Your Toys Are Lame!

[DaveA]

New DCF started this week. 4 y/o DCB and 7m/o DCG. I frankly wish all new starts went this well. Kids are adjusting well and smooth sailing. I shouldn't complain too much- both are happy and liking being here. What confuses DCB is my toys. I was told yesterday that my toys were "lame" because nothing lights up or makes noise. The only electronic thing in the classroom is an Elmo phone and the cd player. Everything else are "just" toys. I've been asked at least a dozen times "what do you do with this" to basic toys. I just tell him "You play with it. What can you do with it?" That and he's been giving me a list of "real toys" I should buy. It's all nerf guns, minecraft, and a ton of gadgets. ::

Where's that "slamming head onto wall" smilie when you need it?

[Blackcat31]

New DCF started this week. 4 y/o DCB and 7m/o DCG. I frankly wish all new starts went this well. Kids are adjusting well and smooth sailing. I shouldn't complain too much- both are happy and liking being here. What confuses DCB is my toys. I was told yesterday that my toys were "lame" because nothing lights up or makes noise. The only electronic thing in the classroom is an Elmo phone and the cd player. Everything else are "just" toys. I've been asked at least a dozen times "what do you do with this" to basic toys. I just tell him "You play with it. What can you do with it?" That and he's been giving me a list of "real toys" I should buy. It's all nerf guns, minecraft, and a ton of gadgets. ::

Where's that "slamming head onto wall" smilie when you need it?

I've gotten kids like that too.... Drives me batty.

I have NO electronics, no battery operated toys and nothing that lights up, makes sounds or does anything on it's on.

When I get kids that say things like that, I challenge them.

I tell them those toys take only a battery to do something but MY toys are "special" because they take imagination and since everyone's imagination is different but vast....what MY toys can do is 100 times better. Then I pretty much double dog dare them to try it out. Try to see how many different things you can get my toys to do.

If they say they are bored or can't do anything I will just start reinforcing the fact that they need to use their imaginations to hone them. If they want to be good at it, they have to practice, practice, practice (ie. Go Play) so that they get really good at it.


Super glad to hear their transition so far has been going so well! Its nice when that happens! Hopefully, this little one will start letting nature and his natural curiosity take over and he'll adjust to not having batteries just as quickly!

[Poptarts22]

I have a 4 y o b who started here three months ago. He is a "one upper". He is constantly saying things like 'I have way more toys at home. I have way more tractors than ____. My moms car is way prettier than your. Our house is way bigger. I am way taller, faster, smarter than ____." Believe me, I am WAY OVeR listening to his bragging!

[Snowmom]

Funny.
I have lots of toys that light up and make sound, but all the kids here prefer to play with blocks, magnatiles and plain old dolls.

It's gotten to the point where when the batteries wear out on those toys (mostly cars or music instruments), I just don't replace them anymore.

[dreamer]

Noisy toys drive me nuts, I will probably never have any if I can help it. It makes me sad to hear that there are kids that need electronics because they don't know anything else. How can a kid have no imagination? They are missing out on something important.

When I was a child I made art, I built homes for my toys out of cardboard boxes, I created my own stories! Without imagination, what is childhood?

[Josiegirl]

Noisy toys drive me nuts, I will probably never have any if I can help it. It makes me sad to hear that there are kids that need electronics because they don't know anything else. How can a kid have no imagination? They are missing out on something important.

When I was a child I made art, I built homes for my toys out of cardboard boxes, I created my own stories! Without imagination, what is childhood?

Perfectly said! I think a lot of children these days are missing out on the most innocent and pure parts of childhood due to electronics. They go from cradle to computer....from innocence to completely informed about the good/the bad and the ugly. No time left for wondering, creating, daydreaming, being bored. They NEED and expect to be entertained every single minute.

[Blackcat31]

Perfectly said! I think a lot of children these days are missing out on the most innocent and pure parts of childhood due to electronics. They go from cradle to computer....from innocence to completely informed about the good/the bad and the ugly. No time left for wondering, creating, daydreaming, being bored. They NEED and expect to be entertained every single minute.

They don't even have to wait until they are out of the crib/cradle now days....

[Josiegirl]

Oy, is this like the new rendition of 'children need to be seen but not heard?' Or children shouldn't be allowed to cry? Keep them happy every second of every day?
Nothing wrong with a little boredom and frustration in anyone's life. Even babies and tots. Let's just shut their minds down completely.

[daycarediva]

Perfectly said! I think a lot of children these days are missing out on the most innocent and pure parts of childhood due to electronics. They go from cradle to computer....from innocence to completely informed about the good/the bad and the ugly. No time left for wondering, creating, daydreaming, being bored. They NEED and expect to be entertained every single minute.

YES!

The only battery operated toys in my daycare space are the flashlights, lanterns and the CD player. That's IT. Never going back to batteries again.

[AmyKidsCo]

I don't have battery toys either (although I love the flashlight idea) and my response to that kind of comment is "Good thing it's not my job to entertain you."

I've noticed that the way children play has changed. My daughters dressed up their American Girl dolls and took them with them everywhere. Everything they did the AGs did, they had tea parties, played school, etc, and the dolls moved and talked. My granddaughter dresses up her AGs then puts them next to her on the couch so they can watch TV together.

[Unregistered]

I've gone to about 80% wooden or other natural material toys. Mostly from Goodwill and rummage sales. I have such a longing for the Melissa and Doug Keurig type wooden coffee maker!

I have a few plastic toys still like Duplos, some cars and trucks, & dolls.

I must confess tho.....I do have two battery operated toys I love. One is that Fisher Price tea pot that gurgles when you tip it. The other is a small birthday cake that has candles that light up along with doing other things . They play with that cake all the time!!!

But overall I despise light up flashy toys especially for babies.

The kids here don't seem to notice very few toys light up or mak noises. I guess I should be prepared for a serious talk if my toys are all of a sudden deemed "lame".

[happymom]

We have a Melissa and Doug wooden birthday cake. It doesn't have batteries, but it's a favorite in our house too!