Welcome to The Wooden Toy Co Play Guide!

In these play guides we will demonstrate different ways to use your toys and extend on your play, but also give a little information in to what benefits play has for your children.

In this guide we discuss ways to play with a Pikler triangle before your child is walking or ready for climbing.

Pikler triangles are a great way to encourage your child to explore their physical development. Originally developed by Emmi Pikler, a Hungarian paediatrician who noticed ways to encourage physical development within her own children.

Pikler triangles offer many benefits to physical development, such as increasing balance, concentration, independence and grip strength, which is so important for later years to learn to write. Pikler’s also have cognitive benefits, in problem solving and creativity.

Below we have detailed some great ideas on how to use your Pikler before your child is ready to climb, so that they can still gain physical skills from using it.

Silk Play

Adding a silk to play can add an extra dimension to any play but adding a silk to a triangle is great for encouraging easy sensory while your child is sitting or during tummy time. Young children can make the silk wave and dance, they can feel the fabric, this can be an easy threading activity for large rings, and not frustrate as easily as the other end is tied.

To do this activity you must watch your child.

 If you wanted to increase the sensory part of this activity then you can change the material or have strips of different material tied to the Pikler in the same way.

Save the Rings

Working on fine motor and grip strength skills is important for things like learning to use cutlery. This activity is quick and easy to set up, if you do not have rings, you could use any lightweight items that you have lying around.

If your child is sitting but not yet standing or climbing, this activity encourages your child to reach, balance and use their strength to remove the rings. It also encourages your child to concentrate and increases hand-eye coordination.

Playing Peek-a-boo

Around the age of 8 months, babies begin to understand object permanence, that is the idea that even though an object is hidden out of sight, it still exists.

Adding a silk to a Pikler in this way creates a different take on an object permanence box and allows the child to have fun pulling the silk off the triangle to find an object. This uses the upper body muscles and can encourage your child to cross the midline, which also enhances balance.

Do you have other activities that you set up for your little one on the Pikler’s? We would love to see them! Don’t forget to tag us on Facebook -vhttps://www.facebook.com/thewoodentoycoau and Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_wooden_toy_co/