Why are Physical Toys More Important For Children than Fancy Gadgets
>> Dec 27, 2016
This is a
very controversial topic indeed, but a very important one as well. A child’s
character is moulded as they grow up and it is affected by their surrounding
environment. For example, their emotions are affected by people’s behaviour
around them. Now, young children absorb everything they see, hear or interact
with. Hence, it’s crucial to be extra careful when they are growing up because
those very factors will influence their understanding, thinking, social skills,
language, and body language.
Since the
rapid growth of technology has taken over the world, children too, are curious
about it and they want to explore it further. Most parents nowadays, give their
children a fancy gadget in their hands such as a tablet or a smartphone to
satisfy their curiosity and calm their tempers down; little do they know that
doing so actually has bad implications for young children.
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| image:pixabay.com |
Hence,
providing your children with physical toys is better than handing them an
iPhone or an iPad. If you’re wondering why, here are the reasons.
· Gross Motor Skills are Developed and Improved
These skills are also known as
kinaesthetic movements and they are an essential component of a child’s
development. Through these skills, children learn to walk, stand, maintain
their balance, run, and pay attention.
Gross motor skills are improved through
toys and play sets that allow children to move their body. If you give your
toddler a smartphone or a tablet, it won’t encourage their physical movement
much, which can impede their physical development. This may result in a poor
body structure and posture.
· Honing of Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills refers to the
usage of the wrists, fingers, thumbs, and hands in conjunction with the eyes;
this is an extremely important skill for children to develop as it builds a
sense of understanding as well as a sense of movement as to when and which
muscle group to move.
There are many toys like construction blocks and stackers that enable children to hone their fine motor skills.
On the other hand, handing them gadgets does not encourage critical thinking or
using muscles, which leads to attention deficit disorders.
· Development of Emotions and Sentiments
It’s not only the thinking and motor
skills that children develop while playing with physical toys, but they also
develop their humour, body language, identity, communication skills, and a
sense of association. When they play with other children, they will develop
feelings, emotions, sentiments, attachments, and considerations, thus allowing
them to create relationships.
For example, when they play with
dolls, children learn caretaking, kindness, and compassion. A technological
gadget, on the other hand, will not be able to incur such feelings in children.
· Their Subjective Skills are Enhanced
Did you know that physical toys help
children to improve their neural, clasping, and memorisation capabilities? It’s
true. For example, musical toys often aid them in increasing their subjective skills.
However, giving your child a tablet
or smartphone and allowing them to use a music app or website will not trigger
the same level of development because in an app, they are merely touching the
screen.
Sources
http://paramountgym.com/benefits-keeping-kids-active/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2565061/How-iPad-replaced-toy-chest-Researchers-children-play-touchscreens-traditional-toys.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/does-spending-too-much-time-on-smartphones-and-tablets-damage-kids-development-a7067261.html
http://www.raisesmartkid.com/all-ages/1-articles/smartphone-and-tablet-screen-time-good-or-bad-for-kids
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