The Learning Umbrella

Some commercials on television are really starting to bother me.  One I’ve seen recently for a computer game set up for tiny ones says “you can’t control how tall they get … but the size of their imagination, that you can do something about”.  And they are suggesting that getting your child this game thing will make them more creative and smart!  The room they show the kids in is completely clean and bare of all other toys, and there are two wee ones happily playing all by themselves with the TV and this controller.

That’s so opposite of what I think kids really need.  Fancy “interactive” toys can never replace an adult talking with a child.  “Creative” electronic toys can never be as creative as blocks or paints.  I think we are forgetting that kids can have a lot of fun with simple things.  I notice prospective daycare parents looking around my house for the fancy toys or rugs or jungle gyms.  Some even comment on the lack of such.  So I’m getting proactive about explaining my philosophy and hitting a few major points about all the fun and learning that can be had without those fancy, expensive things.

1.  Plastics have been shone to contain harmful chemicals and be far less stable than previously thought.  A good selection of wooden or cloth toys are better for developing brains, as it keeps them away from toxins that are known to contribute to learning disabilities and other problems.

2.  An interactive toy is unnecessary when you are providing interaction to the children, and I spend time talking with them and reading to them and playing with them.

3.  Children love to play with your stuff.  Bust out the kitchen pots and wooden spoons and allow them the special treat of a bag of dry beans to play with.  You’ll have to sweep up afterward, but it will be hours of fun first.  For a two-birds-with-one-stone, you can let them “play” with the vacuum cleaner.

4.  Kids love to dig in the dirt.  Sure, they need to climb to develop their bodies.  Go to the playground – I walk them there on a regular basis.  In the yard, a designated “construction zone” where they can dig and build little rock and twig houses is just as much fun.

5.  Arts and crafts and other “projects” can fill in a lot of time and are very educational fun.  You don’t have to spend much money at all, since you can use mostly recycled materials and cheap stuff like construction paper, glue, and paints.  Judy Press has a lot of great books full of ideas for making things out of toilet paper tubes, milk cartons, etc.

6.  The library is full of books, CD’s, and videos for kids.  A rotating variety of such items is totally free, unless your kid destroys something.  Even then, you’re still saving money by checking it all out.

7.  Last, but not least, there are plenty of fun games and activities to be done with no materials at all!  Finger plays, dramatizations, creative movement, counting games, yoga, tumbling, running and hide and seek, singing, word games, I Spy, making up stories together – these are some of the best activities and you can do most of them anywhere at any time.

 So, those are my reasons for saying you don’t need to spend money on toys and other materials to keep kids happy and growing.  I would even argue that older kids don’t need much more to get a good education, but that will have to be another post.  Right now I need to get back to the kids and help them make ducks out of paper plates and construction paper.  Then I’m going to read them a book about migrating birds.