How Do Toys Aid Development?
Play is essential for the development of children and toys are an essential part of play. Not all toys are equally useful for child development. The types of toys that inspire children to express their creativity and develop their imagination, in addition to other skills, may be surprising.
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Problem
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Play contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children and adolescents, according to a January 2007 clinical report in the journal "Pediatrics." Despite this importance, time for free play is often in short supply nowadays due a hurried lifestyle, emphasis on academics at the expense of free play, and other changes, according to the report.
The Tools of Children
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Since 75 percent of brain development occurs after birth, the activities children engage in stimulate and influence the pattern of the connections made between nerve cells, according to the website of the Child Development Institute website. If play is the work of the child, toys are the child's tools. Toys help children to figure out how things work, pick up new ideas, build muscle control and strength, use their imagination, solve problems and learn to cooperate with others, says the Child Development Institute, citing the ideas of renowned educator Maria Montessori.
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Types of Learning
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Different types of toys foster different skills in children, while also allowing the child to use her imagination, express her creativity, and enjoy herself. Family Education.com suggests numerous types of learning that children can acquire from different toys. Art materials foster creativity and appreciation of beauty. Hardwood blocks teach children about geometry, shapes, balance and of course gravity when the towers come crashing down. Experimental materials like sand, water and clay offer the child control as she shapes and distributes the materials, and appeals to her senses. Outdoor play equipment builds muscles and confidence that the child can meet physical challenges. Pretend play with dolls and stuffed animals is not only imaginative but also allows the child to try out new roles and behaviors.
Considerations
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Not all things that may be thought of as "toys" help child development. Passive entertainment through television or even computer and video games take time away from active, creative play and may have harmful effects on children, according to the "Pediatrics" report. The Child Development Institute also cautions against the growing influence of electronic media, which robs children of social play with other children and individual creative play.
Solution
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In choosing toys to enhance active, imaginative play, simplicity may be the answer. In "Toys, Play and Child Development," Jerome L. Singer writes that according to research, toys that can serve multiple functions are used longest by children. For example, for children from age three through the early school years, construction blocks serve this purpose, not only fostering hand-eye coordination but allowing the children to construct settings for pretend games of adventure and exploration and to miniaturize the adult world, making it manageable. Low-structure toys like Play Doh and cardboard cartons may inspire richer imaginative play than high-structure toys like Barbies, GI Joes and molds and cutters for Play-Doh.
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References
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- Photo Credit girl playing with blocks image by Cherry-Merry from Fotolia.com
