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Trying to find innovative, educational toys for children that assist in developing their cognition skills, without the use of a screen, can be a challenge. Second to this, one that substantiates sustainability and eco-friendliness. Lastly, supports Australian jobs and dare I say is Made In Australia. Where could I find such a gem I hear you say? Well, you are in the right place.
As many of us know, building blocks are one of the most sought-after games by parents and, simultaneously, most appreciated by children. Different types of building blocks also differ according to the child’s age.
If you want to give a child a building block, this article has been created to help you choose the best cardboard building blocks for kids with the guidance of our friends at Play Edo.
Known for its giant cardboard blocks, Play Edo offers a new way for children ages 3 to 10 to have educational fun, developing their creativity and imagination. What’s more, these eco toys are made from 100% recyclable materials. They are designed in Italy and made in Melbourne, Australia, certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Play Edo building blocks are inspired by the educational Montessori approach to promoting cognitive development and encouraging independence among learners.
How Play Edo Was Born
In 2016, Play Edo started as a Kickstarter in Europe. The idea was brought to Australia thanks to Lisa and Damiano who introduced LEGO (plastic building blocks) to their 3-year-old son. LEGO and Duplo were small and made of unsustainable materials, so they decided to make the switch to an eco-friendly toy to improve their son’s educational growth while focusing on sustainability. They designed and developed Edo, the giant building blocks in Melbourne, Australia, to show gratitude to a place they had called home for 16 years.
Why Gift Your Child Cardboard Toys?
Cardboard toys are loved and desired by children of all ages. Therefore, the margin of error in giving such a gift is very small.
Children will have fun stacking, disassembling, and putting back together the various bricks in the kit of different colours, shapes, and sizes, while parents will appreciate the advantages that this particular type of toy and play method can give to their children. For this reason, giving buildings is always a good choice as it supports educational fun, developing children’s creativity and imagination
As an added benefit, children can colour and draw on the blocks. Play Edo building blocks are made of sustainable materials that make you and your child adopt an eco-friendly approach in life.
Benefits of Cardboard Building Blocks for Your Child
For a child, playing is considered a fundamental activity because, thanks to this toy, it supports their ability to become aware of the reality surrounding them. In particular, dabbling with giant cardboard blocks will bring significant benefits to the child from a purely physical and mental perspective. Inspired by the educational Montessori approach, Play Edo eco toys go a big way in promoting cognitive development in your child as it helps promote open-ended play and for children to learn in a hands-on environment.
These are the benefits your child can get from the giant building blocks:
- Increase in coordination and so-called fine motor skills. Your child will develop his own coordination and motor skills through small movements, such as those aimed at putting together the giant cardboard bricks. These aspects are absolutely essential for his growth.
- Knowledge of geometric shapes, colours, and sizes. By playing with the constructions, your child will begin to approach the various shapes and will acquire concepts such as large, small, narrow, wide, and so on.
- Enhanced creativity. The building gives free rein to the imagination: the child, from an early age, will begin to give rise to his imagination thanks to pieces that he can assemble and disassemble at will in the realization of what is offered by the game.
- Ability to solve problems. When your child finds himself in front of the various bricks, he will begin to think about how to overcome the difficulty submitted to him through the game. All this will also lead him to think outside the box and search for solutions that will allow him to join the pieces in the correct way possible.
- Increased concentration. Since constructions are an activity that does not lead to a single resolution, the child will tend to focus a lot on what he is doing. All of this will inevitably affect your ability to focus, pay attention for longer and longer periods, and finish what has been started.
- Facilitation in approaching mathematics. Some studies have found that dabbling with constructions helps the child to absorb mathematical and geometric notions in the future. The reason is that, as already mentioned, thanks to the game in question, the child has the opportunity to begin at an early age to familiarize himself with notions such as space and the various dimensions of the pieces.
- Increase in self-confidence. Once he has finished playing, your child will see the fruit of his work, which is something that he has personally created. This will help instil self-esteem and confidence, fundamental for healthy and harmonious growth.
- Ability to socialize. In addition to being an individual game, constructions can be fun to share with other children. All this will push the little one to make friends, socialize, create, disassemble and reassemble with the help and company of other peers.
Play Edo eco toys are very safe since they can support up to 50Kgs of weight. The stackable blocks make it easy for your young one to build any construction.
How to Select the Right Constructions?
Selecting the right toy, depending on the child’s age group. Giving a small child some giant cardboard bricks that are not in line with his age would not only risk compromising his safety (by, for example, swallowing small pieces, a highly dangerous gesture for his health) but could result in a challenging game to play, which, therefore, after a while, would end up being set aside.
For babies up to one year, it is advisable to opt for large and soft blocks (such as, for example, those made of padded fabric) because the child will tend to put them in his mouth. As a result, he could get hurt. It is also essential not to choose heavy constructions, as the child could throw them around the room.
For children from 3 years and above, this is the age group in which it is possible to switch to hard plastic blocks (formed in any case by non-pointed but rounded edges) because it is rare for an older child to continue to put on in the mouth the constructions.
Even the size of the bricks can start to change: reducing the size of the buildings will not constitute a danger but a mere stimulus to play and a whole new way to have fun.
Through the leadership of its founder Damiano Gestri, Play Edo provides an educational way for children to have fun. The educational Montessori approach used in developing these giant cardboard blocks plays a pivotal role in your child’s growth. To explore the variety of recycled cardboard blocks and Eco toys visit the Play Edo website.
