Buy Toys That Allow Children to Play Like Adults
It was Hatchimals two years ago. Decades before, it had been Elmo to tickle me . Remember Tamagotchi digital pets ? Cabbage Patch Kids and the popular Baby Alive ? These toys, turned into crazy toys, all have one thing in common: they allow children to be educated.
Early childhood specialist Ayuko Uezu Boomer says The Atlantic, that even before children learn to walk or talk, they develop empathy:
“It often starts with showing an interest in a caregiver or pet,” she says, adding that some children’s interest in early childhood care also manifests itself in their relationships with things like houseplants, which require a simple daily leaving.
In addition to caring play, children tend to imitate in play what they see and experience in real life. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, director of the University of Delaware Teachers’ School, says kids just love pretending to be adults . And they do this by simulating what they see adults doing around them.
“You can’t expect them to become an ‘imaginary physicist,'” she adds, “or an ‘imaginary refrigerator repairman’ because most kids just don’t see enough of these things.” However, children play “imaginary parents” or “imaginary nannies” because “they are experts in childcare.” They always get it. “
The American Academy of Pediatrics also spoke out about play this month with a statement that encourages parents to choose high-quality traditional toys over digital media-based virtual toys:
Toys play an important role in early child development as they promote cognitive development, language interaction, symbolic and role play, problem solving, social interaction and physical activity, and their importance increases as children move from infancy to early childhood. The presentation of toy characters (such as dolls, animals, and figurines) and associated toy objects (such as food, utensils, cars, airplanes, and buildings) can facilitate the use of words and narratives to simulate, describe, and cope with real life circumstances. and feelings. Such imaginative play ultimately promotes language development, self-regulation, symbolic thinking, and socio-emotional development.
So, if you’re still unsure of what to buy for a young child this holiday season, make him work by choosing toys that allow them to nurture or act like little adults in this world.
Here are some suggestions:
- Baby dolls or other toys with characters / animals that children can “raise”.
- Carriages for dolls
- Kitchen sets with play pots, pans, crockery, crockery and fake food.
- Mini Shopping Carts
- Cash registers toys with counterfeit money
- Tool kits and tool belts
- Gardening tools and watering cans
- Pretend to be “cleaning products”
Cleaning kits are an especially popular choice among parents of toddlers. One parent on Reddit, u / ok_kat , swears a rag for his toddler, and Jessica of our Facebook Group recommends this particular kit, which includes a mop, broom, dust pan, spray bottle and rag.
Sounds silly, but last year my (at the time) 8 and 3.5 year olds got them and loved it. There is something really enjoyable and sensual about dusting, sprinkling and squeezing water on windows, and pouring water from a mop into a bucket.
Other parents recommend using real versions of these toys, such as lightweight cordless vacuums or the small dustbrooms and brushes you already have at home.