Preschool Learning Tools

Preschool Learning Tools
Speech/language delays and disorders affect some 5 to 10 percent of the U.S. population, so getting children off to a good start is important. And, since children love to play, combining education with fun is a formula for success.

Here are some fun learning products to boost your preschooler’s language skills. These games are a great way to engage in family play, too.

Cool Cards series ($11.99 each) features large, colorful cards perfect for small hands. Packaged for travel in a durable, metal tin, the variations (Associations, Opposites and Part-to-Whole Relationships) challenge children of every level.

Mad Magnet-Match series ($16.95 each) is the winner of Dr. Toy’s 2009 Best Vacation Products. Large magnetic pieces come in a travel tote, and also teach Associations, Opposites and Part-to-Whole Relationships.

Memory Matching Game ($19.99) helps children learn the plural form of irregular nouns — like goose and geese, foot and feet, mouse and mice. Winner of an iParenting Media Award, the game is designed to improve concentration skills.

Fun and Function (www.funandfunction.com) also offers a comprehensive Language Tool Kit ($84.51) that includes Cool Cards, Mad Magnet and Memory Matching, plus Four-Step Sequencing and Sounds At Home. CP

Compiled by Eve White.