87% OF TEACHERS SURVEYED AGREE FAMILIES SHOULD SEEK SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL TOYS, GAMES, AND ACTIVITIES LEADING INTO BACK-TO-SCHOOL SEASON

Hands-on toys, such as Learning Resources products, are the #1 recommended tool among surveyed educators to help prepare students for the start of the school year

August 4, 2021

(VERNON HILLS, IL)  August 4, 2021 - As educators and families prepare for what is likely to be the most anticipated and unusual back-to-school season ever, Learning Resources®, an award-winning educational toy company, partnered with TeacherLists to better understand teachers’ perspectives, gain insight into their concerns, and glean advice for parents. Among the nearly 500 kindergarten through third grade teachers from 45 states surveyed, 87 percent agreed that parents should seek out supplemental educational toys, games, and activities for learning at home, with hands-on toys ranking as the #1 recommended resource for parents to purchase.  These findings indicate a clear reinforced encouragement from educators to have families continue learning in the home and in general, be more involved in students’ education.

While academic subjects such as math and English/language arts are areas teachers believe will be a struggle for students at the beginning of the school year, an overwhelming 98 percent agree that having a long absence from full in-classroom learning will also have an impact on kids’ social and emotional skills. This is why Learning Resources wants to remind parents that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is just as important as traditional subjects to give children a leg up heading into the first day of school. Not only can hands-on toys reinforce SEL skills and help students excel, but they can also help parents keep track of how their children are progressing.

“Now more than ever teachers are looking to parents to be a true partner in education by helping young students focus on subjects and skills they may need extra help developing,” said Darci Shaw, Senior Marketing Manager of Learning Resources. “Learning Resources partners with both parents and teachers to provide essential tools that make learning fun, whether kids need practice expressing their emotions, learning a new skill or simply refreshing what they learned during a school year filled with distractions.”  

Teachers surveyed were also asked to share one piece of advice for parents of incoming students. Along with academic advice, including “Keep up with reading and math skills over the summer to avoid the usual lags,” several teachers stressed the importance of being positive around children, which included “your children take on your attitudes, BE POSITIVE,” and “Have a positive attitude and your children will as well.” Another common theme was encouraging parents not to worry too much, with one teacher stating, “Don't over stress! Your kids will be just fine. Make sure to send them to school if they are healthy.”

“Parents have more concerns than ever heading into this school year,” said Shaw. “As a parent myself, I understand a little reassurance goes a long way toward feeling like you are on the right track. Not only do we love the advice we collected from our nation's hard working and compassionate teachers, we encourage all parents to reach out to their childrens’ teachers and begin building their education partnership before the first bell rings.”

Parents can visit www.learningresources.com to browse its selection of screen-free, hands-on educational toys for any age, skill or subject, including a customizable toy selector that can help select the just-right toy for any child’s needs. To further support families, Learning Resources also provides thousands of free Learn@Home activities and games that can be used with or without its products.

For more information, please visit www.learningresources.com.

With TeacherLists, teachers can easily post their school supply lists to let parents know exactly what their student needs for a successful school year.  Parents can shop for their lists instantly through e-commerce partners like Target, Walmart, Staples and Amazon,  from any device.

For more information, please visit www.teacherlists.com.

ABOUT LEARNING RESOURCES:

We're Learning Resources®, and we've been helping parents and teachers build generations of amazing kids since 1984. From ABCs and 123s to fine motor and STEM skills, our educational toys offer kids the building blocks they need to succeed in school and develop a lifelong love of learning. Discover countless ways to learn through play with our award-winning products, including Toy of the Year winners Tumble Trax®, Botley® the Coding Robot, and Coding Critters™

For more information, visit www.learningresources.com, or follow the brand on Twitter @LearningHandsOn, Facebook @LearningResources and Instagram @learningresources.

ABOUT SCHOOL FAMILY MEDIA LLC

As the back-to-school company, for 20-plus years we’ve helped parents, teachers, and students kick off back-to-school and have a successful year. TeacherLists and PTO Today, our nationally recognized platforms for school supplies and parent groups, sit at the center of the school community, connecting the world’s top brands with school districts, teachers, and parents to ensure that everyone can win back-to-school.