and physical activity. These toys are
increasingly important in the formative
years from infancy to toddlerhood.
INTERACTION &
DEVELOPMENT
“The best toys are those
that support parents
and children playing,
pretending and
interacting together,”
said Alan Mendelsohn,
MD, FAAP, co-author
of the report and
associate professor in
the Departments of
Pediatrics and Population
Electronic toys by
themselves do not
provide children
with the interaction
and parental
engagement that is
critical to healthy
development
Health at NYU Langone Health.
“You just don’t reap the same rewards
from a tablet or screen. When children
play with parents, the real magic
happens, whether they are pretending
with toy characters or building blocks
or puzzles together.”
Electronic toys by themselves do not
provide children with the interaction
and parental engagement that
is critical to healthy development,
according to the report. Many of the
new “interactive”
media—including
videos, computer
programs and
specialized books
with voice-recorded
reading—make
claims about educational
benefits in
advertisements that
are unsubstantiated,
according to AAP.
“The more we know about early brain
development, the more we understand
the need for play that is based
on human interaction,” Dr. Healey
said. “There is no screen, video game
or app that can replace the relationships
built over toys.”
TODDLERS are learning, learning, learning during all their waking hours! Your child
learns through exploration and repetition. So if she wants to stack blocks, then knock them
down, she's learning about balance, honing hand-eye coordination and discovering gravity
all at once—and she wants to do it again! With playtime, don't underestimate the value of
the tried, true and time-honored!
SOLVE PRETEND CREATE MOVE
Wood puzzles, Blocks
that snap together,
sorting toys.
Blocks, dress-up
clothes, dolls and
accessories.
Non-toxic, washable
crayons and markers,
large paper, chalkboard,
fingerpaint
Large & small balls
to kick, throw & roll,
age-appropriate
ride-on toys.
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