2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
Toys. We love them but sometimes we have the impression that we have too many! In addition, young children often seem to quickly lose interest in toys that have been purchased for them. How to make the right choices?
At Christmas, on birthdays, or just to please, adults give toys to children… but their reaction is not always the expected one. This pushes us to question the importance of the toy, its necessity, its role in the development of our little loves of 4 years and under.
Momforlife.com spoke with Francine Ferland, occupational therapist, professor emeritus at the University of Montreal and author of the excellent book And if we played? Play in childhood and throughout life.
Q. Is the toy important in children's development?
R. “The important thing is play. Play is a super vitamin for child development. As for the toy, it is only the instrument: it is a stimulus and a support for play, but it is the use that the child makes of it and the pleasure that he derives from using it that accredits the toy. The toy does not make the game and the game does notdoesn't always require a toy.
To play, the child needs play materials, which does not only concern manufactured toys, but also homemade play materials which are just as rich in possibilities. »
Q. A mother of two, I have noticed that they have better or more fun when they have fewer toys at their disposal…
R. “More than the quantity of toys, it's the variety that counts (toys to move, explore, express yourself, build, create, connect with others…). If there are too many toys, the child no longer sees them. It is important to keep it rolling. After having forgotten them for some time, the child will find new uses for them: the soft toy he loved to cuddle will become the partner with whom to share a game or to whom to tell a story. »
Q. How to choose the right toys? Do you have any tips?
Here are four elements to consider to guide you in choosing a toy according to Francine Ferland.
- Assess the child's level of development and identify their interests. Can and does the child like to explore space, manipulate objects, move, discover how objects work, imitate, pretend play, play with others.
- Analyze the playful potential of the toy you are thinking of buying. Does this toy stimulate gross motor skills, fine motor skills, expression of feelings, imagination, communication or play with others and will it spark the child's interest.
- Evaluate the contribution of the toy compared to those he already has. Is this toy an addition to what the child already has? Does he promote a new experience, stimulating what his other toys do not stimulate? Does he present a challenge related to his new abilities? Is it a duplicate of the ones it already has? If so, we forget this toy.
- Take into account practical considerations. Resistance, durability, noise level, need an adult to play it, many small parts, price…
Q. What would be the ultimate purchase criteria?
R. “The pleasure that the child derives from this toy is THE criterion. And for this pleasure to be maintained, the versatility of the game equipment can become an important criterion to consider. A versatile toy is one that can be used in different ways. For example, blocks: the child can make a tower, a train, a house. Or a truck; roll it, fill its dumpster, add a driver, drive it back to the garage.
With this type of toy, the child's interest will be maintained longer than with a toy that imposes a specific activity that will quickly be neglected (eg: remote-controlled toy). This last toy is limited in its use, the game relying more on the play equipment than on the action of the child who remains relatively passive.
According to Dodson (Everything is played before the age of 6), if 90% of the play comes from the child and 10% from the toy, it is a good toy. This type of toy encourages the child to implement his abilities and hisimagination and find various uses for the play material.
When the child has more fun with the packaging of a gift (box, ribbon, decorative cabbage) than the gift itself, it is because he finds different functions for it and transforms this packaging into a versatile toy. This also explains why children take pleasure in playing with objects that are not toys (cardboard boxes, paper towel rolls, empty plastic bottles, blankets, wooden spoons, etc.). versatile which can, according to the good wishes of the child, change at each play session and this renewed novelty is likely to maintain his interest. »
Q. Is there a trap not to fall into?
R. “Consider that your child is more advanced in his development than the others and choose for him, aged 2, a toy intended for children of 3 years. He will then experience a situation of failure and when he is able to play it, he will no longer be interested, keeping in mind that this toy is not fun. »
