Do Too Many Toys Stifle Kids' Creativity?

[johnnymk]

I have often wondered about this.

[blueindian]

not if they're wooden.

[kei2]

Yeah of course. Plus they shorten kids' attention spans.

Video games are usually very linear and require little creative thought. Even Legos come with instruction manuals on how to build the [whatever]. They only get even borderline creative after something inadvertently breaks the [whatever] and the instructions have been lost.

[whitak24]

i don't necessarily think too many toys will, but i think too much tv can.

but honestly i think a lot of it has to do with how parents interact with their kids and try to stimulate them. for example, i think if parents don't do anything to stimulate their kids, kids who watch too much tv or have all non-creative toys will probably end up with stifiled creativity. On the other hand, even kids who watch a lot of tv will be creative if their parents help them channel the tv that they see into creative analysis.

[welfareloser]

i think it's very possible. depends on the toys.

i go out of my way to make sure that my kids' toys are wooden, unanimated, without batteries, etc. the more versatile, the better. for example, the imaginext stuff, which has a bunch of wall and floor pieces you can snap together to make different kinds of castles...

some kids have imaginations that wouldn't be stifled by even the worst toys, some kids will never have an imagination no matter how you try, but i think most are in between, and could be stifled... there are too many toys on the market today that are basically this: 1. put in batteries. 2. push "on" button. 3. sit on your butt and watch what it does.

and i will take this opportunity to say: LEAP PADS ARE EVIL. they should call em "teach your kid to think inside the box only" pads. i hate those things.

and finally, every kid needs the opportunity to improvise toys... stick em outside to play with sticks and dirt, let em dig around in the kitchen and make tupperware forts, etc...

[ShawnLee]

I think the bigger thing that stifles imaginations is when people say, "That's not how you're supposed to do that."

Other than telling them to be quiet in church, and other such societal norms, letting them define their own rules in play makes for cool kids.

[ialsohaveadream]

I think the bigger thing that stifles imaginations is when people say, "That's not how you're supposed to do that."

Other than telling them to be quiet in church, and other such societal norms, letting them define their own rules in play makes for cool kids.

:stupid: Exactly.

I'd also add to this that putting your kids in organized sports at a very young age doesn't help their creativity. If you put a group of six kids ages 4-6 in a room, they will find something to play on their own. They're generally a very creative bunch. There's no reason to put them in a T-ball league, other than the photo ops.

Give a kid a cardboard box, a flashlight, a ball, and some silly putty, and they will entertain themselves for WAY longer than they should. :)

[welfareloser]

:stupid: :stupid:

i HATE it when parents do stuff like that. it kills me when i see moms scold "no, no, no... don't color that tree RED! it's green! trees are green! here, like this..."

it's amazing how many parents do that. it's sad.



that said, you should see what my kids are doing right now with a loaf of bread, crayons, and fun noodles :2far:


Even Legos come with instruction manuals on how to build the [whatever]. They only get even borderline creative after something inadvertently breaks the [whatever] and the instructions have been lost.

:heh: my kid calls those "the map." he generally studies it for a moment, decides he can do better, and then throws it away...

i think he has an excellent future as a man who can't ask for directions and always knows a "shortcut" :rolleyes:

[sbp]

Give a kid a cardboard box, a flashlight, a ball, and some silly putty, and they will entertain themselves for WAY longer than they should. :)Nice going pal, you just spoiled whitak24's Secret Santa surprise. :dodgy:


i think it's very possible. depends on the toys.

i go out of my way to make sure that my kids' toys are wooden, unanimated, without batteries, etc. the more versatile, the better. for example, the imaginext stuff, which has a bunch of wall and floor pieces you can snap together to make different kinds of castles...

some kids have imaginations that wouldn't be stifled by even the worst toys, some kids will never have an imagination no matter how you try, but i think most are in between, and could be stifled... there are too many toys on the market today that are basically this: 1. put in batteries. 2. push "on" button. 3. sit on your butt and watch what it does.

and i will take this opportunity to say: LEAP PADS ARE EVIL. they should call em "teach your kid to think inside the box only" pads. i hate those things.

and finally, every kid needs the opportunity to improvise toys... stick em outside to play with sticks and dirt, let em dig around in the kitchen and make tupperware forts, etc...Yeah, give them some guns and let them play Cowboys and Indians, with the Indians naturally being the bad guys. http://home.earthlink.net/~sbp777/smilies/xmastongue.gif

[welfareloser]

not so natural anymore, given that the media no longer shoves images of mean savage indians down their impressionable throats :pfft:

[Hypnotist]

The number of toys? No

The type and situation surrounding their availability? Yes

[oblongmelon]

Yes ..I think it does. It seems that after X amount of hours-or usage of a certain toy-they get bored and toss it like an old kleenix..but if they only had one or two toys, you can bet that they'd keep a tight grip on them like no body's business.

[ShawnLee]

I'd also add to this that putting your kids in organized sports at a very young age doesn't help their creativity. If you put a group of six kids ages 4-6 in a room, they will find something to play on their own. They're generally a very creative bunch. There's no reason to put them in a T-ball league, other than the photo ops.I'll slightly disagree here. My kids will learn how to play organzed sports by age eight. They may not play in a league, but they'll learn the rules.
I remember being that age and not knowing the rules to two-hand touch and feeling left out. It's also not cool to make your kids feel like the left-out loser.

[kei2]

I'll slightly disagree here. My kids will learn how to play organzed sports by age eight. They may not play in a league, but they'll learn the rules.
I remember being that age and not knowing the rules to two-hand touch and feeling left out. It's also not cool to make your kids feel like the left-out loser.I agree here. At least teach kids how to play sports properly. When there's a boy in high school or college that can't throw and catch a football or baseball, can't play basketball at all... it's hard for his friends to include him in sports activities.
my kid calls those "the map." he generally studies it for a moment, decides he can do better, and then throws it away...haha nice. I wasn't a very creative kid, so I always followed the directions the first time. But the directions eventually got lost, and after the '89 quake it was freestyle by necessity.

[ialsohaveadream]

To clarify a bit- I think age eight is fine for organized sports. It just frustrates me to see pepole wanting to put their 4 year olds into T-ball and soccer leagues. It's fine and good to teach them how to play the game, but there's no need to put them in a sports league that young.

[WhiskeyPapa]

not if they're wooden.You mean like Pinocchio?

[dsuds]

Organized sports are a good thing if done properly. We are really lucky to have a great recreation department here that pushes sportsmanship. The kindergarden & 1st grade leagues don't even keep score in t-ball or soccer. With the percentage of obese kids in our society, we NEED these sports programs! I am a firm beleiver in the sooner kids get out and play sports, the more active they will be later in life.

As for other toys, yeah, there are some bad ones. I'm not a big fan of video games for young kids, unless they're learning games (Math Blaster, etc.). I like these games because the kids learn faster than the old "math tables" that were hammered down our throats as kids. Wait until they are at least 11 before letting them play with many "real" video games. I disagree with the majority here because I do like the LEGO kits. I think they really help develop 3-d perspective & visualization skills. Then after they build by the plan, have them build something else with the same kit. That will foster their imagination.

[welfareloser]

i'd love to put eg in soccer right now, i was so looking forward to it when he was 2... they had a leage for 3-4 year olds, and then one for kindergarten, and it was basically jsut letting kids run around and kick a ball, with not much emphasis on the rules... and then they discontinued it just when he got old enough, and now he has to wait til he's 6 :(

the only organized sports they have for kdis his age now is teenie ballereenies... which i actually think he'd enjoy, but i don't know how the other little girls would feel about it...