognitive development in kids of all ages and cognitive development toys and activities help foster these skills.
What is Considered Cognitive Play?
Cognitive play can include activities that challenge children to overcome obstacles, like playing on monkey bars or creating new games. It can also include activities that help children practice critical thinking skills, such as puzzles, memory games, and building blocks. Essentially, any activity that involves a challenge for kids to overcome will have cognitive benefits of play.
What are the benefits of play for cognitive development? Play provides many benefits for and supports cognitive development since it engages children in activities that not only promote cognitive development but also removes barriers to cognitive development. For example, cognitive play enhances problem-solving, collaboration, mental flexibility, and creativity, all of which promote cognitive development. But this type of play also removes barriers to cognitive development like fear, anxiety, and stress.
Toys and Cognitive Development
There are many types of cognitive toys and activities, both indoor and outdoor, that help foster cognitive development in children.
Indoor Cognitive Play Toys
Activities such as board games, puzzles, and matching games help develop cognitive skills and are great indoor options. In addition to these activities, our unique kids’ pretend play sets inspire creativity, cooperation, critical thinking, and more.
Outdoor Cognitive Play Toys
You can also encourage cognitive play through outdoor physical activity. Swing sets and toddler climbing toys provide a foundation for a variety of play options that will offer cognitive benefits through outdoor play. We offer a variety of climbers, which provide hours of fun outdoor play (but many can also be used indoors in a playroom!).
These indoor and outdoor cognitive toys will foster your child’s learning while also making playtime fun. Shop our toys for cognitive development today!
To shop by other skills, check out our toys for imaginative play, active play, creative play, and social play.