.png)
Which type of toy is more beneficial for your child's development?
There is an increasing feeling among parents that they need to buy their children the newest, most expensive electronic “learning” toys and games (or install the newest apps on their tablets) otherwise the fear their children will lag behind their peers intellectually and academically.
From the perspective of a mother and Speech-Language Pathologist, as well as considering the research, I want to make sure parents know that electronic toys are not as beneficial as more traditional toys, and can actually be harming the development of our children.
Children who use electronic toys are exposed to fewer adult words, fewer conversational turns, fewer parental responses, and fewer productions of content-specific words than during play with traditional toys or books. Children also vocalize less during play with electronic toys than with traditional toys or books.
Traditional (physical) toys encourage:
Pretend play (dolls, action figures, cars, cooking and/or feeding implements, etc);
Fine motor skills ( blocks, shapes, puzzles, trains, etc);
Creativity (clay and coloring);
Language and/or concepts (card games, toy letters, and board games); and
Gross motor skills (large toy cars, tricycles, and push and pull toys).
Play
Play is extremely important for child development because it contributes to a child's cognitive, physical, language, pretend play, self-regulation, symbolic thinking, social, and emotional development. It stimulates their IMAGINATION. It allows kids to use language, problem solve, reciprocate, cooperate, and be creative. Traditional toys facilitate engagement with caregivers. Electronic media displace play-based caregiver-child interaction- reducing the opportunity for cognitive, language, gross motor, and fine-motor activities.
Social Interaction
Playing with others (especially caregivers) is important because kids are playing while engaging, communicating, and having someone to model important skills. Caregivers can scaffold onto the child’s play by building on what they are already doing. For example if the child is pretending to feed a baby doll, the caregiver can provide the language (i.e. “Wow, your baby is so hungry, she is eating a lot! Make sure the food is not too hot! Can we also give her some milk to drink? Now lets brush her hair” while also helping to model the actions). Scaffolding is done naturally by parents by taking what the child is interested in, starting at their level, and adding in extra skills. Electronic toys just cannot do this as well.
Imitating Sounds vs. Communication
Children may imitate sounds or words they hear a toy play, but they are not learning to COMMUNICATE- to request, comment, protest, commands, ask questions, answer questions, etc. They are not learning to create stories or narratives. They are not making up their own games with rules and steps to create, explain, and follow. And they are definitely not learning social aspects of communication- gestures, facial expression, voice change/intonation patterns, etc.
Overstimulation
Motivation is extremely important in learning any new skills. In order to motivate kids, electronics, tablets, video games, and phones are VERY visually and auditorily stimulating, and a child becomes accustomed to constantly seeing bright lights, movement, sounds, etc. Then when they are expected to learn in a normal classroom, entertain themselves, or have a conversation with a person in real life, this will never be as exciting.
Consideration for Children with Delays or Disabilities
Ask your child’s speech therapist, occupational therapist, or physical therapist for ideas for toys, games, and activities that would help them learn and develop. If there is a toy that your child is really interested in but is having trouble accessing, ask your child’s therapist how you can modify the game to help them participate better/more independently. Your child’s therapists would be happy to help you figure this out! Toys can be adapted by adding Velcro strips to help a child hold a toy, adding a piece of foam to help them hold an art utensil, using larger push buttons to activate toys, etc.
The American Academy of Pediatrics summarized all of these concerns in their article:
Selecting Appropriate Toys for Young Children in the Digital Era
They explain that screen time directly interferes with both play activities and parent-child interactions, and that there is no evidence to suggest that possible benefits of interactive media match those of active, creative, hands-on, and pretend play with more traditional toys. Further, children need to use their hands to explore and manipulate to strengthen those areas in the brain associated with spatial and mathematical learning.
Important Things to Remember When Selecting Toys (from the American Academy of Pediatrics):
Recognize that one of the most important purposes of play with toys throughout childhood, and especially in infancy, is not educational at all but rather to facilitate warm, supportive interactions and relationships.
Scientific studies supporting a developmental role for toys primarily come from studies of activities in which children play with caregivers rather than alone. The most educational toy is one that fosters interactions between caregivers and children in supportive, unconditional play.
Provide children with safe, affordable toys that are developmentally appropriate. Include toys that promote learning and growth in all areas of development. Choose toys that are not overstimulating and encourage children to use their imaginations. Social-emotional and cognitive skills are developed and enhanced as children use play to work out real-life problems.
Make a thoughtful selection of toys and remember that a good toy does not have to be trendy or expensive. Indeed, sometimes the simplest toys may be the best, in that they provide opportunities for children to use their imagination to create the toy use, not the other way around. Choose toys that will grow with the child, foster interactions with caregivers, encourage exploration and problem-solving, and spark the child’s imagination.
Use children’s books to develop ideas for pretending together while playing with toys; use of the library should be routine for all parents regardless of socioeconomic status. A list of community library locations for the office should be considered.
Keep in mind that toys are not a substitute for warm, loving, dependable relationships. Use toys to enhance interactions between the caregiver and child rather than to direct children’s play.
Seek the pediatric health care provider’s advice in distinguishing between safe and unsafe toys.
Be aware of the potential for toys to promote race- or gender-based stereotypes.
Limit video game and computer game use. Total screen time, including television and computer use, should be zero time for children under 2. Children younger than 5 years should play with computer or video games only if they are developmentally appropriate, and they should be accompanied by the parent or caregiver. The use of media together with caregiver interaction is essential to minimizing adverse media effects on the young mind.
Seek out toys that encourage the child to be both mentally and physically active.
Written by Rachel Troccoli, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder & Executive Director of Skyrocket
Skyrocket Pediatric Therapy Foundation (Skyrocket) does not provide medical or legal advice or services. Skyrocket provides general information about developmental disabilities and developmental therapies as a service to the community. The information provided on our website is not a recommendation, referral or endorsement of any resource, therapeutic method, or service provider and does not replace the advice of medical, legal or educational professionals. Skyrocket has not validated and is not responsible for any information, events, or services provided by third parties. The views and opinions expressed in blogs on our website do not necessarily reflect the views of Skyrocket.
コメント