Early Learning Tips - Why Multipurpose Toys Are the Best

Do you know why multipurpose toys are the best at promoting cognitive development in the youngest children? You will and know specific toys to choose after you read this article. Brain development in the youngest children is best fostered by unstructured creative play time vs. rote learning and memorization.

I recently came across an interesting article, "Rethinking Children's Play" in the National PTA's Our Children magazine. The article explains how children learn through play, then traces the changes in playtime and toys from the latter half of the 20th century until today, significantly noting that media-linked toys can be traced directly to FCC deregulation in 1984. Now TV shows and movies can explicitly market to children.

Think about the typical toys and action figures or video games linked to TV programs or movies. The biggest problem, per the PTA, is that many of these toys just tell children how to play and use the toys to imitate what they see on the screen.

So, which toys are the best?

You can get many of the best kinds of educational learning and cognitive development toys that facilitate your child's intellectual, social and emotional development from websites that specialize in developmental expert-selected toys. Still, the best toys are those that can be used in a variety of ways, some of which your child will invent themselves.

Examples of unstructured, multipurpose toys include clay, blocks, balls, and pretend play toys like wagons, generic toy figures, stuffed animals and baby dolls--all of these encourage play that children can control and shape to meet their individual needs over time. The best thing is that some of these toys are also the most inexpensive or free (like stackable plastic containers and boxes around the house)!

It's good to have educational play interactions with your little one, but also let them have regular, uninterrupted playtime (away from the TV or DVD player) and let them know that play is important by encouraging it every day.

Whatever you do, make thoughtful choices about the toys and media you introduce to your child -- focus on ones that promote true playtime, allowing them the fullest range of freedom and creativity.