Switch & Go Dinos Light Projection Dino Spark the Velociraptor

Developmental Benefits

Creative Play

Imitative Play

Independent Play

Motor Skills

Developmental Benefits

Switch & Go Dinos Light Projection Dino Spark the Velociraptor

Use imagination in a variety of ways and contexts to communicate ideas
When children engage in creative play they are showing that they have the ability to produce something new and original. Children benefit from opportunities where they are free to use their imagination and explore. In order for creative play to occur children need to be in an environment that is rich in stimulation. Curiousity will drive children to take part in creative play.
Creative play is different from other forms of play; it enables children to develop confidence in their own abilities as they begin to think and work independently. Games and activities that provide choices and also a number of alternative solutions encourage a certain amount of risk-taking. Games with alternative answers can lead children to think creatively and differently. Children need encouragement to play and think creatively. Opportunities to engage in creative play boost children’s confidence and enable them to come up with better ideas. Children benefit from the knowledge they gain through creative play.

Copying observed action encourages social and emotional skills.
Imitation begins very early in an infant’s life. Young children learn socially from older children and adults by copying them. Imitative play is a fundamental part of learning; young children watch adults and then copy them extensively. Throughout their early years children are learning to adapt to the cultural world into which they have been born. Imitative play allows children to experiment with the cultural tools and behaviour that they have observed. Children try to use laptops, phones and any other electronic device available to them because they have seen adults using and interacting with these devices. Young children’s manual dexterity and hand and eye coordination is well adapted for using mobile phones and other devices. Children can benefit from having replica items available, such as an infant laptop or an imitation mobile phone. These electronic items can enhance manual skills, hand and eye coordination and spatial skills.
Imitative play requires children to observe and copy other’s behaviour. Sometimes children watch another child performing an action but don’t copy the action immediately. Lots of imitative play occurred in our nursery school study where we observed children playing with VTech toys. Children learn through observing and copying others. Young children watch other children and observe the consequences of actions without having to perform the actions themselves. This can help with social and also motor skills. A young child in our nursery study watched another child press a button on a toy to play some music and then jig up and down. After wandering off the young child who had observed the jigging returned to the toy pressed the button and began to jig up and down to the music. Children learn from each other as they play. Imitative play allows for lots of repetition which is also a valuable learning activity.

Games and voice prompts allow children to control the pace.
Early play in infants tends to be solitary or takes place alongside other children. Young children learn how to interact with other children through play but they can also explore and learn independently. The initial play experience for infants is when they begin to explore through moving and acting upon the world. Many toys offer infants the opportunity to learn more about their world. Young children will sometimes act out some aspect of their lives e.g. going to the shops and then they involve their toys in these activities. These young children are playing independently but they are also reinforcing their understanding of the social world by acting out scenarios.
Young children can consolidate their existing skills by repeating actions whilst playing a game. Learning to play independently has its benefits, for instance, children using an educational game can control their own pace. Children sometimes choose to work independently in order to build up their confidence. Toys and computer games that facilitate independent activity at the right level for the child enhance problem solving skills and increase hand and eye coordination. Although cooperative play increases during childhood, children still spend the equivalent amount of time in solitary or independent play.

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.

Best for ages:

3 to 8 Years

Highlights

Stomp into the cool, crazy world of prehistoric creatures that turn into vehicles with the Switch & Go Dinos Flare the Velociraptor!

Description

Stomp into the cool, crazy world of prehistoric creatures that turn into vehicles with the Switch & Go Dinos Spark the Velociraptor! This Velociraptor breathes fire with awesome light and sound effects. Check out the animated dino eyes! With speed and power on its side, this raptor is a treacherous predator. Time for a quick getaway? Transform the dino easily into a sleek Race Car. Check out its lightning trail! An animated race car driver makes the character change complete. Awesome fire lights and sound effects bring your Switch & Go® world to life. Pit the Velociraptor Race Car against the other Switch & Go dinos for a fearsome match-up. Who is most powerful? Strongest? Toughest? Smartest? Start your engine. Here we go! Additional Switch & Go dinosaurs sold separately.