As the shelves of high street stores are packed with Christmas gifts, I am dismayed by the image that emerges from far too much commercially produced play material.
There is so much plastic used for children's toys. Some toys may be best constructed out of plastic, but not the majority of them. Plastic is convenient, because it can be made in strong primary colours. Additional 'stimulating' materials, such as letters and numbers, are attached to toys for no good reason, other than to appear to support the overblown 'early learning' claims.
A potentially useful bus or toy telephone is then ruined for genuine pretend play. Such items are the pot noodle of the toy world - possibly better than nothing at all, but let us not believe they are proper play resources. There is a real risk of over-stimulation for young children when toys are visually so 'busy'. Many are overloaded with sound as well - pressing buttons or shapes releases a stranger's voice that allegedly 'teaches your child' shapes or random words (until parents remove the batteries in desperation).
Of course such claims are developmental nonsense. Toddlers and young children are busy learning naming and action words. Abstract concepts will only make sense steadily through hands-on play activities, and babies or toddlers certainly do not benefit from the electronic option.
Unfortunately, some manufacturers have joined the early learning rat race, in which early childhood is regarded as important insofar as activities can appear to 'prepare your child for school'. It is hardly surprising that some parents quiz nurseries or childminders about when their two- or three-year-old is going to know letters and numbers. Early years practitioners need to hold tight to their child development knowledge and explain what early learning really looks like.
