On electronic toys

[conuly]

Somebody offLJ posted about taking away the battery toys from her young child, and I commented agreeing with her, pointing out that these toys can't be really played with, they only entertain a kid.

And the thing is, I look at these toys, and I see a few things that irritate me or concern me.

1. I see a lot of toys where the fun is in the nonelectronic component, and it seems that the battery operatedness has just been gratuitously added on. This may not be specifically detrimental to a kid's development, but it's sure irritating to me. Like, at the SICM they have a ball pounder that lights up. Why not get a wooden one that doesn't light up? It's just as much fun.

2. I see, even more than that, a lot of toys where, if they were used properly, they'd be educational - but they're not. They're given to children too young to use them properly, and whose parents don't sit down and show them. Like, a toy that says the letters of the alphabet when you press them (in lieu of the adults doing the same thing) could be educational, if the kid doesn't just randomly hit the buttons six at a time and too fast to hear anything, and switch from the letter to the sound to the word option every five seconds. Naturally, of course, this is how kids use these toys.

3. And of course, I see people who buy "educational toys" and then leave those toys to do the educating. But they've just moved from one electronic babysitter to another. I keep on saying it - you don't learn to count (no matter what you may think of your two-year-old's abilities in this area!) from pressing buttons that recite the numbers for you in seven different languages. You learn to count by being given things to hold and count - like blocks, or cups, or dolls. And that goes for nearly everything.

Have I said this before? I must have.

Comments

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Eh, anything in moderation. Even horrible electronic toys.

I hate how at the therapists, though, they have two in the waiting room. They rotate the toys and books out, and there are always two electronic things. And I ALWAYS seem to be in the room the same time that some kid that LOVES it comes in early and has to play with it for 20 minutes.

I don't think my kids ever got into any. I am sure they had some, but I cant think of anything that stood out in my mind. Finbar tends to like electronic things. But he's older, latest gadget is some 'spy' thing that looks like an ipod but helps you hear things far away.

Worst thing about the battery stuff is now it requires a screwdriver to put batteries in and out and you can never find one when you need one. Well, I can't. I'm disorganized, ok? :(

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

But isn't not finding the screwdriver really a good thing?

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Not if it's T doing the screaming to get something to work! Then I need to fix things. :D He can't understand 'can't' very well.

A curious question

[rhicat.livejournal.com]

Because you are much more knowledgeable in this area than I am . . .

What would you think of a two-year old who knows his/her A-B-Cs, can count from 1 to 20 but is not speaking in sentences (not even simple ones)?

Re: A curious question

[conuly]

Just turned two, or almost three? There's a big difference between the two ages. And is he in a daycare/preschool setting or getting a lot of help from his parents with his "3 r's" or is he just picking this up on his own? Does he understand what his parents are saying? Does he have any words (or signs) at all?

I mean, I don't know this kid, and I'm only half-educated :P But I'd say that... from what I see, most people, if their kid isn't talking in some form of sentences by 2.5, they start to worry. I don't know if they should, but they do.

Re: A curious question

[rhicat.livejournal.com]

Closer to two than three. Lots of encouragement from parents and understands what is being said to him (more than people realize I think). He is going to a speech therapist.

My impression of the child was he's bright, intelligent and curious about *everything*. When nobody was paying attention to him, he'd babble aloud in nonsense sounds (maybe they make sense to him?) but when people try to actively engage him in words he clammed right up.

My impression of the mother was she's just this side of freaking out that her kid isn't holding up to some kind of standard of progress. Not knowing a damn thing about child development, maybe she's freaking for a reason. *shrug*

You were the first person I thought of to ask, given your wonderful nieces!

Re: A curious question

[conuly]

A lot of kids don't like being tested or quizzed, so that may seriously be coming in to it, though how I can tell based on five words, I don't know.

But no, if he's not making words to people at two, I'd be concerned. Maybe not actively *worried* - I know of too many people who didn't speak until they were quite late, and were Just Fine, and if he's as bright as you think I would be inclined to think he'd find a way to patch it up eventually - but I'd definitely be trying to help the process along there.

You know, it's interesting you bring this up. I'll make a post.

[deceptica]

I used to love dinosaur figures as a child, in fact I still have most of them in a box somewhere. I remember one time I got one whose eyes would light up and it would roar when you pressed a button... I was so excited at first, I must have driven my family crazy with all the roaring. But then the newness wore off or the battery ran out... I don't remember which happened first, and I was left with a toy that I actually liked less than my other dinosaurs because the electronic component meant that it was somewhat fragile and I couldn't play with it as roughly as with my good old rubber dinos.

So yes, electronic toys for the lose.

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

How sophisticated are the speech-generating toys? You say there's a word mode, not just a letter mode?

(I'm always trying to think of cheap aug comm devices for people who can't afford to fix broken ones or get new ones or are uninsured or whatever.)

[conuly]

They're not speech-generators. They're really nifty preschool (not toddler!) toys from VTech, but they only have one word per letter, to teach kids to identify a sound with a letter (Unfortunately, they're given to toddlers, so that doesn't work well). I'm sorry for the confusion.

electronic toys FOR THE WIN!

[rantinan.livejournal.com]

Of course when i say this, I am of course talking about my beloved, life time obessession zoids. I'll agree most electronic toys are hunks of junk, but most battery toys are not moving model kits with interchangable parts over the whole range that stimulate imaginatation and can attract over 50 people into a one day workshop.
Guess how I spent MY weekend folks?
I guess it comes down to what you want out of a toy.

Re: electronic toys FOR THE WIN!

[conuly]

The big difference here is that your toys are designed for older kids. I'm discussing preschool and baby toys - and there's really no comparison.

Re: electronic toys FOR THE WIN!

[rantinan.livejournal.com]

True dat. Preschoolers and batteries = no thanks. Although preschoolers and interchangable parts = the win. My sisters and i resued this set of squishey, interchangable interlocking blocks. I liked to make them into sky scrapers, my next sister into dolls, and my little sister had a whole variety of strange animal creations...

[jedirita.livejournal.com]

I totally hate toys with batteries. I wish I could tell people not to give them to the padawan. You would probably be upfront and tell them. But as it is, I take those toys and give them to Good Will.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Eh, anything in moderation. Even horrible electronic toys.

I hate how at the therapists, though, they have two in the waiting room. They rotate the toys and books out, and there are always two electronic things. And I ALWAYS seem to be in the room the same time that some kid that LOVES it comes in early and has to play with it for 20 minutes.

I don't think my kids ever got into any. I am sure they had some, but I cant think of anything that stood out in my mind. Finbar tends to like electronic things. But he's older, latest gadget is some 'spy' thing that looks like an ipod but helps you hear things far away.

Worst thing about the battery stuff is now it requires a screwdriver to put batteries in and out and you can never find one when you need one. Well, I can't. I'm disorganized, ok? :(

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

But isn't not finding the screwdriver really a good thing?

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Not if it's T doing the screaming to get something to work! Then I need to fix things. :D He can't understand 'can't' very well.

A curious question

[rhicat.livejournal.com]

Because you are much more knowledgeable in this area than I am . . .

What would you think of a two-year old who knows his/her A-B-Cs, can count from 1 to 20 but is not speaking in sentences (not even simple ones)?

Re: A curious question

[conuly]

Just turned two, or almost three? There's a big difference between the two ages. And is he in a daycare/preschool setting or getting a lot of help from his parents with his "3 r's" or is he just picking this up on his own? Does he understand what his parents are saying? Does he have any words (or signs) at all?

I mean, I don't know this kid, and I'm only half-educated :P But I'd say that... from what I see, most people, if their kid isn't talking in some form of sentences by 2.5, they start to worry. I don't know if they should, but they do.

Re: A curious question

[rhicat.livejournal.com]

Closer to two than three. Lots of encouragement from parents and understands what is being said to him (more than people realize I think). He is going to a speech therapist.

My impression of the child was he's bright, intelligent and curious about *everything*. When nobody was paying attention to him, he'd babble aloud in nonsense sounds (maybe they make sense to him?) but when people try to actively engage him in words he clammed right up.

My impression of the mother was she's just this side of freaking out that her kid isn't holding up to some kind of standard of progress. Not knowing a damn thing about child development, maybe she's freaking for a reason. *shrug*

You were the first person I thought of to ask, given your wonderful nieces!

Re: A curious question

[conuly]

A lot of kids don't like being tested or quizzed, so that may seriously be coming in to it, though how I can tell based on five words, I don't know.

But no, if he's not making words to people at two, I'd be concerned. Maybe not actively *worried* - I know of too many people who didn't speak until they were quite late, and were Just Fine, and if he's as bright as you think I would be inclined to think he'd find a way to patch it up eventually - but I'd definitely be trying to help the process along there.

You know, it's interesting you bring this up. I'll make a post.

[deceptica]

I used to love dinosaur figures as a child, in fact I still have most of them in a box somewhere. I remember one time I got one whose eyes would light up and it would roar when you pressed a button... I was so excited at first, I must have driven my family crazy with all the roaring. But then the newness wore off or the battery ran out... I don't remember which happened first, and I was left with a toy that I actually liked less than my other dinosaurs because the electronic component meant that it was somewhat fragile and I couldn't play with it as roughly as with my good old rubber dinos.

So yes, electronic toys for the lose.

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

How sophisticated are the speech-generating toys? You say there's a word mode, not just a letter mode?

(I'm always trying to think of cheap aug comm devices for people who can't afford to fix broken ones or get new ones or are uninsured or whatever.)

[conuly]

They're not speech-generators. They're really nifty preschool (not toddler!) toys from VTech, but they only have one word per letter, to teach kids to identify a sound with a letter (Unfortunately, they're given to toddlers, so that doesn't work well). I'm sorry for the confusion.

electronic toys FOR THE WIN!

[rantinan.livejournal.com]

Of course when i say this, I am of course talking about my beloved, life time obessession zoids. I'll agree most electronic toys are hunks of junk, but most battery toys are not moving model kits with interchangable parts over the whole range that stimulate imaginatation and can attract over 50 people into a one day workshop.
Guess how I spent MY weekend folks?
I guess it comes down to what you want out of a toy.

Re: electronic toys FOR THE WIN!

[conuly]

The big difference here is that your toys are designed for older kids. I'm discussing preschool and baby toys - and there's really no comparison.

Re: electronic toys FOR THE WIN!

[rantinan.livejournal.com]

True dat. Preschoolers and batteries = no thanks. Although preschoolers and interchangable parts = the win. My sisters and i resued this set of squishey, interchangable interlocking blocks. I liked to make them into sky scrapers, my next sister into dolls, and my little sister had a whole variety of strange animal creations...

[jedirita.livejournal.com]

I totally hate toys with batteries. I wish I could tell people not to give them to the padawan. You would probably be upfront and tell them. But as it is, I take those toys and give them to Good Will.