The way in which children develop from a young age is
significantly affected by the toys they play with. It could be argued that
every toy a child interacts with is actually educational as they will
inevitably benefit from it in some way. Toy manufacturers have also used the
term ‘educational toys’ as a sales pitch in order to encourage parents to buy
their products. However, there are specific toys which enhance children’s
development in specific ways.
Imaginative toys
Toys which allow children’s imaginations to run wild are
considered the most beneficial toys and are often some of the most simplistic.
There is no ‘bad’ toy to buy and children will find enjoyment in every kind of
toy. However, if a toy requires a child to use their imagination to create a
scenario, it helps them to be creative and allows them to explore a world with
no boundaries. An example of this would be the Step2 Skyward
Summit which allows children to imagine they are exploring a mountain and
develops both coordination skills and imagination. Although children often
enjoy computer games and electronic toys, these are not produced to promote
independent thought therefore can be quite limiting in improving their
creativity. This is all essential for their cognitive development and thinking.
Interactive toys
The number of what we would regard as ‘interactive toys’ has
drastically increased, mainly due to new technologies such as computers and
games consoles. However these games only require interaction between the toy
itself and the user. Truly interactive toys are those which require children to
interact with each other, for example through role play or working together at
nursery. Toy companies such as Step2 have
created a whole variety of toys which require interaction such as puppet
theatres, grocery shop play tents and board games. All these things require
children to develop their social interaction skills and learn to play and work
together. They can be a great way for children to learn how to compromise and
understand the needs of others around them. For children who are an only child,
it is very important that they get interaction with other children at nursery, school
or playgroup as they will not have experienced this at home.
Toys which allow imitation
Toys
which require children to imitate their parents or people older than themselves
are essential in the development of a child’s independence and maturity. There
are a number of toys available which allow children to ‘act like adults’ such
as toy washing machines, pedal cars and children’s cookery equipment. These
toys are specifically designed to allow children to imitate everyday activities
they watch their parents or carers do. For example, every day a child may watch
their parent make them dinner. They will learn what is roughly involved in
making dinner and then they imitate this behaviour whilst playing with their
own Step2 Kitchen set. Another example would
be when children watch their parents drive on a regular basis. If they then
have their own pedal car, they can imitate this which gives them a great sense
of independence and makes them feel more mature. This all combines to encourage
their emotional development.