I have another vent post - really nothing to do with my children or my family just a general purpose vent and maybe part of the reason it is easy to stay out of the classroom:
Okay - so if you know me IRL you know I don't really appreciate electronic/battery toys. We limit tv (except the last couple of days especially with all the sickness going on here!)videogames, computer time - I, We, really really try to limit their electronic media as it is more passive entertainment. It doesn't seem to allow kids to think as much and it sets up an expectation of their toys to entertain them, rather than using the toys as entertainment.
What brought this vent on you might ask: Alright, since you asked (or didn't)I'll tell you :) On a message board I frequent there have been several threads lately about Christmas gifts for children. Not necessarily even older children, kids identified as three and four year olds, that are getting one or two or multiple electronic toys for Christmas. I know that they can teach, both games and media and that is obstensibly their purpose - Ella's Favorite cartoon right now is SuperWhy! She loves it - loves the reading and the word play in the show - but I still limit her exposure, she's not allowed to watch every day or even every other day because I don't want reading to be a passive experience for her. I want her to actively participate in reading and learning, in the enjoyment of literature and have to work at reading and stretch herself.
I don't know if, yet again, I am being too micro-managing and over-protective but I feel it is way over the top to let electronics entertain our children! Come on - use puzzles, manipulatives, blocks, cups, playdoh, MoonSand, spoons, dolls, instruments, beads, stools, chairs, pillows - anything! Just let them play and use their imaginations!
And - so you all won't think I'm completely over the top, because of course, my kids do have some battery powered toys, in fact for Anna's second birthday we bought her a little keyboard that she loves! So, I'm not totally opposed to it but I think there should be limits especially for kids so young - 8, 9, 10, when they aren't playing with toys so much anymore - different situation. Kids that are 2, 3, 4 years old don't need so many electronic things 'teaching' them!
Here are examples - and lest you think I am making this up I can provide the link to the threads where these are discussed:
*one of the BEST investments I ever made for my preschoolers are the "Talking Letter Factory" DVD's by LeapFrog
*Leapster 2 and accessories
*a kid's camera (actually not so opposed to this one)
*Baby Alive
*My daughter is 4 and is getting a nintendo ds
*movies-max & ruby, dora, blues clues, wiggles, strawberry shortcake
*I still think the best item we have ever gotten has been a dvd player for the car (okay - now this one BUGS me, we have friends that let their 5 yo watch it just to and from school, three minutes away!)
*remote control car pack
*Tag Reading System and books for it/Games for Leapfrog Leapster/Maybe a board game or two(? really - maybe a board game - heck, if you have the first two you won't even have to spend time to play the board game with your child)
* dd (3), vtech digital camera/leapster games
*My dd is 4...a leapster with some games/digital camera/boom box/microphone/the new Tinkerbell movie
*she's 3 ...watching movies at night in her room
What do you think? I could go on and on and on! What actually started this was a mom, and I can't find the quote anymore, (stink!) but she had posted how she was going to buy her four-year-old son, a tv and a dvd player for his room!!! To which I replied, "My girls got together and decided to ask for a pink tv and a pink dvd player for their room - they are Not going to be getting those." Totally snarky and unnecesary as a response but come on - he's four - is this necessary or I am just being snotty?
4 comments:
Hi Brandi...So fun to find your blog! I hope you, Sam and the girls are doing well...We miss you!You are SO on the mark when it comes to high tech toys for little ones, I wish more parents felt the same. Some families are completely lost without electronics! Give Ella a hug for me!
"Miss Janine" from Inland Northwest Ballet
We do have some electronic toys... like the kid camera which they love... they go around taking pictures of things that are important to them, I love seeing their perspective.
They also both have "computers". And, we do have the leap frog fridge magnets. But, not that I think about it, that may be it.
I am SO AGAINST the leap frog book reading thing whatever it is called.... JUST READ TO YOUR CHILD! Or, better yet help them learn to read!
We are not TV in your room types. We don't have one and our girls will not either. But, we do have TVs in our car. They only go on for trips out of town... or to church on Sunday because that is a 45 minute drive!
But, I agree, kids don't have to use imagination because toys and TV do it for them. But, give them a chance and they do great... for example Savannah's favorite thing right now is pencils that are not sharpened. She uses them as wands, paint brushes (even though I gave her real ones), make up brushes, drum sticks... she carries them everywhere!
We are probably in the minority in the world (but probably not with our groups of friends!). I see kids at restaurants playing their handheld games... yeah, the parents get a quiet dinner, but they don't learn a thing about their kids' days :(
M - and trust me, E. and A. do play with electronics and have a couple electronic toys but it is not their mainstay! Ella has a little camera too but never plays with it or takes pictures - hmmm. I guess my concern was more to do with kids that are getting multiple electronics and nothing manipulative to encourage imaginative play. One of Ella's favorite toys right now, and you particularly will love this, her 100's chart. Literally - loves it, it is hanging up in our living room so she can 'play' with it. Sam showed her how to count by 2s and now she's loving that!
That Leapfrog reading thing drives me up a wall - and the commercial! UGH! Of course the kid wants the book that talks to him - how much fun is that! But, my 4 yo on the way to preschool was reading her Highlights or some other magazine and I heard her read the sentence, "The Big Blue Bus" :)
The tv in the car for long trips - totally get that, we upload videos to our iPods for car trips and flights - but I'm talking about school drop off three minutes away - stuff like that. We have friends and their rule in only on trips longer than an hour for their DVD player. I think, just like everything else, moderation is key.
When the girls were little we never even put the batteries in their toys - like the talking dollhouse :) As they got older we'd put the batteries in and it was a whole new toy! ;)
I agree with you about electronic toys. They seem to be taking the place of actually playing with your kid, using your imaginations to get the action going. I don't even like the idea of dvd's on trips...I know, I'm behind the times on that one. We played a lot of "road" games as a kid, when going on car vacations with my mom or dad.... My favorite game is to sit down with either E+A or H+A and just make up a game and a story with whatever toys they bring out. That's the most fun, especially because we never know how it will end up...it's different every time. Ask Grandpa and he'll tell you that his favorite play is reading with the girls....the sly old guy likes to change the story up a bit and act surprised when the girls laugh and correct him on how the story goes! Or sometimes, they just smile and go along with the improv.In a rambling way, I agree with you on electronics for young kids....and even older kids....IMHO, there are too many of the things about. My all time favorite game as a kid was playing with a stove that Jo made for me out of bits and pieces of wood. She drew burners on it and printed "Marianne's Continental Cafe" on the side. I adored it. She also made us an airplane out of a stick and an old picnic bench. We flew all around the world in that plane. You can't get that kind of imagination - or memories - from a gadget that does it all for you. \,,/ Sorry, this is a long rant....
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