Carmen Knight, MAT, Early Childhood & Special Education

Interactive play is so important to the social development of all children. It teaches vital social skills like receptive and expressive communication, turn-taking, and the importance of building relationships. These skills are imperative for success with friendships and in school. Every parent wants their child to be able to get along and develop friendships that will last a lifetime and as therapists, we can help facilitate a pathway to that goal. A fun way to make sure these skills develop is through interactive play.

With interactive play, your patient will learn vital skills while having a great time. SmileMakers offers a portable Take-Along Railroad Set that will encourage interactive play in any setting. This is the toy that I would not be able to live without as an Early Interventionist or therapist.  And I encourage my patient's family to invest in it so that skills can be worked on well beyond therapeutic sessions. The Take-Along Railroad Set provides you with many opportunities to show off the child's level of interactive play, communication, and fine motor skills.

Communication comes in the form of receptive and expressive language. Receptive language is a child's ability to show an understanding of what is being said to them. An example would be the ability to follow a one-step direction. Working on receptive language skills is a breeze when you ask them to identify the color of each train on the railroad set. Expressive language is the child's ability to use words to tell you something or ask a question. Expressive communication can be developed by demonstrating the sounds of the train as well as naming the colors of the trains and items on the railway set. This set allows expressive language to become fun with all the sounds and words that can be made during this incredibly interactive activity.

Turn-taking is another skill to work on during play therapy that will be beneficial to children as they learn to interact with their friends. This seems like such a simple skill, but children need to learn the importance of taking turns during play and in an educational environment. You can demonstrate this skill by taking the train around the tracks yourself and then giving the child a turn. This toy encourages a fun and educational session.

The sturdy trains in this Take-Along Railroad Set assist with fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Allowing the child to place the pieces of the train together and putting them on and off the track will work on these skills while the child is having fun. This is such a great toy that will allow you, as an Early Interventionist or Therapist, to work on the importance of interactive play with one amazing toy. Imagine the ease of taking just one toy out for an entire session!