Traditional toys are making a comeback. Sales reports reveal how there’s an increasing number of sales for traditional educational toys.
Parents now prefer giving their children traditional toys, particularly educational games such as puzzles, mazes, cubes, over their electronic counterparts.
However, there is still a continued debate on whether or not educational games can ever be as fun and enjoyable to play for children as other forms of toys or if it really imposes learning as to what it claims to do.
The answer is: it depends on the parents and whoever the children plays the toys with. This is where parent/s' interaction plays a crucial role. Interaction with parents makes learning more effective for children.
Toys are merely instruments that improve the bond between the parents and their children. Fun is gained when you have a good game or activity to pair the toy with.
So regardless if the toy is meant for educational purposes or pure pleasure, its efficiency in laying out its purpose would depend on the activity and the person the child is playing it with.
Why Parents should be Involved with Playtime
Children yearn for the time they spend with their parents. It makes them feel special. Parents are encouraged to find time to spend playing with their kids on a regular basis. This should include one to one with each child and group time with all of the adults and kids in the home.
Here are five major benefits of parents spending time with their children during playtime beyond the simple fun of it:
1. Parents can help children develop skill sets that make social life easy to manage.
2. Parent-children playtime help develop social and self-control skill sets.
3. Parent-child physical play is also linked with child’s competence, gross motor skills, peer group leadership, and cognitive development. Interactive play, on the other hand, help children learn how to regulate their emotions better.
4. Playtime with parents also contribute more to a child’s ability to give structure early social interactions than play with siblings.
5. Parents offer a child more mature and varied play than siblings or other children. Adults know more about the world compared to kids the same age, which can widen the imagination of the child more.
Can Educational Games be Fun?
Technically, yes.
Educational toys and games can be as fun and as exciting as other forms of play. Any toy can be as fun and exciting so as long as parents play it with their child. It also goes the same with the learning process during playtime.
If the parent is an ineffective teacher, regardless of how advanced the game is, the child will not be able to learn accordingly; thus, failing to meet its purpose. Children will naturally seek for their parent’s time. Their parent's attention is the most crucial element for their development on a holistic scale.
