In our technology-driven world, it’s often assumed that high-tech toys are the best toys for brain development. But they’re not! Here’s why, and a few real winners.
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Before I became a parent, whenever I had to buy presents for kids, I would usually look for the most “educational” ones. The ones that promised to teach kids their ABCs, 123s, and War and Peace in six languages. (Okay, maybe not the last one, but definitely a host of other learning milestones.)
And while I still like getting those toys on occasion, I started realizing after I had a couple of kids that they aren’t the ones that foster creativity and imagination in my toddler.
And so I began to research the best toys for intellectual development. I was surprised at what I found, and you may be, too!
High-Tech is Not the Way to Go
We live in a very technology-oriented world, and so it has been assumed that high-tech gadgets and gizmos are the best way to raise an intelligent child. As it turns out, experts are agreeing that this may not be true.
- This article from WebMD explains why learning videos such as Baby Einstein might actually be doing more harm than good.
- Researchers from Kansas State University found that high-tech toys can actually hinder babies’ communication skills.
- Then there is this article from The Huffington Post that asks the question, “Are You Buying Toys That Stunt Your Child’s Brain?”
Those studying child development seem concerned with these high-tech toys for a few reasons.
Many of these toys:
- Do too much for the child, so he/she doesn’t have to rely much on his/her own imagination and reasoning skills.
- Position the child as a passive recipient and do not engage the child’s senses or mind.
- Overstimulate the child.
- Replace human-to-human interaction with parents and siblings.
What Is Good for Brain Development?
So if high-tech is not the way to go, what is? What are the best toys for intellectual development?
After reading many articles and studies, I found several commonalities. The best toys for brain development are those that:
- Engage the senses
- Stimulate curiosity
- Present a problem or challenge
- Require problem-solving or answering questions
- Are age-appropriate
- Follow your child’s development milestones
- Inspire creativity and imagination
- Can include other participants
The Best Toys for Brain Development
Based on my readings, as well as my own experience as a mother of two very active and very imaginative little boys, here is my recommendation for the best toys for mental stimulation —
Good ol’ fashioned building toys!
Benefits of Building Toys
- Improves both gross and fine motor skills
- Sharpens logic and reasoning skills
- Helps develop math and communication skills
- Improves creativity
- Fosters imagination
- Encourages interaction with others
- Enhances spatial awareness
- Builds focus and patience
- Helps develop problem-solving skills
- Encourages kids to use their own minds and imagination rather than letting technology do all the work
My favorite thing about them is how versatile they are! I often use my sons’ building toys to work on things like shapes, colors, counting, patterns, and sorting. They have a blast playing while learning, and it offers us a chance for quality time. Double win!
Our Favorite Building Toys
My kids have a LOT of toys. (Too many toys, if you ask me.) But we have noticed that it’s not the flashy toys or the high-tech toys that hold their interest past the initial novelty. It’s the simple ones. The ones requiring them to do all the moving and the talking and the manipulating.
We love watching our kids play with their building toys and witnessing their imaginative play. The stories and dialogues they come up with are both fascinating and hilarious!
Here are a few of their favorite building toys:
Melissa & Doug Wooden Blocks
Aidan absolutely loved these blocks! He spent hours using his creativity to transform them into buildings, bridges, train engines, towers, ice cream cones & birthday cakes, garages for his cars, and anything else his little mind could conceive!
LEGOs
What kid doesn’t like LEGOs? My boys really liked their Mega Blocks, and now they enjoy the LEGOS Duplos and classic LEGOs.
Lincoln Logs
Unfortunately, we’ve lost much of our set under various pieces of furniture or who knows where, but Aidan LOVED his Lincoln Logs. His daddy loved to build with him, too, so the Lincoln Logs offered a wonderful chance for some father-son bonding.
Magnet Tiles
This is Aidan’s toy of choice right now and what holds his attention longer than anything else we own. These are the magnet tiles we have and love — they are CRAZY strong and much cheaper than Magformers.
There’s a lot more that I could say about low-tech vs. high-tech toys, and I plan to do a post about technology in the future, but I hope this was enough to inspire you to do some research of your own.
I’ll leave you with this: sometimes the flashy, obvious choice simply isn’t the best choice. And sometimes classic toys are classic for a reason.
Recommended Reading:
- 15 Compelling Reasons to Encourage Your Kids to Read
- How to Beat the Summer Slide: Preventing Summer Learning Loss in Your Kids
- 5 Children’s Books That Will Inspire Your Kids to Greatness
- Why Board Books Rock! (And How They Can Make Your Kid Smarter!)
Share your thoughts!