Baltimore, MD - 15 October, 2003 -

During the holiday season, the stores are packed with a variety of toys and games, making it hard for parents to know which types are appropriate matches for their children. By selecting toys that offer a combination of fun and learning, parents can do more than just stimulate a child’s enjoyment they can enhance his reading and math skills while nurturing problem solving and imagination. “Toys and games allow children to have fun, while nurturing skills important for future learning and development,” explains Richard Bavaria, Ph.D., vice president of education for Sylvan Learning Center. “Parents can easily judge a toy’s value by identifying the skills that can be enhanced through play. A well chosen toy that fits a child’s age, abilities and interests can offer the right combination of learning and fun while stimulating thought and imagination.” To help parents identify toys that nurture learning behaviors in key areas of development, Sylvan Learning Center offer the tips below and the corresponding clip-out shopping guide to help parents find toys that making learning fun: Math Board games can show children how math is used beyond the classroom. Take turns playing banker in Monopoly or play a game of Yahtzee and calculate the odds of rolling specific number combinations. Electronic counting games offer children number and counting challenges. A toy cash register helps children understand math when making change with money. Building blocks teach children about geometry and shapes. Dominoes are a great game for children of all ages. Smaller children can use them to recognize similar quantities while older children can explore the concepts of probability. Reading/Writing Books help children enhance their vocabulary and appreciate words and literature. See if there is a certain author whose books your child likes to read and be sure to bring home a couple of his favorite books. For guidance on age-specific books in your child’s favorite subject areas, check out www.bookadventure.org. Find a special diary or personalized writing tool for your child and she’ll have hours of fun writing journal entries every day. Before she realizes it, she’ll have set aside extra writing time that she’ll certainly look forward to! Visit www.educate.com for online journal. Subscribe to a magazine for your child (e.g., Ladybug, Ranger Rick, Spider, Your Big Backyard, Zoobooks, etc.) to learn about topics of interest to him. He will be excited about having his own reading materials that come in the mail addressed to him each month. Imagination/Creativity Pretend play with dolls, stuffed animals and action figures can spark a child’s imagination. Dress up costumes, dollhouses and other pretend props encourage children to tell stories and play make-believe. Young children love to pretend with child-size versions of everyday adult objects. Find activities and toys that are pretend versions of items you use on a regular basis. Children love to do what grownups do. Toys like the Easy-Bake Oven introduce children to basic food preparation skills, such as reading recipes and following cooking directions. Art materials, such as a paint set or craft kit, foster creativity and help improve reading and writing skills. Reasoning Skills For young children, toys like building blocks, LEGO’s , and Tinkertoys actually help children acquire the reasoning necessary to learn math more quickly. Look into games like Connect Four or Yahtzee to teach your child strategy and problem solving skills; he’ll have fun learning and playing before he even knows it! Science kits, chemistry sets and ant farms offer great insights into the world of science and help enhance reading comprehension and critical thinking. They also encourage your child to follow the rules and strategy behind experiments. Video games are often not thought of as educational games, but they help build reasoning skills and logic as children navigate the different levels of each game. Project-based toys such as model airplanes, cars, ships and rockets help children build motor skills, teach them how to follow directions, and encourage ideas about how things work. For additional information on writing, reading, making math learning fun and much more visit www.educate.com/tips. Learning feels goodTM at Sylvan Learning Center, the leading provider of tutoring services to students of all ages and skill levels. With 24 years of experience and over 960 centers located throughout North America, Sylvan Learning Center is the largest organization of its kind in the industry. Sylvan's trained and certified teachers provide personalized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test-prep for college entrance and state exams. At Sylvan, students develop the skills to do better in school and the confidence to do better in everything else. Sylvan Learning Center is a subsidiary of Educate, Inc. For more information regarding the Sylvan AdvantageTM, call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit www.educate.com/info. ### Sidebar: Clip-Out Shopping Guide To help parents identify toys that nurture learning behaviors in key areas of development, Sylvan Learning Center offer this clip-out shopping guide for selecting toys that making learning fun. Math Board games like Monopoly and Yahtzee Electronic counting games Toy cash register Building blocks Dominos Reading/Writing Books Diary or personalized writing Magazine subscriptions Imagination/Creativity Pretend play objects such as dolls, stuffed animals and action figures Dress up costumes, dollhouses and other pretend props Child-size versions of everyday adult objects, such as the Easy-Bake Oven Art materials such as paint sets or craft kits Reasoning Skills Building blocks, LEGO’s and Tinkertoys Games like Connect Four or Yahtzee Science kits, chemistry sets and ant farms Video and computer games Project-based toys such as model airplanes, cars, ships and rockets

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