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The beauty of getting educational toys for your children

By Oyinkansola Sadiq-Mabeko
09 December 2016   |   2:39 am
Children get the proper formal education from their various schools because parents see to it that they attend the best schools they can afford. So, what kind of education would you provide for them at home ...
PHOTO: Earth Toys

PHOTO: Earth Toys

Children get the proper formal education from their various schools because parents see to it that they attend the best schools they can afford. So, what kind of education would you provide for them at home, to balance the scales of what they learn every day? Are you perhaps thinking culture? Yes, I am and this Christmas might be a great way to start. If we do not ensure that children have reasonable knowledge about our heritage, we risk cultural erosion. It is not uncommon to see Nigerian children who were born and raised in this country but cannot speak their native language. As a matter of fact, some parents believe that for their children to speak flawless English or French is way better than speaking Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa. Can you understand the deep rot this kind of situation will have on Nigeria in 5 generations to come? There will be a very ridiculous percentage of Nigerians speaking their mother tongue. We have been actively complaining about the loss of our culture but how many of us actually do something about it?

We can begin to change the status quo by doing the following:
Get your children cultural learning aids this Christmas – Don’t be alarmed, a learning aid can be something as simple as a well thought out toy that is a lot of fun but helps your children to learn about Nigeria. Asides from toys, there are channels that are run only in specific Nigerian languages. You will be surprised by how much your child will learn from listening to people speak the local language, and the amount of knowledge they will rack up from the educational toys.

Teach them about the other places in Nigeria – Again, to some children, Nigeria ends where their state ends. There are educational books or toys that give detailed or fun description about states of Nigeria, their natural resources and what is special about each of them.

Spend time with them – Your children need to know that you are not just dumping all your culture love on them but that you are also passionate about it therefore you are willing to spend your spare time discussing Nigeria and what the country means to you.

Start Shopping Now – Put all of the three points noted above together and start looking out for educational toys that can help you out. It might seem like a fairly easy thing to do, but once you delay it till the last minute, it’s not exactly easy anymore. You end up grabbing what you see in sight. Ethan & Harriet Family Floor Nigeria Puzzle and Ethan & Harriet Lift n Learn Magnetic Puzzle are examples of how we can bridge this culture gap and solve the problem. They are well thought out and are specifically interested in ensuring your children have fun while learning.

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