新玩具帮助孩子建立情绪智力

New Playthings Help Build Emotional Intelligence in Children

Children of all ages gathered in New York City recently for the International Toy Fair. Hidden among already popular toys were new, high-tech¹ educational products.

Educational products are important to the toy industry. In recent years, parents have shown an interest in STEM-related toys – ones that help teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

But now, toymakers are working to create products for improving a child’s emotional intelligence. These toys reportedly not only help raise intelligence in children, but also their emotional quotient, or EQ.

Companies showed off their products last week at New York’s Jacob Javitz Convention² Center.

PleIQ is a set of plastic toy blocks. It uses augmented³ reality technology to teach words, numbers and other things.

Edison Durán directs the company that makes PleIQ. She showed people at the toy fair how virtual⁴ images appear on the blocks when they are held in front of a tablet camera.

Intelligence includes intrapersonal skills -- processing information within one’s mind -- and interpersonal skills, or dealing⁵ with other people. Durán said PleIQ builds on both by having children act as teacher or guide to a companion character.

On the other side of the convention center, Karen Hu demonstrated an educational robot called Woobo.

Hu asked the hairy green robot: “Hi, what’s your name?” With a childlike voice, the toy answered, “Are you trying to trick me? My name is Woobo.”

The robot comes programmed with educational games and activities. Children use its touchscreen face to get them started.

Toys that work as companions also aid in social development. Hu described how the robot can help a child who has autism spectrum⁶ disorder⁷.

“He [the child] can communicate with Woobo and he can follow some of the instruction Woobo is giving because he think(s) of this as a companion instead of a parent or someone else telling him to certain things.”

A more low-tech companion is a toy animal called Manimo. The manufacturer says this toy can help reduce hyperactivity in children and improve their ability to pay attention to a subject.

Whether it's a snake, dolphin or other animal, Manimos can be placed across a child's arm, chest or neck.

Karine Gagner, president of Manimo, explained that adding deep pressure to one’s body can help calm a child before bedtime.

At the EQtainment stand, sales director Jonathan Erickson explained the company's toys.

"The purpose of all of our products is to develop emotional and social intelligence,” he said.

Erickson showed off a board game called “Q’s Race to the Top.” Kevin Chaja, also of of EQtainment, said the game got his 4-year-old daughter to open up.

“The biggest thing, is her talking. And that’s the key of all this, is getting her to talk, getting her feelings expressed out. Like, ‘Hey, what does it feel like to be sad? Or how does it feel like to be happy?’”

It remains⁸ to be seen whether a game or toy can improve emotional intelligence. But toymakers are doing what they can to help parents in their efforts to raise well-rounded children.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

toy – n. a plaything; something a child plays with

quotient – n. the amount of level to which a certain quality exists

augmented reality – n. a version of reality made by the use of technology

companion – n. someone or something that keeps company with another

autism – n. a disorder in which the person is unable to form normal relationships with others

hyperactivity – n. a condition in which a person is overly active

1 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

2 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

3 Augmented   

adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• 'scientists won't be replaced," he claims, "but they will be augmented." 他宣称：“科学家不会被取代；相反，他们会被拓展。” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• The impact of the report was augmented by its timing. 由于发表的时间选得好，这篇报导的影响更大了。

4 virtual   

adj.实质上的，事实上的，实际上的

参考例句：

• This reply is a virtual acceptance of our offer.这一回答实质上是接受了我们的建议。
• At that time the East India Company was the virtual ruler of Bengal.那时东印度公司是孟加拉的实际统治者。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

7 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。