Should all toys, or at least the majority of toys, educational? Very often as we browse the endless aisles of toys looking for something suitable we are presented with a myriad of educational benefits which, if the text is to be believed, will allow our child to excel, reach their potential and become a genius in a matter of moments. This almost seems to pose the question - how did children manage to learn anything at all before the invention of batteries? Come to that, how did we manage to learn anything ourselves?

The educational benefits of a toy which announces the name of a colour when you press the corresponding panel is at first obvious - the child will learn the names of colours. But the question needs to be asked - is this teaching the child effectively, or as effectively, as more traditional methods, and what is the difference between teaching and consolidating existing knowledge?

Parents clearly have a very responsible role to play, and this is not to be denied of course. This role is very largely an educational one for many years, and this educational extends beyond the ability of a child to be able to recite the names of objects or concepts, but to use them within conversation, and to learn and understand the social interaction that comes through such conversation. Parents do not perform when you press a button, they respond to a child in an appropriate way.

Parents can be seen as the ultimate interactive toy, because they identify a child's needs, developing them in ways which are dynamic, flexible and ever changing based on the context of the day. Interactive toys are interactive only in as much as a performance which is wholly predictable can be extracted on pressing the correct button. This teaches a child as much about life as it teaches rats that are taught to do much the same thing in order to gain food about the far distant reaches of our galaxy.

The word educational stamped on a box seems to be taken for granted as a stamp of approval, that this toy above all others will help our child grow, learn and achieve better grades once they head off to school. But I would wonder, just exactly which toys are not educational?

I remember spending many happy hours as a child playing with building blocks. I used to build towers and bridges, buildings and castles. I learned that they would fall over unless I was careful. I learned how to balance them in stronger and more effective ways. I learned that a good strong foundation is important to long term stability, and I learned that the weight and mass of a block could be enough to increase the strength of a joint if positioned to its advantage. None of these lessons were stamped on the box, or were listed in the instructions. I don't believe the word 'educational' ever appeared on the box actually.

Perhaps, though, the most important things I learned were to use my imagination, and to have fun. Surely the most valuable lessons, by far.