THE PLAY'S THE THING: A CLOSER LOOK AT LEARNING TOYS
SEDUCED BY THE NOTION THAT BABY'S FIRST IQ POINTS CAN BE BOUGHT? YOU MAY BE
GETTING PLAYED...
Is securing for your child an early acceptance to an Ivy League college as simple as making a trip to your nearest toy
store? A crop of toys designated as “learning toys” have recently flooded the market, many of which feature second-
language teaching tools, instruction on colors, numbers and letters and even musical lessons. Though it’s awfully
tempting to believe that purchasing such playthings will advance your child’s intellect, the degree to which they can is
debatable.
When it comes down to it, any toy is a "learning toy,” says Michael D. Kaplan MD, a child psychiatrist in private practice and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center. “Children learn from play not because of what a toy is called, but because of how they interact with it. A ball is a learning toy and a puzzle is a learning toy, but so is a shovel.” Children learn many things through playing with toys, such as the properties of an object, how to make predictions, how to manipulate objects, how things go together and what impact they have on their environment. Playing with toys at an early age provides the framework and building blocks for more advanced play as the child ages; when infants and toddlers play with toys, it sets the stage for “symbolic play”—when the toy takes on properties assigned to it by the child and his or her imagination—around 18 month to 24 month old.
“Playing with toys can also yield valuable social lessons,” says Dr. Kaplan He adds that when children play with toys along with another person, they learn social skills like turn-taking (and how to manage frustration while taking turns), mutual engagement, enjoyment and sharing. When playing with toys alone, children learn how to occupy themselves, enjoy "alone time" and experience pleasure and mastery.
While playing with toys can develop a number of important skills and behaviors, they are unlikely to amp up a child’s ability to learn a second language. “The literature on learning foreign languages is very clear: you have to hear it from a person for it to make an impact,” Dr. Kaplan tells us. Researchers have studied whether a baby learning Japanese from a tape is the same as a baby learning the language from a human.“To make a long story short, the child who hears Japanese from a tape is no different from the one who has never before heard the language,” he explains. Therefore, Spanish-speaking—or any other language, for that matter— toys won't serve any purpose for learning language other than refreshing your memory of what you may have learned in high school.
Though all toys promote learning, there are a few criteria that distinguish good toys from better ones. What appeals to an adult is not necessarily what is best for the development of a child. While there are many flashy —both literally and figuratively—toys on the market, they can prove overstimulating to children. Instead of purchasing for your child the most seemingly sophisticated toys, Dr. Kaplan recommends selecting fewer, quality toys for your child. Brightly-colored toys are nice choices, as are those that can make a variety of soothing, pleasant sounds or have different textures to stimulate the sense of touch. Additionally, toys of different shapes and sizes are not only fun to grab, but can also provide children with an introduction to spatial relationships.
And what about “learning videos?” The American Academy of Pediatrics stands firm on not having any TV. or video exposure before the age of two, linking exposure to a higher incidence of ADHD by school age. Dr. Kaplan advises taking this advice with a grain of salt: “I think that is a bit unrealistic given the nature of today’s families,” he says, “This advice does not open a dialogue for what is reasonable—it’s just not known.” Therefore, if you find yourself in desperate need of a 30-minute escape, popping in an episode of The Backyardigans is not likely going to harm your child, Dr. Kaplan asserts.
When it comes to receiving education via the boob tube, Dr. Kaplan reminds that nothing can replace a human interaction. “Many parents are amazed that their infants and toddlers will be captivated by the screen. However, that is what is supposed to happen; it has bright, pleasing colors, it moves, it plays nice sounds—our brains are geared to find sources of stimulation like those. The problem is that the TV/video supplants the human relationship in too many cases—and then likely becomes a link to the hours kids spend in front of Xbox-like systems.” Therefore, do your best to limit your child’s hours in front of the TV. Because their playing with toys takes more energy, initiative and motivation, the payoff for actual play is much higher in terms of their development.
While the prospect of a toy or video that can deliver knowledge is alluring, Dr. Kaplan is quick to remind parents that that no object can replace a person when the task of planting knowledge is concerned. “We have this notion that genius can be created. Unfortunately, that is in the genes. Parents get a misguided notion about what areas they can impact and those they can’t. Talking, playing, singing with your child is much more stimulating to their brains than a commercially-made video or object.” He recommends that parents rethink their role in play, seeing it an integral role in their learning, and not just as fun and games: “I often see that parents look at play with their children as ‘entertaining’ them, not joining in with their kids and getting into the play with them.” It’s important to remember that though sitting while routinely engaging your child with a singing caterpillar may be a bit boring, you're actually furthering his or her development. And perhaps, when he or she discovers the cure for cancer, you can give yourself a pat on the back.—Chelsea Kaplan
Got questions for Dr. Kaplan? Email them to Chelsea@thefamilygrove.com
