Best Toys for Kids? Think Low-Tech, High Imagination

Newswise — Remember making mounds of spaghetti with Play-Doh? Or baking cupcakes by the lightbulb in your Easy-Bake Oven and having a tea party? Or spending hours learning to "walk the dog" with your yo-yo? Remember when toys were just plain fun and it seemed like nobody really gave much thought about what you were learning--or even if you were learning--when you played with them? Not so anymore, says Temple psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, co-author of the new book, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards. "Nowadays, the toys we select for children have the hidden agenda of making them learn," says Hirsh-Pasek, noting that sales of high-tech "educational" toys have skyrocketed in the last few years. Those toys, though, actually do the opposite, Hirsh-Pasek says. "They usually look for a single, correct answer to a problem because they are busy teaching skills. They set the agenda for the child. It's not the child figuring out what to do next. Today's kids don't need to be fed information through toys. They need to combine facts in innovative ways to become creative problem solvers." Hirsh-Pasek's top ten list of the best toys for kids: building blocks, Play-Doh, costume drawers, puppets, balls, books, crayons, paints, rhythm instruments and dolls. "Those toys inspire a child to learn through creative play--and to play with others," says Hirsh-Pasek.