| When you think of children's toys, what first comes | | | | the floor on your hands and knees? In what way is |
| to mind? The chances are that it will be the toys | | | | that better than sitting on a chair and using a radio |
| that are around in shops today. Bright, colourful | | | | controller to drive the car about? It's hard to argue |
| plastic creations with lights and buttons; toys that | | | | the case on the basis of health and fitness, and |
| talk, eat, wee or tell you stories. But if this isn't the | | | | when it comes to motor controls and spatial |
| picture that comes to mind, then the chances are | | | | awareness, the manoeuvring of a car around |
| that you'll be taken back to the older days when | | | | furniture when it is heading rapidly in various |
| toys were much simpler, and the only lights were | | | | directions not directly parallel with the way you're |
| those in the eyes of eager children, their imaginations | | | | facing can surely be argued as more educational? |
| fired up with just a handful of bricks. Remember the | | | | It is also important to bear in mind the amount of |
| toy cars that you could push along, and that didn't | | | | time children spend with various toys. My little boy |
| have lights, sound effects, or a controller you could | | | | has a mountain of electronic gadgets that do amazing |
| use to drive it? No more sitting on a chair watching | | | | things. Some of the batteries have run down. He |
| the car whizz about - you were down there on the | | | | hasn't noticed yet - he still enjoys playing with them, |
| floor, on your hands and knees, tearing up and down | | | | often making his own sounds. The interactive teddy |
| the room making the sound effects yourself. | | | | bear that waves, shakes his head and talks (which I |
| It's easy for the older generation to hark back to | | | | find a little scary at times) is certainly prodded and |
| 'the good old days' when toys were simpler, and you | | | | poked to make him react, but equally he is quite |
| had to use your imagination. It is also easy to assume | | | | content sitting with the non-interactive creatures |
| that today's children don't have to use their | | | | having a tea party, or being dressed in odd outfits |
| imaginations as much, because it's all done for them, | | | | that the designers never dreamed of. |
| and that this is somehow having a detrimental effect | | | | At the end of the day, children create their own |
| on their well being, their understanding of the world, | | | | games, whatever you throw at them. Children are |
| and their own health and fitness. | | | | just as happy given an interactive toy as they are a |
| But what is also easy to do is to assume that the | | | | static one, and given a couple of cardboard boxes |
| new toys we see are replacing the older ones, or | | | | they are equally at home sailing round the world, |
| that the games children play are replacing the ideas | | | | flying into space and becoming a robot. Perhaps it is |
| and concepts that we used to enjoy. In fact, if you | | | | us, not our children, who have lost the ability to |
| watch children play, you'll be surprised how similar the | | | | imagine ways of using today's toys in magical ways. |
| games are. So you remember pushing a toy car along | | | | |