Sarah wrote our first entry for chapter 2, and the photo she's included is very important to her. This is the last picture she has with her dad, just a few months before he passed away. "He inspired me to have a love for children, and to have the ability to work with 'at risk' children in a classroom setting, or as a social worker. It is also special because this is the only moment I slightly remember." I'm so glad she has this picture, and I think you'll also be glad you took time to read her entry. Enjoy.
Parents and teachers often forget how important toys are to a child’s developmental process. Every time a child picks up or even examines a toy, it creates a brand new learning opportunity. Toys can help to open new opportunities for children such as: making room for imagination, preparing them for problem solving opportunities, and even helping them to refine their large or small motor skills. The rich colors and soothing textures are what attract the child to the new learning experience. Currently, people who support children and their learning experiences are having a difficult time understanding the need for some of the newer highly technological toys. These toys are not attracting children anymore than traditional simpler toys or home objects. Some parents put so much pressure on themselves to buy newer toys like the “Leapfrog gadgets” to help rapidly increase the connections of synapses in their child’s brain. According to Elkind, though, "those who argue against this position point out that it is not the number of neurons in the brain that is important, but rather the complexity of their connections” (p.35). What they do not understand is that it is actually inhibiting their children from having a positive and fun learning experience.
Microchip toys started to bloom around my peak years of childhood. Some of the high-tech toys that I had were a Leapfrog laptop and a Vtech word speller. I do not know the exact name for the Vtech toy but it was fairly common. Intended to teach children how to sound out words, the Vtech speller would pronounce any word that was typed into it. Often times, the electronic voice would be distorted and difficult to understand, or an older sibling would type dirty words on it and laugh hysterically. These two toys honestly did nothing but make me less social and less physically active during my early years of development. Before getting the savvy Leapfrog laptop, I was content with just going outside to play. I would run in the outdoors all day and I wouldn’t come inside until the sun went down. But everything went downhill in my development and demeanor after the addition of computerized toys. I can remember eating cheetos and playing games on the laptop in the family room all day. I gained a lot of weight and when it came time for physical education class in school my small and large motor skills were not so good.
The chapter on toys has really made me think about important aspects of child development. Jean Piaget outlined three stages or periods of play that are crucial to the development of children and can help us to understand why toys become important. The first stage is imitation of play where children will imitate an animal or an adult to see what it does. Infants can then use toys like a Fisher Price lawn mower or a ball to build on this stage. The second stage is symbolic where children will learn to use pretend play. As a child this was my favorite stage because I had a play kitchenette set and I would imitate my mom by pretending to cook food and do laundry. Being able to use your imagination is an important trait and children today are losing some of those imaginative skills, in part because of computerized toys. Piaget’s third major period, games with rules, is an area that I’m sure a lot of us can relate to due to the popularity of the Hasbro board games. Not only do these games teach children how to follow rules, they also give children a chance to socialize with others. In addition, they can also promote creativity and imagination by allowing them to make their own rules.
When I was younger I was always envious of my peers whose toy boxes were overstuffed because their parents bought them every toy they ever asked for. I always thought that having more toys was better; but after reading the chapter, I understand that playing with one toy can be better than playing with ten toys. I currently teach in a classroom where the shelves are filled with toys and I hope each toy will enrich the minds of the twelve amazing two-year-olds in my classroom. But, after reading this chapter I can now be sure that my students can enjoy toys without having to have all of them out at one time. Also using what Piaget said about the three stages of play will definitely help me to provide the correct toys and use them correctly inside of my classroom.
This assignment has inspired me to share my knowledge about toys to help parents and teachers know what should be put out on their shelves in classrooms and at home. As a young child, I grew up in a single-parent home where most of my toys were either hand-me-downs or cheaply made due to money constraints. But, I can honestly say that those restraints helped inspire me to become a creative adult.
You've made a lot of good points here, Sarah, and I especially love the one about the number of toys on your toddler classroom. This is such an important aspect of the environment in all early childhood settings -- what kind and how many toys/materials are available -- and it's fantastic that you're getting ideas about that from Elkind.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I enjoyed the way you brought Piaget's stages into your entry. By doing this you helped me to see how these stages can be applied in a real situation, such as the toddler classroom in which you work. Your entry made me think about the amount of toys and the kinds of toys I want to have in my home for my son. He is only a little over three months, but you got me thinking about what I want to have available for him. Honestly, it is a relief that I do not have to have a whole ton of toys and that it is actually better to have less. I guess you could say, as far as toys are concerned, less is more.
ReplyDeleteSarah, you did such a great job on your blog. I recall you saying in class the other day that you were worried whether or not it would be good enough. You had no reason to worry.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of toys, I feel as though they are beneficial for a child to have if they are using them in the correct manner and time frame. Spending your whole day in front of a computer or a leap frog might expand the child's frame of knowledge, but then thy are lacking the exercise that all children should include in their lives.
Autumn Olfert
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