Toy cars and trucks are one of the classic and favorite toys among kids. Lots of children are fascinated by real cars and trucks since they’re babies - these big machineries move, like magic!
Playing with toy vehicles is a much loved entertainment for generations. We all can remember the time we spent pretend driving cars and trucks around on the floor, taking one or two toy cars with us on a road trip and have a car race with friends.
It’s not just a fun past time. There are many benefits of playing with toy vehicles.
Boost Creativity
As they “drive” the cars and trucks around, children have to design and plan their routes. It certainly takes some creative play and problem solving skills.
A whole complicated scenario is usually created in their head as they insist that the fire truck has to take a detour to save some kittens. Or perhaps the car broke down somewhere and is waiting for a tow truck to come rescue.
Ask any kid who is playing with cars and trucks, they will tell you some story that would have the potential to be adapted to be the next Michael Bay movie.
The possibilities are endless when kids use their imagination while playing with toy cars and toy trucks. It is the perfect opportunity to encourage them to come up with new ideas, stories, songs or even jokes! Overall, it’s great for child development.
Make Friends
Playing with toy cars and trucks is a great way for children to interact and socialize with other kids.
Since it’s so easy to play and so commonly loved, it’s always easy to find other kids to play cars and trucks together. It’s the perfect ice breaker and can quickly become a great conversation starter between kids.
They learn to share, take turns and cooperate with each other. Not to mention, it’s also a great opportunity for them to make new friends!
Develop Cognitive Skills
Playing with toy cars and trucks helps children with their cognitive development.
As they figure out how fast can the cars go and the relation between the load of the truck and its speed, they’re learning basic physics and coming up with solutions through trial and error experiments.
By learning about cause and effect, toddlers exercise their critical thinking skills. When a toy car goes too fast, it might flip. If there’s no rules on the road, there will be crashes and traffic jams. Toddlers learn how the world works and how they fit in the world through such play based learning.
Develop Fine Motor Skills
Pushing and pulling small toy cars and trucks around helps kids develop their fine motor skills. As they hold on to the cars and move them around, they’re actually strengthening their muscles and dexterity.
Playing with toy cars also helps them improve their hand eye coordination as they learn to control the car with one hand while putting up signs with the other one.
Toy cars and trucks with moving parts are even better for kids to practice their fine motor skills. Lifting the ladder on the fire truck, or dig with the excavator are perfect and fun opportunities for kids to practice using their fingers.
Gender Inclusive
Toy cars and trucks are one of the few toys that are suitable for both boys and girls to play together. It is a great opportunity for kids to learn about cooperation, sharing and working together regardless of their gender.
Although playing with toy cars and trucks is a timeless activity for kids, it tends to be seen as a game for boys. Yes, some boys LOVE playing with cars and trucks. But girls do too! Labelling it as a “boy’s game” is certainly not helping to include girls.
We need to let them know that it is okay for them to like toy cars and trucks. They can play with whatever they want without judgement.
Conclusion
We hope that this blog post has helped you understand the benefits of playing with toy cars and trucks! If you're looking for a great set of construction toys trucks, we recommend the Meland Construction Toy Trucks with Play Mat.
The set includes 8 different mini cars and trucks and 14 mini road signs. All of them can be set up on the play mat included that looks like a road map.
The cars and the signs are in the perfect size for toddlers’ small hands, ideal for their fine motor skills.
The set is made of robust steel and high quality ABS that is safe for children to play with. All of the pieces are easy to clean - just wipe them down with a damp cloth.
It’s a perfect toy for kids to indulge in their own imagination for hours or to spend some fun collaborative time with friends.