Every time you turn on the TV there is always a new advertisement for some cool new shiny loud toy. They are interactive, they are intuitive, they are the BEST toy that you can ever buy. I call bull on these ideas. I think that classic toys are better for kids. And here is why.
There are classic toys that are good for both girls and boys, but since I have 3 boys those are the ones I’m going to talk about.
They are 13, 9 and 4 and could care less about the newest toys. Unless its a new video game, but that’s a different story right there.
Their top picks for toys
Legos, army men, matchbox cars, and wooden blocks. Over the years we have amassed a huge collection of each of these types of toys and they are often scattered all over the living room as they jump from toy to toy.
When they get on a creative kick they can end up playing (together) for hours making up different games with the toys.
I encourage this type of play because.
1. It leaves the electronics plugged in and the kids out from in front of them.
2. It helps them to grow their minds by actively using their imaginations to come up with new ways to play.
Instead of mindlessly watching tv or playing video games all day they work together as a team to build new objects or to fight imaginary battles with army men or make complicated track layouts for the race cars.
As I said they are 13, 9 and 4 so getting them to work/play together is sometimes challenging. But when they pull out these toys they magically transform into children that get along and work together (most of the time).
All of these things are guaranteed to help them as they get older.
They teach creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving. It also helps them to learn to work together to make something super awesome out of nothing. These are skills that they will need as they get older and it is not something that is often taught in school. The skills that they develop by playing with these toys are ones that will help them through each stage of life.
In a world where everyone is chasing the newest trending toy, my kids are building things and using their imaginations to create elaborate worlds and scenarios.
It’s not that they never play video games, or watch tv. Its that they chose to turn off the electronics for a time each day and just play with the simple toys that they have begged me for.
They also love cardboard boxes
I swear I can not buy something new without them immediately asking for the box that it came in. They like to collect the boxes and use them to make forts or pretend that they are various other objects to play with.
I don’t know how many times I have come home to a room covered in boxes and them telling me not to mess up their “forts”. Though the forts are just boxes thrown around the house, they still come up with crazy games and scenarios that involve the boxes.
And as most kids are they prefer the boxes that the toys come in over the toys themselves. Which is fine with me cause boxes are free.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, going out and buying the newest, best, expensive toys on the market is not good for kids.
It teaches them that they always have to have the newest thing. When in reality they get more from the simple toys that have been around for much longer and have stood the test of time.
These are toys that several generations of kids have grown up on and there is a reason for that.
These toys are plain, simple and are meant to get kids to be creative. That’s why I think classic toys are better for kids than some of the newer ones.
If you know of any other toys that fit with these let me know in the comments!
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