Do we really need to spend money on toys?
Do you ever find yourself disappointed with how much money you spend? Are you always second-guessing yourself on yet another purchase for your kids? Contemplating and trying to justify whether they really need another toy? Or game? Or _______(insert your item of choice here)?
I understand. I really do. You see, I was am a recovering shopaholic. Go ahead. Laugh, it is pretty funny! But seriously. You can read about that here. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve debated whether a toy was ‘worth it’ or not. The internal battle of wanting to budget…Avoiding strife with the hubs was usually enough to have me running from the toy isle….
Except, when. It. wasn’t. I’m a firm believer in the power of play, and maybe you are too. I’m not talking about the structured senseless, useless play with “those toys”…(you know the ones.) Those that don’t foster any kind of creativity at all. That actually stunt our kids’ development. Yea those. How do you know? And is ‘play’ really the route we should take our children?
I dare say heck yes.
Here’s why:
Play is truly the heart of how our kids learn and develop. Its fundamental in developing basic skills that will support our children’s literacy and understanding of the world as they continue to grow.
Key benefits of play:
- Creativity and problem solving:
By allowing our kids the freedom to play and make their own choices, we give them the opportunity to explore, use their imagination, discover, explore and express themselves. It’s the most natural way for children to piece the world together and develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills
- Social interaction
Playing with other children and working through conflicts that are sure to come, allows them to understand themselves and others. Working through their emotions is sure to build emotional development
- Physical development
When we let our kids play, we’re allowing them to build physical skills and use different body muscles that will later help with language and writing
- Communication
Simply put, surrounding our kids with other kids allows them to mimic what they see and hear. Which in turn will support language and the way they communicate with us.
What are your thoughts?
