Childhood is perhaps the best time of anybody’s life. Every child is born with one or the other physical or mental abilities. As time progresses, these qualities of children either enhance or they vanish. The biggest reason for this is the kind of environment a child has while growing up. A child’s mind is so innocent that it can be molded very easily. They are not given enough space to think and choose what they want to do and thus eliminating the principle of critical thinking.
The impact of the physical environment around us
Since the time we gain consciousness about the physical world around us, we start developing the qualities which stay with us throughout our lifetime. Thus, childhood is a very significant part of our life as it lays the foundation of how the rest of our lives will be. In this process of building a strong foundation, our physical environment plays a very significant role. The physical environment includes the things by which we are surrounded like the people we have around us, the friends we make, the television shows we watch, the toys we play with.
On a daily basis, we don’t realize how significant all these things are and what crucial role they play in our lives. Today, we have all the required infrastructure and knowledge for the proper nurturing for children, yet the cases of anxiety, depression, and suicides are increasing every day. According to Peter Gray, this is partly because of the nurturing of the parents and partly because of the educational institutions. Adults are trying to manipulate the lives of the children. While the parents want their children to succeed in the race of life, the schools have come under great pressure to have their students to score well.
Result of the restrictions on playing
In this chaotic pressure, children as small as in the elementary schools have to shorten or end their recess periods. These changes have very long-lasting and negative impacts on the children which eventually result in depression and anxiety. Cutting children’s playtime is not only making them mentally depressed but physically unfit as well. If we go by trends, we see that more than 30% of the children born in the 21st century are obese and of which 12% are severely obese.
So, it’s not that children should play, but playing and engaging in some physical activity has now become their need. And according to Peter Gray, “If we love our children and want them to thrive, we must allow them more time and opportunity to play, not less”.
What are the best toys and games for children?
Leave a child alone and you will find him/her doing crazy physical things that you can never imagine. You’ll see the child inventing many new games fit for him/her. And if children are left in a group, they will indulge in some sort of physical activity or a game. Playing is quite natural among every living being. So, children must be encouraged to play outdoor games. they not only release feel-good hormone but group activities also help in developing many qualities like teamwork, leadership, the ability to command and the quality of mutual co-existence.
Toys and games are a very significant part of our lives. Lucky are those whose childhood was full of toys. Sometimes children can’t find anyone to play with. Toys can help in that case. But there are many categories of toys available in the market today. Toys that engage the children are perhaps the best toys they can have. And the worst that parents can do is to give small children video games to play. Indeed, video games are much more enjoying but children can wait for them for a few years.
Building games made by LEGO and some other brands are one of the best in the market today as they help in developing the creative imagination of children. We often find these toys to be a little expensive but the After Christmas Sale can help in saving a few bucks. So it’s a fine opportunity for you as a parent to provide your child with the liberty to enhance his/her creativity.
Concluding
Let’s take a pledge to build our children’s foundation strong because only a strong foundation can handle the pressure of the skyscraper. We must encourage and motivate the children around us to play. We must also keep in mind that if refrain the children from playing and exploring themselves, then we are just creating robots out of them. Thus, we can have a brief idea of where the human race is heading. The whole point of playing is to have fun. The fun is very vital as a child. It helps in building a strong foundation for the whole life. Thus, this is the importance of toys and games in a child’s life.