Spring rockers and rocking chairs, called rocking toys, have amazing benefits for your children. Who would’ve thought as the kid’s rock away that they are developing some important health and cognitive skills? Here we take a look at just why these toys are important for your child’s development.
From birth, mothers around the world rock their children. The benefits associated with rocking are numerous. What’s more, there are many ways to rock a child: in our arms, in a swing, on a rocking horse, or in a hammock.
Calms and soothes
Instinctively, we want to rock a crying a child. There’s a reason for that. Rocking a child helps establish a healthy heart rate as well as good blood circulation. The rocking motion helps the child feel secure and therefore has a calming effect. Rocking can also help warm a child who is cold. By rocking a child, we are fulfilling his social-emotional needs.
A hammock in your yard
Nothing is better than having a hammock in your yard. Children will be able to climb in and out of the playhouse easily and safely if it is hung very low.
Fosters strong emotional ties
Nurseries should all have at least one rocking chair. Both the children and the adults who rock them will benefit from it. Close contact can be made with a child while they are being rocked. The physical act of rocking a child may assist in bonding in large groups, since it provides one-on-one interaction that may otherwise not be available.
Learning to reproduce a tender act
Rocking a baby or toddler will encourage the child to repeat this tender act. Suggest a simple imitation game. Children should be provided with dolls and blankets and encouraged to wrap a doll in a blanket and rock it gently.
Develops balance
When a child is on a rocking toy they need to use their leg and core muscles to make that backwards and forwards movement. By doing this, your children will learn how to balance, which is very important for them to learn as they start walking and running. Also, they develop fine motor skills and hold on to handles, which develops their hands and fingers. The entire movement teaches coordination between hands, arms, legs, and feet.
An introduction to rhythm
A child can develop his sense of rhythm by exploring slow and fast movements while rocking on his own, on a rocking horse, or in your arms. Simple rhymes can be used to accompany a child’s rocking.
Develops visual perception
When you push a child on a swing, you are also providing them with excellent visual stimulation. He can observe the environment from different perspectives (above and below). Play with how you position a young baby as you rock him. He will enjoy looking around. For example, he will look forward if he is sitting on your knees. If you place him so his stomach is against your chest, he can look behind you. If you place him so he is lying down on your arm (like an airplane), he can look downwards at the floor.
Rocking toys encourage creativity
What will your child become on their rocking toy? Will it be a cowboy riding across the wide open spaces chasing the baddies on the train, or will they be sailing the seas to capture the pirates, will they be a pilot flying high in the sky keeping their passengers safe or will they be the bus driver or an animal drinking at the watering hole. All this pretend play develops language and thinking skills, social and emotional skills as well as creativity!
