Gear Up & Go Lion

Developmental Benefits

Cause & Effect

Motor Skills

Problem Solving

Role Play

Developmental Benefits

Gear Up & Go Lion

Rewards baby as they learn that their actions have reactions
Babies are exploring and experimenting with the world almost from the day they are born. Cause and effect is a scientific concept that babies learn very early in their lives. A delightful example of this is when babies begin to explore gravity by dropping toys whilst sitting in their highchair. The toy drops downwards and makes a noise as it hits the floor. Parents will tend to pick the toy up and return it to the infant. This enables the baby to continue with their experiment and learn more about cause and effect; babies learn a great deal through repetition and it is good to facilitate opportunities where babies can begin to understand that, for instance, a toy will always fall to the ground. This type of learning through cause and effect continues throughout childhood. Encouraging children to be curious about the world facilitates learning through experience. Toys that reliably make a noise when pressed, pulled or touched teach babies that their actions have an effect on the world. VTech bath toys with their pouring and squirting features encourage cause and effect awareness.
Children demonstrate that they have understood the concept of cause and effect when they talk about the consequence of actions. Before children use spoken language researchers discover what young infants understand about the world by presenting them with unexpected events. For example, babies are beginning to understand that toys reliably fall to the ground and that if a toy train goes into a tunnel it will come out the other end. If babies are presented with an unexpected event where, for example, a moving toy train disappears behind a screen but does not come out the other end they will stare for a long time at the screen. VTech toys offer babies and children the opportunity to learn more about cause and effect by pressing buttons and listening to the sounds, moving toys around and playing educational computer games.

Encourages fine motor skill development.
An infant’s growth and development in the first year of life is rapid. Many movements that young babies make are in preparation for the next stage of their development. When young babies watch a mobile they are constantly moving their head, arms, legs and even their mouths in response to the movement of the toy. Sound and movement attract a baby’s attention; if a toy is placed almost within reach of babies their movements become more animated. Bath toys provide opportunities to develop and use motor skills to great effect. For example, a young baby has greater control over their leg movements than their arms. You will often see young babies in a bath reaching with their legs towards a floating toy and kicking. All these movements strengthen muscles in readiness for the next stage - walking.
As babies develop they become more adept at grasping objects. Young infants learn to grasp an object, for instance a cube. The grasping, at first, is quite clumsy but through repetition, and across time, infants become adept at grasping and develop fine motor skills. Infants first use the ulnar grasp where their fingers close against the palm when trying to hold an object. Within another month they are able to move the object from hand to hand. After the first year, infants adopt the ‘pincer grasp’ where they use their thumb and index finger to grasp even very tiny objects. Shape sorters help infants to fine tune their visual perception and hand coordination. Soon infants are building towers with two cubes; this also requires fine coordination skills. As the child grows computer games have been shown to help with hand and eye coordination. Spatial skills can also be enhanced when playing games that require concentration, quick responses and finely tuned motor skills.

Develops logic skills and strategic thinking through memory.
Babies become increasingly adept at solving problems as their motor skills become more finely tuned. Problem solving in infancy and childhood is about directing attention towards a goal and behaving in such a way as to achieve a successful outcome. For instance, a young infant who sees an adult hide a toy under a blanket will cease to look for it whereas an older infant will pull away the blanket to reveal the toy. These types of actions are the foundations of problem solving behaviour. Babies and children love games where they have to find a hidden object; they can have fun and at the same time increase their problem solving capabilities.
Babies love to explore and experiment with the world. At the end of the first year infants are exploring the features of objects by handling and playing with them in new ways. For instance, when babies are trying to fit a block through a hole they will twist, turn and push it until it fits through the space. Babies are also expanding their problem solving skills by learning to look for objects in more than one place. Adults can help with the development of problem solving in young children by directing attention to the potential solution to a problem. As children grow they learn to direct their attention and plan their actions. Thinking about actions ahead of time and planning what do next is all part of problem solving. Playing games, whether it is on a computer or with another person can enhance problem solving skills.

Develops imagination and encourages cooperation, listening and turn-taking.
Role play is a form of social pretend play. Children benefit from social pretend play because it can help them to revisit events that may have provoked some anxiety in the past. For instance, after a visit to the doctors children often play at being doctors and nurses. Role play not only reflects but also contributes to children’s cognitive and social skills. Playing out an experience enables children to understand more about it.
Research has shown that during social pretend play, young children’s interactions last longer, are more engaging and also more cooperative. Nursery school children who spend more time in socio-dramatic role playing are also perceived as more socially competent by their teachers. Role play enhances many cognitive abilities such as sustained attention, memory, language and literacy skills, and helps children to understand and manage their emotions. Role play is generally a social activity but some children can engage in solitary role play where they create imaginary companions. Games where children can create worlds and populate them with their own characters can be beneficial.

Best for ages:

18 to 36 Months

Highlights

Lion reads stories about his gear friends and tells Lion facts. Includes gear friend Mouse, 1 Smart Pole, 3 sing-along songs and a handle gear to turn the animals.

Description

Gear Up & Go on exciting adventures with the Lion and his gear friend Mouse! This adventurous Lion features a Smart Pole that plays animal sounds, facts, songs and melodies when an animal gear is placed on it. Place the animal gears on the Smart Pole and press the light up star button to hear Lion facts and for Lion to tell you stories about his friendship with his best buddy mouse and his other animal gear friends! Turn the fixed gear to speed up the melodies when they play! Animal gear Mouse included.

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