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Fisher-Price hosted an event titled “Learning Revolutionised” hosted by
Dr. Deborah Weber, Director of Early Childhood Development at
Fisher-Price. Dr. Weber, who is based in Aurora, New York, came all the
way to Malaysia to speak with the media and discuss what goes into
raising well-rounded kids in a technologically advancing world. |
From the moment they are born, children have a natural inclination
to explore the world around them. How do they do that? Largely through
play. If play is such a naturally occuring window through which kids see
the world, it follows that the kind of toys they play with will have a
large impact on the kind of play they get to participate in. This is the
topic that Fisher-Price○R set out to explore at their event titled
“Learning Revolutionised,” overseen by Dr. Deborah Weber, Director of
Early Childhood Development at Fisher-Price○R.
Educational
toy-maker, Fisher-Price○R has been at the forefront of developments in
toys since the company was formed in 1930. While the team of adults
there have proven to be wholly committed to developing toys that are
safe, durable, and high-quality - there is no better way to ensure those
toys will be fun than to ask the consumers themselves: children. This
is where Fisher-Price○R’s Play Lab comes in. The Play Lab research
facility puts observational research at the centre of its design
strategy. Over the years, it has seen more than 127,000 babies and
pre-school children and 1,700 parents through toy trials.
“The
ability to observe how children play has been instrumental in allowing
us to create toys that they love,” explained Dr. Weber. “Play Lab allows
us to determine the age-grade for our products - ensuring that
Fisher-Price○R is creating toys are both appropriate and enriching for
developing children.”
Dr. Weber discussed the development
chart that Fisher-Price○R uses to group their toys. She shared about
why it is important for parents to an age-appropriate play guide as play
can help facilitate their children’s growth. While the stages of
development are a good reference for parents, Dr. Weber stressed that it
cannot be taken at face value - that all children develop at their own
pace and reach milestones at different times.
This could
not have been a more timely reminder in our technologically advancing
world. It isn’t uncommon to see young children at a dinner table with a
smartphone or tablet propped in front of them while the adults at the
table chat or do the same. Gadgets are undeniably effective as devices
of distraction, but healthy parameters do need to be set. Dr. Weber
provided some useful tips that parents could apply in managing gadget
time for their kids: review content appropriateness, limits on gadget
time, and ensuring that there are periodical breaks between each
session.
On the topic of technological advancements, Dr.
Weber highlighted the growing importance of the STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) method in today’s early
childhood development. The STEM method puts an emphasis in active and
systematic thinking - sharpening critical thinking and problem solving
skills. It plays a large role in preparing children to build globally
competitive characters, ready to take on a wide range of technical and
creative careers in the future.
With the intention to
meet the growing need for an early STEM education, Fisher-Price○R
presents the Think & Learn line of toys that combines STEM methods
and technology-based learning systems. Dr. Weber demonstrated how one of
these toys, the Code-A-PillarTM, works to do exactly this. The toy
features 9 easy-to-connect segments that preschoolers can arrange and
rearrange to “tell” the toy how to move: forward, left, right, wiggle,
dance or even wait for a couple seconds before moving again. Kids start
the Code-a-pillarTM at point A and figure out how to get it to move to
destination point B through sequencing.
Dr. Weber
emphasised “Every parent wants to give their children the best possible
start in life. It is important that throughout the process, parents are
also involved in play time, witnessing their child’s early development
first hand. In a technologically changing world, it is becoming more
crucial for children to develop problem solving skills and what other
way to best develop this skill then through play! When kids are busy
playing, they are building more than preschool learning: they are
building the foundation to grow into big thinkers.”
With
Fisher-Price○R at the helm of a very exciting developments in play
time, parents can rest easy, knowing that their kids are in good hands.
For more information, check out their Facebook page [FisherPriceSEA] and website [fisher-price.com/sea].
