Can Toys still replace Digital Gaming Apps?

Does your child reminisce about the old fond memories of dinosaurs ? Is he or she into the wild, crazy, fascinating, and speedy world of cars, vehicles, and toy guns? Leaned towards different aptitudes and tastes, children’s imaginations are novel, wide and filled with wonder.

We need to transform this special and highly creative instinct present in each child into a physical and solid reality. The top-grade toy industries put their shoulder to the wheel by designing and manufacturing a bulk of diverse toy items. It should match and suit their interests. Toys have indeed always held a central position for children’s interests. They not only elaborate valuable learning but also encourage new ways of thinking whilst the kids have fun.

However, in this digital arena, free play is becoming less common. Instead, it is being taken over by digital gaming apps and video games on a massive scale. With the advent of latest technology and advanced cellular features, digital play has managed to impress every kid. They have put their toys aside and picked their phones up. The kids are now growing up with multiple virtual activities offered by digitalization. Experts are concerned about the diminishing value of traditional toys.

The games vs Toys competition has adopted modern terminologies. It is now digital play vs free play.

The restrictions of digital play

Being technologically advanced is no way a bad option. It is rather a positive thing to adopt to changing times and go with the flow. Similarly, the digital gaming apps and video games are becoming an inevitable part of children’s lives. Many of them provide ample opportunities for learning and growth. But they do put a halt on the imaginative faculties of children due to their restricting abilities. How? Let us explore!

The American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP, recommends that parents limit screen time (including rhymes, video, and computer games) to only an hour a day for children aged 2 years or older while completely avoiding giving screen time to infants below 18 months. On the other hand, children within the age bracket of 3-5 years of age should only play computer or video games if they serve the purpose of mental development and that too only under the supervision of a caretaker.

Digital learning games are physically dismantling

Visual or interactive media may be able to boost children’s mental capabilities by enchanting graphics, popping colors and 3D effects, but they limit children’s physical activities. Kids are seen lying on the sofa or to make things worse, completely bent over the screens while playing. There is no healthy physical growth and kids tend to be habitual of a sedentary lifestyle further giving rise to child obesity and other health issues.

Isolated experience

When kids play with physical, traditional toys and games, they are indulged in multiple shared values all at once. For example, they wait for their turns which highlights the virtue of patience. Similarly, the shared experience is ever so thriving when they have back and forth interactions, noticing each other’s emotions and get to know the other participant’s point of view.

On the other hand, most of the games are designed in a way that assumes there is only one user and children do not let others take the lead. Results? The other child picks up another cell phone and starts his own game. This solitary play leads to fragmented, isolated experiences and no social interaction.

The independence and autonomy of a child is compromised

The way tech games are designed do not really encourage a child’s autonomous powers. It is because they are programmed in sort of a closed loop that instructs the child what to do rather than having their brains take the lead. The programmer or the app designer is in control of the whole game and the game is designed according to his own limited perspective which is constraining to a child’s natural behavior.

The values like self-realization, parent-child interaction and self-control are lost while following the set criterion of a particular game.

The power of free, unstructured play- a gateway to harness imagination.

Social play promotes autonomy, independence, and cultivate multiple creative abilities a child is born with. The core of an unstructured, social play is an elaborated focus on child’s autonomy and control which comes into play when a child displays problem-solving skills like how to do it, when to do it; all by using his own brain and imagination.

Toys, art, music, and nature triggers and boosts healthy shared experiences. Many parents tend to give phones to their children to have a mini break from parenting. It is to keep them seated during mealtime or even to pacify their tantrums. While this is attention grabbing and may look like an ultimate solution, it inhibits children to self-regulate their emotions. With healthy educational toys and games, children can think clearly of what they want without any artificial hindrances.

This also boosts vocabulary since the children talk in real time during the play as well as nurturing parent-child relationship. Most of the parents agree that they felt strongly connected while playing with their kids with toys and games physically and traditionally.

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, “there may be learning benefits in association with interactive media, there is presently no evidence to suggest that possible benefits of interactive media match those of active, creative, hands-on and pretend play with more traditional toys.”

The best toys and games for children

When it comes to choosing the best toys and games that are physically and mentally engaging, parents often find themselves clueless. To keep children occupied, there are many options that will not only engage them but also enhance their problem-solving, fine, and motor skills.

Legos are one of the best-selling toys on amazon. In fact, during the pandemic, when parents tried to cut off children from screens, Legos saw a whopping sale that rose 7% to $2.5 billion year-over-year while operating profit grew 11%. There are many starter-sets of Legos that are pocket-friendly and can be easily found on Amazon UK.

Various educational toys and games are getting popular in the UK, especially amidst the pandemic to keep children hooked to education and fun learning. These include Vtech tech driven educational games, appealing card and flash games and miniature collectibles that flourish the opportunity for imaginative play.

Amazon UK has a list of toys and games that are trending among children these days which show a positive inclination of the young minds towards a productive and healthy approach of choosing to indulge in social, interactive, and free play. For those kids who love to read, nothing can be a great substitute than books. And especially if someone wants to enjoy sounds and music while reading, e-books are extremely helpful in learning and enhancing immaculate vocabulary.

We are fortunate enough to still have our traditional toys in reach like Building Toys and Spelling Toys that inculcate involvement and social skills. It is high time that parents should encourage kids to indulge in social, physical play through toys that are engaging, updated and that aim towards enhancing children’s fine motor skills. All that can be done by limiting digital applications and online games and investing in productive, fun, and educational toys for children of all ages.