Easter Seals Disability Services

Lekotek

The mission of Lekotek is to use “interactive play experiences, and the learning that results, to promote the inclusion of children with special needs into family and community life”.  The word Lekotek is Swedish for “play” and “library”.  Children learn through play and exploration. Children with disabilities may need additional assistance and guidance during the learning process.  Lekotek works with caregivers to make play accessible for all children through special play and learning centers.

Lekotek works with families who have a child, or children, with special needs.  The children served are birth to age eight.  Special needs include medically diagnosed conditions, developmental delays and environmentally at-risk children. Raising a child with a disability can be very challenging, but Lekotek is here to help.

If you are interested in attending or learning more about Lekotek,
please contact our Salem office at (540) 777-7325 to speak to a Lekotek Play Specialist.

At Lekotek, families work with nationally trained Family Play Specialists to identify developmentally appropriate toys and activities.  Services include:

• Play Sessions
  monthly individual family sessions with the Family Play Specialist
• Inclusive Playgroups
  provide an outlet for socialization for both the child and the family
• Toy Library
  consists of hundreds of developmental toys that families are able to borrow between play sessions

Toys R Us Guide  for Differently-Abled Children Evaluations

Choosing a Good Toy
http://zerotothree.org/

Q.  When I walk into the store, I am overwhelmed by the videos, computer games and other electronic toys that claim to make babies smarter.  How do I know what to buy?

A.  Don't be fooled by the "makes your baby smarter" claims.  There is no research that shows that these products boost brain power.  In fact, safe household items - such as plastic bowls for filling and dumping, pillows for climbing or making a cave and old clothes for dressing up - are great learning tools.  Classics like blocks, dump trucks, stuffed animals and objects that imitate "real life" such as toy hammers and play kitchens are great for developing the imagination.  Ando don't forget about books!  The more a child has to use his mind and body to problem solve and develop his own ideas, the more he learns.

Types of toys Families can borrow:
 

Check out the latest edition of the Lekotek Newsletter.

Learn more about the National Lekotek Program.

Contact us to learn more about our Lekotek Services here in Virginia.