My New Year's Resolution!

So Christmas is over and Lacey is the proud owner of piles of new loud, flashy, exciting "educational" toys. I believe every last present she received this year incorporated some manner of talking book, dancing animal, motorized train and many other toys whose only requirement is that Lacey press a button and sit back and watch the action. I have begun to question the educational value of pushing a button to initiate a flurry of activity over and over and over again.

I have also begun to question my fragile sanity. I like for my home to be as serene as the home of a toddler can be. I make an effort to keep the TV off most of the day, I listen to talk radio during the day (which easily blends into the background) rather than radio stations that play the same five songs over and over. I like to quietly cuddle with Lacey as she takes her bottle. The cozy nest I try to foster is now frequently interrupted by a piercing "HELLO! I'm a BLUE KITTY!!" from the new talking phone Lacey received for Christmas.

I did a little research and it turns out there is substantial evidence that today's "educational" toys don't really stand up to some good old building blocks (the non-electric wooden kind). According to PNN Online: "...real educational toys are not the flashy gadgets and gismos with big promises, but the staples that have built creative thinkers for decades."

http://pnnonline.org/article.php?sid=7151

In this article is also a nice list of things to consider when searching for educational toys:





*Look for a toy that is 10 percent toy and 90 percent child.

"A lot of these toys direct the play activity of our children by talking to them, singing to them, asking them to press buttons and levers," Hirsh-Pasek says. "But our children like to figure out what is going on by themselves. I look for a toy that doesn't command the child, but lets the child command it."


*Toys are meant to be platforms for play.

"Toys should be props for a child's playing, not engineering or directing the child's play," Golinkoff adds. "Toys must awaken the child's imagination and uniqueness."


*How much can you do with it?

"If it's a toy that asks your child to supply one thing, such as fill-in-the-blank or give one right answer, it is not allowing children to express their creativity," says Hirsh-Pasek. "I look for something that they can take apart and remake or reassemble into something different, which builds their imagination. Toys like these give your child opportunities to 'make their own worlds.'"


*Look to see if the toy promises brain growth.

"Look carefully at the pictures and promises on the box," Hirsh-Pasek says. "If the toy is promising that your child is going to be smarter, it's a red flag. If it is promising that your child is going to be bilingual or learn calculus by playing with it, the chances are high that this is not going to happen - even with a tremendous amount of parental intervention."


*Does the toy encourage social interaction?

"It is fine for your child to have alone time, but it is great for them to be with others," says Golinkoff. "I always look to see if more than one child can play with the toy at the same time because that's when kids learn the negotiation skills they need to be successful in life."


*How much are you spending?

"Old-fashioned retro toys that don't cost so much and are usually hidden in the back shelves are usually much healthier for children than the ones that have fancier boxes and cost $89.99," Hirsh-Pasek says. As examples, she cites red rubber balls, simple building blocks, clay and crayons. "Your child gets to build their imagination around these toys and they don't command what your child does, but your child commands what they do."


So, on to my resolution! I am going to replace most of Lacey's new loud, passive-entertainment toys with some of the staples of educational learning: blocks, puzzles, books, clay. It will be sticky going about this in a way that does not offend the thoughtful relatives and friends who love Lacey so much and I know put much thought into their gifts...its just that when 25 people buy your typical educational electronic, light-up toy...the result is that my house now has 25 electronic, light-up toys (and still just one eager-to-learn baby)!

As I offer Lacey more of the simple toys on my list I'll update this blog with her reactions! Wish me luck and Happy New Year!