Stettsen Olsen The Modern Toy Effect Times change in the world we live in.

Everyday a new parenting book comes out, a new method to raise children, a right and a wrong way. Parents who have only the simple desire to see their children grow up happy and healthy struggle to find a constant solution to raise children in a ever changing environment that was so different from their own. Toys are among the biggest of those changes. Many search for the toys that will ensure good values, morals, and character are instilled in their children. Children's toys and their play environment have an impact on children and their development. Professor Trawick-Smith of Eastern Connecticut State University has conducted numerous studies using toys nominated by teachers, parents, researchers, and in some cases children. The National Association for the Education of Young Children interviewed him to help teachers and parents better understand the heaps of volumes and data the professor and his associates has produced. Studies have looked at the impact of peers, teachers, families, and classroom and home environments on play interactions. But few studies have looked at the effects of individual toys on play activities. This is surprising, since about 90 percent of preschool childrens play in the United States involves a toy. Says Professor Trawick-Smith. 1 The many experiments seemed to reflect a pattern in which toys were best for children. Though circumstances were different, variables changed, different children were involved, even the reason for the study changed, one dominate result emerged. Basic is better. The highest-scoring toys so far have been quite simple: hardwood blocks, a set of wooden vehicles and road signs, and classic wooden construction toys. These toys are relatively open-ended, so children can use them in multiple ways. This promotes development in the brain and encourages thinking, learning. Problem solving, social interaction, and creativity. In the toy selection process, Professor TrawickSmith encourages adults to remember that toys that may seem attractive to adults may not help the
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"What the Research Says: Impact of Specific Toys on Play | National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC." National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. <http://www.naeyc.org/content/what-research-says-toysand-play>.

child to develop as well as it could. Some toys have a stronger influence than others as well as a good or bad influence. Toys can impact a child's behavior in may different ways. So what are the toys that children are playing with today? According to ABC News, the average child spends over 75 hours being entertained by some form of media each week. That's three days and three hours of a one week, that children spend not doing anything but flat-lineing. 2 Technology is easy access and in many cases a efficient way to keep children distracted while parents are busy. Media consumption is at a all time high and is seemingly the new toy for all children of all ages. The average baby watches 1.2 hours of TV per day in it's first two hours of life. Time Magazine's article TV for Babies: Does It Help or Hurt? features Marie Evans Schmidt, a research associate at the Center of Media & Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston. Schmidt found that babies who spent more time in front of the TV performed worse on language and motor-skill tests at age 3 than those who watched less.3 The number of hours that infants and children are being mindlessly entertained is on the rise. The constant exposure to the screen causes over excitement in the brain. This has caused insomnia to develop in both infants and adults. The cellphone has become the replacement for children's toys in the household. Studies show that children who play with cellphones as apposed to children's toys show a significant decrease in motor-skills and language skills. If you want to stimulate your baby's brain, he says, try simply playing with him. In a recent study, Christakis showed that basic activities like playing with blocks with an 18-month-old can improve his language skills six months later. says Alice Park from Time Magazine. Toys chosen for children at a young age may have more of an effect than many parents think. Professor Eric Knudsen is the lead researcher of a team at Stanford University, California. His team "Kids and Electronics: New Study Shows Kids Spend More Than 7 Hours a Day With Electronics - ABC News." ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. <http://abcnews.go.com/WN/kids-electronics-study-showskids-spend-hours-day/story?id=9616699>. 3 "TV for Babies: Does It Help or Hurt? - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1882560,00.html>.
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researches Nature Neuroscience and the development of the brain. Substantiated research shows that the most crucial and substantial develop that occurs in the brain happens between birth and childhood. Scientists found skills learned very early in life may trigger permanent changes in the structure of the brain. Toys and environment are the main variables in the forming of that structure. So-called educational toys have been popular for many years, and most parents buy them to give their children a head start at school. But the latest study shows they may also bolster the parts of the brain used to make decisions later in life. Educational TV programs, Educational Apps, and other online activities have also been added to the list of blocks in the mental development of children.4 Money spent on toys that are the latest and greatest might be better spent on simple toys that stimulate a child's mind into development. Regular exposure to these things has been proven to lower not only the I.Q. of your child, but their boredom threshold as well. The desire to be entertained without putting an effort is growing in the youth. Toys have a very powerful influence on children. Development of the human brain occurs most in the years that children play with toys. Technology can hinder a child's development if they are exposed to it before they are ready. It is very important that parents pick good toys that will promote the growth and leaning of children and not hinder them with modern technology before they're ready.

Works Cited

"BBC NEWS | Health | Toys have lasting impact on brain." BBC News. N.p., 23 Web. 6 Feb. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4115915.stm>.

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