Children grow in many ways, mentally (cognitive development), physically (motor development), and emotionally to name but a few, developing and learning through interaction with the people, environment and objects around them. Into this mix of elements come the toys that seem to build up at an alarming rate from the high tech 'learning toys' to the humble traditional wooden toys from yesteryear. So exactly what should a buyer be looking for when buying toys for young children and are the high tech gadgets really the panacea of learning that they purport to be?



Physiologists have been studying the development of children for over a hundred years from the early concepts of Piaget and Freud to the modern highly controlled test being carried out by Universities and Institutes around the world. In the last few decades extensive research has been applied to the science of play, studying the way children interact with their toys and how this play can stimulate development. Judging by the plethora of 'electronic learning toys' that major manufacturers have produced over the years it would be easy to believe that the research had indicated an identifiable benefit to these toys. It is surprising therefore that most research has shown quite the opposite and indicating that traditional toys may in fact be the most beneficial partner to stimulate a growing child's mind and body.

Christine Rosen the author of My Fundamentalist Education (Washington Post Non-Fiction Book Of The Year 2006) believes we are too quick to see technology as a fast track method to nearly everything in life, including development and that we need to appreciate that there is in fact no 'microwave' method to understanding.

?Two recent studies suggest that the oft-touted educational benefits of such toys are illusory, and child development experts caution that kiddie electronics, even those bought purely for fun, can have negative side effects such as inhibiting creativity and promoting short attention spans. A government funded 2 year study by Stirling University looked into the direct benefits of so called 'targeted electronic learning toys' and found that such offerings from the market leaders such as Leapfrog and V-Tec offered no identifiable benefits to children. Researcher Lydia Plowman told the Guardian that parents were wasting their money on expensive educational electronics.

Further studies have also demonstrated that electronic toys can limit or inhibit a child's ability to think beyond the limits of their electronic device. For example most electronic games had a defined start and end with a single purpose that limited a child's imagination whereas the majority of traditional toys proved less restrictive allowing a child to 'dream up' various games and outcomes that stimulated role play, interaction and general cognitive development.

In addition many of the electronic learning toys on the market have a significant price differential with their traditional wooden counterparts meaning that a child can have a more limited range of toys due to the costs involved with making the purchase of such electronic games.

So it would seem that the old fashioned wooden toy is long from dead and that far from being relics of the past, traditional toys, used correctly can in fact give a child an advantageous start in life.