A great piece from USATODAY.com warning parents against buying toys for kids this Christmas that are too electronicised - or too didactic:
Children are being taught that there is only one right answer, a track sure to breed conformity rather than ingenuity. We are raising a generation of children who have no idea what to do when they are not being entertained.
Mounds of evidence suggest that children learn through active play, not through passive feeding. They learn math when they play "chef" and set a table for four. They learn physics when they build a fort and carefully balance the cushion atop the roof. They learn language by talking with excited friends when they jump through the leaves or build an igloo.
Research on young children has shown time and again that PLAY = LEARNING! The world is a virtual classroom filled with opportunities to stimulate the brain and encourage intellectual and social growth. In this Google generation, our children will have plenty of time to look up facts. To succeed in the global marketplace of tomorrow, they need to be creative problem-solvers — not robots equipped with pre-wired answers to yesterday's questions.
So what is a parent to do? Take refuge in the scientific findings of today and reinvest in the toys of yesteryear. The recipe is clear. Toys should be 90% child and 10% toy. They should be props for children's fantasy, not directors for their every behavior. In the zero-budget category, think about pots and pans that make rhythm instruments. Think about appliance boxes that become taxis and fire trucks.
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