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Skills That Your Child Can Learn Playing with Interactive Talking Dolls

A parent-child relationship is important for the healthy development of the child. Children who bond with their parent, especially their mother, have positive lifelong effects. Not only does the parent ensure that the child is safe, but also help them develop socially and emotionally. However, most parents lack adequate time to spend with their children due to work and other life demands. This leaves them with lesser time to socialize with their children and help them develop through the various milestones. In these current dynamics, toys and dolls provide an alternative for keeping the children company when the parents are away for work or busy doing something else.

Children have always loved toys, and spending time with toys is one of the greatest ways they have fun. When used in the right way, toys can help your kids to become creative and develop life skills. Companies that develop games and educational toys for kids are coming up with new ideas to help children develop certain skills while having fun. Among the most transformative concepts of the modern time is the introduction of interactive talking baby dolls. This type of baby doll can be used to engage your child in realistic conversations while responding with head movements and appropriate facial expressions. As your child plays with this doll, he or she can develop a wide range of developmental skills and abilities:

  • Social skills
  • Speaking and communication skills
  • Cognitive skills
  • Logic and imagination
  • Confidence and self-esteem
  • Self-help skills
  • Motor skills
  • Sharing and teamwork
  • Coping skills

Image 1: Children having fun with interactive talking dolls, (source: Ask Amy fb)

Interactive Talking Dolls Help Kids Develop Social Skills

Social skills are among the most important aspects that babies try to master from an early age. As a parent, you should prepare your baby to understand different types of emotions and explore the environment. Speech is particularly an important part of improving your child’s social skills. Talking toys for kids an excellent choice for your child to learn new sounds and increase their vocabulary. Although children are considered sociable if they talk a lot, the ability to listen is also an important aspect of good social skills. Talking toys can play songs and music that can help your child to develop social skills by listening. It also helps the child feel less lonely as the toy will be responding to his or her queries.

Talking Dolls Help Children Improve Speaking Skills

Children convey their feelings when they interact by speaking properly and using the right language. Today, developers and manufacturers of toys have introduced advanced dolls that help children in developing speaking and language skills. In an article featured on Mashables, Oren Jacob, former CTO at Pixar describes how children can improve their speaking skills by playing with such toys. Jacob notes that the toys allow children learn how to express themselves vocally by having a partner they can play with and who can talk back without getting tired. Children can learn how to speak with the help of these dolls, especially when they receive proper guidance from parents on how to use them. A child will find it more fun to imitate voices and sounds from a doll, and become more fluent in speaking. This continued process helps children learn and improve their communication skills in the long run.

Talking Toys Help in the Growth of Cognitive Skills

Cognitive skills enable a child to recognize colors, solve problems, and improve memory. Some kids talking toys are designed to help children memorize, recite poems, sing the alphabets and understand numbers. Your children can achieve these basic cognitive skills by playing with an interactive talking doll that engages them in real time challenges. The play sessions include activities that make the child think and memorize things.

Video 1: A child plays with an interactive doll while developing self-learning skills, (source: YouTube)

Playing with an Interactive Doll Improves Logic and Imaginations

When a child’s imagination is properly nurtured, it gives them the ability to be creative and develop their talents. Interactive dolls are designed to be educational and help the child learn new concepts. For instance, the doll will recite poems or tell stories that will help your kid develop and improve their imaginations. This can inspire them to come up with their own story, song or a poem. This form of logic and imagination will have the long-term effect of enabling the child to recognize and become aware of his or her surroundings.

Playing with a Doll Improves Your Child’s Motor Skills

Another benefit that children derive from playing with toys and dolls is the growth of their motor skills. Every time a child interacts with a toy, they engage in activities that require them to move around and use their hands.  This may include dressing the doll, cleaning it, or even moving it around. When dressing or undressing a doll, the child practices how clothing works like buttons and zippers work. Toddlers tend to experiment with kids learning toys that require them to move body parts like legs, hands, and fingers. For instance, when bathing or feeding the doll, the child practices sequencing skills that many children struggle with at an early age. This form of movement is an integral part in the growth and development of motor skills of your child.

Children Gain Confidence When Playing with Toys

Children discover talents when they play and this boosts their confidence. Whenever a child recites a poem, solves a puzzle or makes a story, they are proud of what they can do. They become excited about trying new ideas and more confident. Kids learning toys and dolls are deigned to help children discover their strong points and build confidence. The child can explore different ideas, find out what they are good at, and push themselves further to see what else they can do.

Taking Care of a Doll Helps in the Growth of Self-Help Skills

Self-help skills help your child to be independent in activities like brushing of teeth, brushing hair, or dressing on their own. The child learns these activities by taking care of their toys and dolls. When you child dresses a doll or brushes her hair, it becomes an excellent learning experience on self-help. Doing these activities enhances the child’s abilities to meet their own basic needs and taking care of their own hygiene. When playing with a doll, children usually imitate the way adults care for the young ones. This makes the child to start thinking about the needs of someone else. They start appreciating the need for feed the doll, clean it, kept it warm, and even comfort it when it is sad. This is also a great way for the child to develop empathy.

Image 2: Child taking care of her dolls (Source: www.askamydoll.com/)

Talking with a Doll Encourages Sharing and Teamwork

Kids are usually selfish when they are younger, especially toddlers. They want to keep their games and toys to themselves. However, as they grow up, they understand the importance of sharing their toys with their classmates and friends. Kids learning toys come with features meant to teach your child to share and work as a team with others. As children spend time with the doll, they begin to learn the importance of working in a team. The toy engages children in activities that prompt them to learn how to share and work with others.

Interactive Talking Dolls Impart Coping Skills on Your Child

Playing with toys such as baby dolls helps young children to prepare having a sibling. Specifically, role playing as a big brother or sister with a doll helps children to learn how to care for their younger siblings. When a new sibling arrives, much of the parent’s attention shifts to the new infant.  As the kids grow up, they experience all types of situations. However, learning how to deal with such situations begins in their childhood. Due to their interactive nature, talking dolls can help children to learn how to love and care for the younger sibling. This will see them taking up the helper role when the parent is occupied with something else in the home.

Does Your Child Really Need an Interactive Talking Doll?

Nothing can really replace the bond between a parent and their child. However, a talking doll or toy contributes greatly to the healthy development of a kid. For many parents, such a toy is a savior as it also keeps the children away from the screens. It can engage your child in real conversation and teach your child new things without your intervention being need. The toy can provide inspiration, motivate kids to recite poems, sing lullabies, sing the alphabets, among many other educational attributes. Take Ask Amy as an example. The doll can sit on the bed, upright in a chair, in the car and she loves cuddling. You child can play with this talking and educational doll at any time, whenever you cannot give the much-needed attention.

Video 2: Children playing with Ask Amy Interactive Doll (Source: YouTube)

Ask Amy doll makes natural facial expressions including blinking eyes in a lifelike fashion, head movements, and moving her lips when speaking. With voice recognition, she can engage the child in real-time conversation. Children play and bond with her, enjoy her company and feel a sense of belonging. The toy can also be beneficial to autistic children, helping them to relax and feel safe. As they play with the toy, the children improve their motility and develop better communication skills. Although this doll will not provide the same kind of bond that you may provide, it helps you child to learn while playing. Learning through play is essential because it helps children develop skills in a fun and enjoyable manner. It is also the most natural form of learning because the child is engaging in what they most enjoy doing.

Dolls are a major childhood staple. Interactive dolls increase the imaginative power of the child. Playing with the doll sparks creative scenarios in the minds of the children, boosting their imagination. Ask Amy provides interests for all kinds of children. She has features that stimulate imaginative skills, social skills, and emotional skills. This helps the children imagine themselves in the role of a caregiver. She also provides caregiving features such as changing of diapers, soothing and feeding. She will respond to questions with different answers. Each time you ask her questions, she responds to the new command. Some of the questions or verbal prompts you can use to engage with Ask Amy include hello, sing me a song, where are you from, I love you, tell me a story, am I pretty, and goodbye. The doll is also equipped with the ability to tell jokes and giggle. This demonstrates just why having an interactive talking doll for your child is worth the consideration.

Conclusion

While the main purpose of providing your kids with toys is to have fun and enjoy themselves, they can also play a significant role in the development of the child. Interactive dolls like are great toys for developing minds. They enhance your child’s nurturing skills, develop critical empathy skills and the ability to think critically. When you provide your kids with excellent toys, you promote their physical and mental health growth. It is also a good way to encourage your child to step out of the comfort zone, become more self-confidence and imaginative.

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