For children, toys are much more than just a means of entertainment. Even simple playthings can help to influence their cognitive and emotional development. They are also a great way to nurture a child’s imagination and creativity – essential skills they can carry into adulthood and channel into more productive pursuits.
There are some specific characteristics of toys that encourage imagination well. A single toy won’t necessarily possess all of these traits, but some common features of creative toys are vibrant colours, interesting textures, and a range of unusual and interesting shapes. They tend to give children building blocks of some kind that will prompt their imagination to take over. Sometimes they are literally blocks, while other times they are materials like plasticine or figurines that can form the characters in a story.
This short guide takes a look at some common toy types which are designed to help children be more creative and imaginative.
1. Figurines and dolls
Playing with dolls and action figures is a timeless childhood activity that evidence suggests has been around for several thousand years. The pretend scenarios that children invent for these types of toys are excellent for developing their cognitive and problem-solving skills, and remembering characters and situations over long stretches of time as they play provides a good workout for their memory skills too.
There are many types of figurines and dolls available, from traditional dolls like Barbie or G.I. Joe to smaller sets like Playmobil that combine figurines with building blocks.
2. Construction toys
This is the category to which the world’s largest toy group, Lego, belongs. However, there are many alternatives to the famous Danish bricks. Lincoln Logs, K’nex, magnetic tiles, and even just simple wooden blocks can all be used in similar ways. These toys are all about building structures, and this helps them develop some important skills that they will need as they get older. Namely, it is how they learn to test ideas and infer from things they’ve tried in the past what will or won’t work in the future.
3. Costumes and props
These are toys in the sense that children use them to play, but actually acting out a character puts it in a different category from playing with dolls or action figures. This is because, in addition to encouraging their creativity and imagination, it also practices their motor skills and social skills if they are interacting with others while in character.
4. Musical toys
Toys play an important role in exposing children to a wide variety of different sensory experiences and, as much as it might irritate parents, sound is an essential part of that. They need to be able to experiment with the different sounds objects can make, and musical toys are a way to do that which can also help them start to appreciate something that they will enjoy for the rest of their lives, and which could even become a hobby or career.
Conclusion
Every problem that mankind has ever solved, everything that’s ever been invented, has been the result of somebody’s imagination. It’s an important skill that should be encouraged early on, and providing the right kinds of toys can be a great way to do that.
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