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It’s tempting to put our kids in front of the TV or allow them to play video games all day to pacify them and keep them busy and well-behaved. Even if we know that too much TV and video games is not good for them, sometimes this strategy seems to be the only way for them not to bother us with their hyper-active imaginations and stubbornness, and for us to gain a little peace of mind.  Kids can be ultra-focused when watching their favorite cartoons or playing an interactive digital game—as opposed to playing with traditional kids toys such as dolls or trains, which kids these days tend to get easily bored with, what with all the exciting technologies that stimulate and distract from the microwave oven in your kitchen to the MP3 player and ultra-hip gadgets of your teenager, to the lawnmower in the garage and media messages hovering all around.  With all these exciting objects in your house alone, it’s hard for your kid to be occupied with one lousy toy for a considerable amount of time. 

Simpler toys for better imagination

There are parents who try to ban television and video games all-together and raise their children in a low-technology and traditional household where toys are made of natural or recycled materials. They believe that raising a child in a simpler environment without the clutter and saturation of high technology (especially television) will help develop a child’s imagination and increase their focus and concentration. With simple educational toys, kids can create an entire universe in their minds, as opposed to having a toy that already recreates a planet or simulates the workings of a universe in detail.

There’s no escaping technology

We can’t deny advances in technology, however, in the same way that we can’t deny that life goes on even if we locked ourselves in a bomb shelter or lived in a secluded island.

Depriving our children of the technologies available to everyone in this day and age is like painting a different world from what is actually happening.  We will be creating a bubble for them that will make their perspectives and perceptions about life and the world distorted, and ultimately, irrelevant and obsolete.  They will be at a disadvantage when they grow older, to the point of becoming naive. 

Combining education and entertainment

There is no point denying that technology and the Internet permeates our society; and as decades pass, we see that we’re becoming dependent on these technologies even more and more. Toy manufacturers are taking heed and riding the technological band-wagon and are creating high-tech toys.  Edutainment toys are one of the latest in toddler educational toys. As you would have guessed, these toys combine education and entertainment. These toys usually have high-tech electronics and computer chips embedded on them, making them fun and interactive; at the same time, they contain educational content, anywhere from math to science, to logic and sounds.  Some of these have educational videos which require a push of a button or have touch-screen interface. With these toys, not only are kids learning through the educational content showed in the video, they are also getting a “head-start” on manipulating technological gadgets—a primer for learning how to use a computers and other technological gadgets that are so ubiquitous today (i.e. cell phones, PDAs, GPS, and so on). Traditional toys such as dolls and trains are also getting technological make-over these days. There are dolls that are designed to interact with your kid, as well as the Internet. There are also trains that can be controlled using infrared remotes and make electronic sounds. 

The balance between technology and imagination

But there is also a flipside; we can’t saturate our children with technologies and high-tech toys and expect them to be imaginative and be appreciative of life.  Chances are, they will grow weary too fast and will lose their sense of awe and wonder, making them cynical, and well, bored.  Like zombies or robots, they will be filling their database and collecting information that has no meaning to them. Thus, when buying our children’s educational toys, we have to strike a balance between technology and its ability to hone imagination. 

While high-tech toys introduce children to computers and technologies which they will no doubt have a great need for when they grow up, there is still no substitute for real-life experience and using the imagination with, say, a couple of wooden blocks or some sticks and a sandbox.  The question is, how will you be able to integrate simplicity and high technology to create a balance?

Appreciation not saturation

One way to keep our child’s imagination and awe and wonder of the world is to think of their toys as their initiation to the workings of the world and the tools they need to succeed in life.  If you see toys as a form of education, then you should think about them in stages. It’s unlikely to understand quantum mechanics without some knowledge of Newtonian physics. Before your child can go to the next stage, they should be able to grasp basic concepts. But then, never underestimate the mind of a child.  Their neurons can make twice as many connections than your own. Give them toys that are appropriate for their stage of learning, but at the same time, are challenging enough for them to sustain their interest. For them to learn how to appreciate things, particularly, their toys, you should buy and give toys one at a time, not all at the same time.

Toys and the stages of learning

Baby toys should be about stimulating the five senses: touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing. For toddlers, you want to advance to toys that teach classification, identification, differentiation, cause and effect, relationships, and motor skills. For preschoolers, you want them to improve their logic and reasoning and their problem-solving. For grade-schoolers, you want them to explore and grasp more complex and abstract ideas such as scientific and philosophical concepts, expand their imaginations and be able to express and communicate this verbally or through other media such as art and music. 

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