Go Play With the Box Instead - Toddler Development on a Budget
Have you ever wondered why that when you give at toddler a new toy, they play with it for five minutes, but the box gives them endless amusement?
It is amazing just how many products are no the shelves these days for children, right through form birth. The explosion of toys over the last 20 years has been amazing. Anyone who has gone and purchased an item for a baby, toddler or child would agree it is a labyrinth of bright colors, plastic and fur!
One area that has increased dramatically is educational toys. Years ago a toy was just that, a toy. There was not too much emphasis placed on them. Now it is a completely different story. A toy needs to be educational. It needs to develop the child and give some type of head start to his or her peers.
Dont get me wrong, I think they are great and I have purchased many for my daughters over the years. Toys which help develop their senses and skills, I think they serve a very valuable purpose in early childhood development. It is important for parents to remember that there are other things parents can do to assist childhood development without spending a fortune or having everything that opens, shuts and dings. I have seen some children overwhelmed with a room full of educational toys, but hardly use any and not know where to go next with sensory overload.
The idea of a child playing with the box instead, I think is universal. It transcends gender and race. It is a wonderful expression of creativity, something that has immense value in childhood development. The box can become so many wonderful things, a car, house, peek a boo box, flower bed, teddy’s bed, table, hat, and the list is truly endless.
After the box has been discarded, cut a few holes or get out some paint or crayons and it becomes new again. The creativity that is tapped into and the imagination which is stimulated with this sort of play is incredibly important in childhood development.
Other budget ideas for younger children and toddlers include activities like exploring a cupboard at home (one you have pre-checked for hazards first) exploring the garden or a park if you don’t have a garden and finding things that start with different letters or colors. Filling cups with different levels of water and tapping them to hear different sounds and playing a tune. A messy one but a favorite one is painting feet hand hands and using them as stamps on paper. Talk about the different sizes of feet and hands, how many fingers, how many toes, left and right. One of my personal favorites is guess what. This is where you put an item in the toddler or child’s hand and with eyes closed, guess what it is. The beauty of these games is that they can be modified to suit the individual needs and age of the child.
It is also good to remember that whilst your child is engaged the toddler has less thought about toddler tantrums, baby tantrums and negative toddler behavior.
These may all seem like simple games, but they are just as valuable to childhood development as something marketed as an educational toy is. Next time your toddler or child receives a toy, don’t be too hasty to throw away the box, you may find a lot of joy and excitement and creative play time from the cardboard instead of just another piece of trash to throw away.
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