A rant about "learning toys"

It probably would surprise no one to hear that I think that children and teens spend far too much time immersed in electronic realities. Granted, I’m more of a Luddite than an early adopted when it comes to technology, but aside from my own biased opinion, there’s numerous studies that prove that electronic media is neither a necessary, nor particularly beneficial ingredient in early childhood development, and may in fact be quite harmful.

Casual observation makes it clear that the marketing of electronic distractions to small children has been quite effective. It seems like everywhere I go, young children are glued to some sort LCD screened device. A recent study published by The NPD Group notes that “the average age at which children begin using consumer electronic (CE) devices has declined from 8.1 years in 2005 to 6.7 years in 2007” (NPD Group, “Kids and Consumer Electronics Trends III.”)

As a teacher, it appears as if the rising numbers of electronic users correlates almost exactly with the rising percentage of students I have each year who have a prescription for Adderol or Concerta…in other words, I’m implying causality here, ladies and gentlemen. If this were not the case, and one wanted to make the case that all of this electronic immersion resulted in smarter children, I would expect to see large numbers of children who show up to school ready to learn, an armada of small geniuses, with test scores to match. Needless to say it ain’t happening folks. And until it does, I reserve the right to be wildly skeptical about all this emphasis on the desirability of providing children with electronic toys.

It’s really sad to me, but by the time they're teens, they honestly go through technology withdrawal symptoms when they’re at school. They have no idea how to entertain themselves without batteries. Their media-deprivation is torture to them, and the idea of doing “real” things is completely alien. They’ve never played a board game. They have no idea how to have a real conversation. They completely lack a sense of imagination. The only kids who aren’t like this tend to be recent immigrants, or have “kooky” parents who don’t let them watch TV and (gasp) made them play outside as kids. I’ve made a note of it.

So needless to say, I’m not in a big hurry to expose my own child to a lot of the electronic noise that passes for entertainment these days. But given the current trends in product marketing to children, it’s actually become incredibly hard to find toys (and other products for children) that aren’t electronic gadgets.

Want a simple swing to rock a colicky baby in? Apparently it’s almost impossible to find one that doesn’t come with flashing lights, electronic jingles, and other annoyances. (If I was a baby who didn’t feel good, I think all that noise would just make me cry even harder!) Anything you might purchase to put a baby in when you can’t physically hold it comes equipped with enough gadgetry to require an engineering degree to assemble. Apparently manufacturers think that babies require vast amounts of stimulation—the same amount that would probably induce anxiety disorders in lab rats! Developmentally, it isn’t clear that all of this “improvement” results in positive outcomes in learning and behavior.

Given that you can’t hardly buy toys for a baby that don’t come with flashing lights and electronic noises, by the time they’re toddlers, forget it. Apparently manufacturers are convinced that kids can’t possibly be expected to enjoy something unless it comes with strobe lights, a constant barrage of sound effects, or a constant stream of inane electronic narration. Everything has been made-over to require batteries and earplugs. Given the state of toys in this day and age, I’ve made it very clear to everyone in my life that I would prefer not to receive any toys that make noise and require batteries.

My mother –in-law reported that she had a rather interesting encounter with a toy store employee while shopping for birthday/Christmas presents for the babe (who is now 2). I imagine the exchange went something like this:

Toy store employee to Grandma: “Can I help you find something?”

Grandma to toy store employee: "I'm looking for toddler toys that don't require batteries or make weird artificial noises and books that don't require you to push a button or record a message".

Toy store employee to Grandma: "Well, what does the kid do???"

(I wasn’t there, but this is what I would have said in response): “Here's what my poor electronically-deprived toddler DOES:
• He brings me things all day long so I can confirm their identity.
• He builds imaginative monuments out of my recyclables.
• He giggles and laughs at his own private jokes.
• He loves flashcards.
• He knows his colors, most of his shapes, several numbers, and quite a bit of the alphabet.
• He picks up every shell and rock on the beach and gives them to me as a present.
• He points out every street sign we pass. His favorites are the stop signs.
• He pushes his toy trucks around on every horizontal surface in the house.
• He puts all his stacking rings (and any other ring-shaped object he can get over his hand) on his arms and shows off his collection of bracelets.
• He rolls all my old coffee cans across the kitchen floor in a glorious orchestration of synchronized movement.
• He showers us with affection, giggles, and smiles.
• He sits in my lap and listens to me read (and points at everything on the page).
• He turns eating into a comedy routine.
• He thinks plastic lids are awesome.
• He loves splashing in water.
• He walks backwards whenever possible.
• He watches airplanes and birds fly overhead.
• He will run around for hours up and down a pile of sand.

What does he do, indeed! What any normal toddler would probably do—play!

Almost all children are perfectly capable of entertaining themselves with very few props. Most kids under 5 would be perfectly happy coming up with their own new and imaginative uses for ordinary household objects, or things you find outdoors (mud/sticks/rocks/puddles). Combined with physical activity for it's own sake, and all you have to do is sit back and watch the show.

It’s my observation that all of this “playing around” is far more educational than anything you’d find in the section of a store devoted to “learning toys”. I’m glad there are a few people out there bucking the trend, people who still make “beloved objects” and toys for children that have stood the test of time…the kinds of things that deserve to be around forever, and passed on down to one’s children and grandchildren. Finding these kinds of gifts in a mainstream store is very hard, and the people who make these things are competing with forces who are much more organized and have a much louder message.

It’s very clear to anyone who pays attention to such things that our very DNA is hardwired for experiential, direct, hands-on-learning, and yet toy manufacturers seem to think that to circumvent this is desirable. Part of the joy of parenting is helping children discover the world around them, but that’s being lost in this flood of electronic distractions that encourage the depersonalization of human connections and reduce the child (learner) to the role of a passive observer. The cynical beast within me is convinced that it’s all a sinister plot to create an army of passive consumers. I’m inclined not to do them the favor of paying for the ammo myself.