While more and more parents are taking pride in giving their children expensive electronic toys, paediatricians are of opinion that the best toys for kids’ development should be the most basic.
Paediatricians say that although toy markets are increasingly getting flooded with blinking screens, lights and soundtracks, the very best toys for learning for kids are the simplest toys like balls, dolls and games.
The Simpler, The Better
Virtual or digital-based toys are advertised in such a way that parents think that they are educational. But research says that the best toys don’t need to be expensive or flashy or have an app.
Actually, in this case, the simpler is the better.
When children are young, their toys should help them be social and should promote relationships.
Their toy collection should also include toys that help develop their problem-solving, social and language skills.
Simple toys such as a bat and ball or blocks encourage all of these skills, whereas digital toys and screens can isolate children and make them inactive.
Toys Should Promote Relationships
According to paediatricians, the best toys are the ones that support kids and parents playing, interacting and pretending together. This reward can never be reaped from a tablet or screen.
Paediatricians repeatedly emphasise that even the high-tech, fancy toys that are promoted as “educational” are not as worthy as basic playthings that encourage relationships and communication, with other kids, parents, caregivers and relatives.
The more we understand early brain development, the more we know the requirement of play based on human interaction, according to paediatricians.
No video game, screen or app can substitute the relationships built over toys, such as ride on toys for toddlers from Step2 Direct or you can check any other local toy store near you.
Why Traditional Toys and Not Modern?
Paediatricians also give more specific tips for parents who plan to buy toys for their children. They advise avoiding toys that can’t foster human interaction, or promote race or gender stereotypes.
Instead, parents should choose toys that produce creativity, imaginative play and interpersonal play.
They also provide a list of traditional toys that nurture the best types of developmental play, including toy cars, dolls and action figures, puzzles, blocks, art supplies, board games, card games, pretend food/cooking toys and quality kids sports toys from Step2 Direct, for example.
Modern-day toys that don’t help development include electronic games, screens, tablets, laptops, phones and toys that produce lights and sounds, and any toy that replace a human interaction.
Paediatricians further add that simple toys such as blocks, grow along with children. While a toddler might just stack blocks, an older child can build worlds with them.
Minimise Screen Time
It’s also recommended by WHO to keep children under two totally away from screens, and children over two should be allowed to watch screens for less than an hour per day.
However, for even that short length of time, they should be supervised by adults and should be allowed programming that is age-appropriate and educational and
Keeping the paediatricians’ advice in mind, you should now find simple, basic toys for your child in order to help her growth and development in a healthy way.
Only then you can be the proud parents of a healthy and happy child.
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