Educational Baby Toys Aren't Educational?
Here's an interesting article that suggests that high-tech "educational" toys for babies may not be so educational at all.
I'm not sure what I think about it, but I do know that Malcolm was a TV watcher from 6 weeks old (yes, I'm aware he probably couldn't see the screen clearly) and Baby Einstein was a big reason for that. It occupied him for a short time and it also gave mama some time to get dinner cooked, the house somewhat clean and perhaps I could even wash my face.
I think that's what a lot of these toys do...just give parents time and that's nothing to be ashamed of. My little ones don't need to speak 5 different languages, but I'm glad when they're content and I don't have to feel like I'm running myself ragged trying to get everything done.
I'm not sure what I think about it, but I do know that Malcolm was a TV watcher from 6 weeks old (yes, I'm aware he probably couldn't see the screen clearly) and Baby Einstein was a big reason for that. It occupied him for a short time and it also gave mama some time to get dinner cooked, the house somewhat clean and perhaps I could even wash my face.
I think that's what a lot of these toys do...just give parents time and that's nothing to be ashamed of. My little ones don't need to speak 5 different languages, but I'm glad when they're content and I don't have to feel like I'm running myself ragged trying to get everything done.
posted by Alice at 9:09 PM
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4 Comments:
My son actually doesn't enjoy TV and hasn't since the day he was born. I'm sure that stage will come one day.
But he does like to play with his toys and you know what? I've found that he is much more interested in the "non-educational" ones. LOL.
He does play with the leapfrog toys, but give him some plain old stacking blogs or legos and he's one happy little man! :)
I am LOL at the Mom in the article whose 2 year old knows some of her body parts and numbers because of Elmo. Puh-leeze! How did the parents of Einstein, Jefferson, Bell, Beethoven, etc make their kids smart without electronic gadgetry? ;)
I would guess that they talked to them, read a lot, and encouraged their kids to entertain themselves.
Nell I have noticed the same thing. I can't stand electronic toys because they require no playing...they play by themselves, and quite noisily so...much to the chagrin of parents LOL!
Simple toys require the child to use their imagination, so in reality, all toys are "educational". A baby sucking on his fist is learning something.
So I guess you could say I agree totally with the article.
Call me neoLuddite mama!
I have four kids, with one more on the way. My first two didn't really have access to the current educational toys on the market, especially the first. My second I started her on the pc at about a year and half because she kept bothering me when I would try to work. Now she is very technology oriented, and smart.
My third I started with the baby Enstein videos and playing Mozart CDs at about 5/6 months. He too learned his ABCs, counting to 10, and colors and shapes. I also was able to get things done because he would be occupied. He also came away with loving classical music, something I never appreciated until listening to these CDs with him. He's now 4, and very quick to learn new concepts.
My fourth I did not do the videos and CDs as much...she is 2 and does not grasp numbers and color concepts as well, although she does love the CDs when I play them. I do regret not playing the videos and CDs more frequently - I think they helped stimulate thought processes for my third.
My TV is usually on all day, usually to a PBS station, although my kids only watch sporadically. They by no means are TV addicts, but they like the background noise. I am a self-confessed tech junkie...all of my kids have their own pc's and TVs in their rooms, but again they aren't always on them. They have half and half mix of leapfrog-type toys and your traditional blocks, legos, and coloring activities.
I believe kids can only benefit from the technology toys, IF and I mean IF the parents use them appropriately. I do not leave it to them to teach the kids (because really kids do not stay interested unless you can teach why they are fun - they do prefer to work with their hands and mouths :) My kids do ask me constantly how to do this and that on these "educational" toys until they grasp a concept which keeps them occupied until the next level.
Anyways...off my soap box :) I do love the educational toys combined with parent interaction. I think kids benefit more when exposed early on...they seem to grasp more quickly. But I am working with my 2 yo and just need to practice a bit more patience with her. Or it could just be that she is a different personality altogether and it's not related to how I exposed TJ to the videos early and her not. I guess I'll find out when my next (and last) comes in a few weeks! :)
Happy Parenting to all!
You know that's interesting that you say your TV is on all day. Ours is on quite a bit too when we are home. We have a channel called "Treehouse" here in Canada - it has programs for toddlers/preschoolers and no commericals.
The other day my husband said that it's good for kids to be able to have video screens (i.e. TVs) in the background while they concencentrate on other things. He is a science-fiction nut, so he's thinking of the future (and even now to some degree) when we are bombarded with video screens all over the place. I thought it was an interesting perspective.
BTW - I use TV as background noise myself.
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