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Are the Latest Toys The Best for Kids?

Photo by http://flickr.com/photos/kikisdad/
I have been trying to simplify our family life for some time, helping my daughter see through the advertising. I have seen that she prefers the simple to the commercial.

I was watching my child play the other day with something that came in the mail. It wasn’t the toy that held her interest, it was the box. She appreciated the toys that were packaged in the box from her grandmother, but she turned the box into a race car, a ship, a cave and a robot. That got me thinking…what are the best toys for kids?

Fad Toys

We all remember the stories when Tickle Me Elmo first came out: the fist fights in the stores, parents waiting half the night to purchase a single toy, dolls offered on EBay for hundreds of dollars. Was this because it was a great toy? Not necessarily. It was because the toy was popular. The advertising had hyped up everyone and kids demanded a doll that giggled.

One little friend of the family did get her Elmo that year. And promptly filed it in the toy box one week later. She didn’t really care about it. It didn’t do anything. She wanted to play with the blocks she got instead.

Toys That Inspire Creativity

So that brings me to the conclusion that kids do prefer toys that allow them to be imaginative and play. Very seldom does my daughter plays with her “laptop” from last year. She would rather play with the train layout or her “babies”, the small stuffed animals that she makes up beds for and takes places. She would rather use her crayons than her View Master.

I see it in our neighborhood, too. The little girls across the street lack nothing electronic. Each has a TV, DVD, computer, video games, phone and electronic storybooks (they are ages 6 and 8). This year they both received electric scooters as well as the requisite movies, games, etc. But I find that they are often over at my house with the sidewalk chalk in hand.

Summary

I think it best to cut back on the toys my daughter has and change the nature of them to inspire her imagination. This year, from us, she received craft supplies, a new journal and a coloring book. She seemed more pleased with those than the stuff-your-own bear kit whose fun quickly passed.

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