The first five years of a child’s life are the most critical years of his development. These are the years where a child experiences a tremendous growth in his cognitive ability which involves their intellectual growth and thinking but the ability requires stimulation which can be attained by ways of educational games.

That is the reason why the curriculum of preschools and Montessori is designed in a way that it includes a large number of educational games and activities. Psychologists all around the world believe that the games played by a child in his early years of life are the source from where he drives his traits.

However it is important to figure out what kinds of games should be selected for children and how much time should be assigned for them to play. The experts of preschools program believe that children are natural towards play and the more they play the more they learn.

The experts also believe that a child is more attracted towards those games that engage him both physically and mentally they made that statement after interviewing a number of preschool children and asking them about their personal favorite games. A larger proportion of the students said that they like playing with their Lego and jigsaw puzzles because both the games involve thinking and imagination.

The first person to focus on the importance of play in early years of life was Friedrich Froebels who is also known as the founder of kinder garden. Froebels designed a series of toys for kids with an intention of utilizing them to enhance cognitive skills of children. The toys were not just accidentally discovered by him he created them after observing the behaviours and activities of kids of different backgrounds and life style.

These toys are famously known as Froebels’ gifts. It includes series of sticks of different sizes that can help children to learn differentiate in sizes of the objects and a series of rings which are thrown on a focal point these created with an intention of enhancing sense of concentration in children. These toys are still used in play schools in a bit modified form.

On the bases of his design people created more toys like Legos and backing his theory that play is the source of learning for children experts began to work on curriculum which involves games rather than books.

 They came up with a series of number games that stimulates a child to learn the skill to calculate and identify numbers. Colour games that helps children identifying colors and word games that helps children to work on their vocabulary. Experts of child education introduced games based on flash cards to enhance the children’s skill of remembering things.

Time passed by and a number of programs were shown on Television based on the cognitive and fun games designed for children. The kids from 90’s learnt a lot from a cartoon series Sesame Street and then cartoon series of Dora came in to help.

Pediatrics and psychologists believe that the two third of a child’s day can be devoted to play it ensures his physical as well as mental health. So next time when your kid asks you play with him sit with him and encourages him to play games that are healthy. A research has shown that indoor games are also good source of sibling bonding.

The games which are played in preschools are designed in a manner that they develop a sense of sharing and understanding the needs of others. Children learn the importance of staying together and develop moral characters by means of playing.