Toys and Books For Kids – Theyre Not All Created Equally
December 9th, 2009
Author: Erin A. Kurtbr
Source: ezinearticles.combr
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Many parents walk into a book or toy store hoping to find that perfect something. That something, theyre hoping, will absolutely thrill their child and be something that theyll use over and over again, not just a few times and then be left in the corner.
A book store has thousands of childrens books. We think, They MUST all be good or else they wouldnt have been published. They all look quite fancy and shiny and even have unique shapes or additional items that are sold with the book!
A toy store is much the same. Toys that are supposed to be great for kids fill the shelves and often kids are gazing up in awe at all the magical things they see.
Theres one major problem though – publishers and toy companies are not thinking about what will help your child learn while playing or reading. They dont really care about helping your child explore and discover while acquiring skills that will dramatically help them in their lives. The bottom line is that the book or toy sells.
Publishing houses and toy manufacturers have huge budgets for marketing and graphic design – the emphasis for them is this, not your childs development. If a book about a princess that is shaped like a princess and has sparkly pictures throughout will sell – a marketer would say, Throw on more sparkles! If kids like flipping and pulling things on pages then lets build a story around that is the common thought.
Toy companies know what grabs childrens attention and what will make them beg. Do they care if the toy only performs one action which allows the child to stand back and gaze at the toy doing its job? Not so much, if it will sell.
Now, not all books and toys are of low quality; there are some that whether the manufacturer or publisher knows it or not, they will provide hours, months, even years of true enjoyment and discovery. Learning that can take place and skills that can be developed through a quality product is well worth the money, but how is a parent to know whether a book or toy is of high quality?
There are a few things to look at when purchasing one of these for your child:
1) Does the book have a descriptive setting?
2) Does the storyline begin with an intro of the characters and flow gently into a storyline where there is a specific problem?
3) Do the characters attempt to solve the problem in a variety of ways before they finally solve the problem? Is their solution clear?
4) Are the illustrations age appropriate? Often there is too much going on so it is difficult for children to focus on the main idea. Choose wisely, as it has been proven that this can create frustration, uneasiness and/or hyperactivity in children.
5) Does the book promote further thinking from your child or will they quickly forget the story once the book is closed?
6) Do the toys allow for multiple uses?
7) Does the toy or game promote creativity, imagination, divergent thinking and problem solving?
Does the toy require that your child be an active participant?
If a parent is having problems getting their child to play alone, the reason could be that the toys and books their children have are not engaging enough. Children who have the appropriate things to interact with become deeply engaged and actually do not want a lot of external interaction; they want to get lost in their own world. This is exactly what parents should be working towards. The bonus here is that while the child is having alone time the parent can as well – now thats a win-win situation!
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