The truth is, not all toys are created equal. Some toys may not be age-appropriate or simply pose a physical danger to children, whereas others are bad because of the ideas they promote. While some other toys are “harmless”, they do not have any benefits for your child’s development or enable them to practice a new skill. With so many toys in the market today, how do you know whether a toy is suitable for your child? In this article, we look at why some types of toys are bad.
TOYS THAT POSE SAFETY HAZARDS
This is particularly true if your child is younger. Some examples of what makes a toy physically dangerous to children – and therefore bad for them – include:
- Toys that are coated or painted with toxic chemicals
- Toys with sharp edges
- Toys that contain small parts that can be easily swallowed
- Stuffed toys with small bean-shaped pallets
TOYS THAT DO NOT ENCOURAGE LEARNING
Now, we are talking about the toys that are harmless but useless. These toys do not encourage learning or develop any skill in your child, but simply allow them to remain passive while the toy does all the hard work of keeping them entertained. Some examples of such toys are:
- Toys that require no imagination to play with, such as a doll that walks and talks. Children are at an age where their imaginations should be expressed as often and creatively as possible. If a toy already does it all, your child is not developing any skills that aid in their development and can possibly even delay it.
- Most video games. No doubt, there are some educational and age-appropriate video games for children out there, but the majority of video games are not recommended for children. Besides encouraging a passive learning style and interfering with the ability to think independently, video games can result in hearing loss or weight gain if your child is spending all day in front of a screen and not getting enough exercise.
TOYS THAT PROMOTE DANGEROUS OR INAPPROPRIATE IDEAS
In today’s world of mass media, children are exposed to sex and violence at an increasingly younger age. However much you try to protect them from it, inevitably they may catch a glimpse of such scenes. As children can be unable to discern reality from what they see in movies, it’s your job as a parent to ensure that they are not given toys that promote dangerous or inappropriate ideas. Some examples include:
- Toy guns
- Dolls with inappropriately positioned parts or in compromising positions
BUY EDUCATIONAL TOYS FOR YOUR CHILD AT KIDPOWERED
If you are looking to get your child some age-appropriate toys that encourage learning, look no further than Kidpowered. We stock a wide variety of imaginative toys from many well-known brands and you are sure to find something that is educational and age-appropriate for your child. At Kidpowered, we can enjoy peace of mind that we do not stock toys that are bad or do not encourage learning as we strongly believe that the purpose of toys is to educate as much as entertain.