What kind of toys does your child need for quality play?

Play is indisputably important for a child's development. That's why choosing which toys to cut out and which to leave in doesn't seem so simple. Or dare to cut them out at all? What kind of toys does a child need for quality play? Should I buy some developmental toys?

The first thing you can do is breathe a sigh of relief, because play is in your child's blood so much that play is developed even with stones and cones. No need to buy anything new and innovative! It's another story why we are constantly being marketed everything that develops, and how our children even cry when they are handed these gadgets.

But let's focus for a moment strictly on what the science says. The quality of toys matters! This will give us a working toolbox to cut out some of the toys and leave the ones that really support quality play available.

What kind of toys does your child need for quality play?

Number of toys less is better than more, according to research. But what does that "little" mean then? Personally, I've often wondered what toy would inspire a bit more focused play, so that I can recharge my own brain after years of rush hour.

I found a longitudinal study a few years ago when I was researching this: Eastern Connecticut State Universitya decade-long TIMBANI toy research, the results of which are summarised below. I haven't come across any public discussion on the topic myself, but if you find any links on the subject, please let me know!

What is a good toy?

The TIMBANI study has analysed 10 years of play with over 100 different toys at the Center for Early Childhood Education.

According to the study, there are many characteristics of a good toy: A good toy inspires deep thinking, fosters problem-solving skills, promotes creativity and cooperation with others. It is safe, age-appropriate, engaging and stimulating. The kind that ignites the imagination and gives space for cooperative play.

The survey helped to identify the characteristics of a good toy:

A good toy is simple (simple)

A toy that makes noises, teasing and fidgeting has been proven to be worse for play. A wooden cash register, for example, elicited good conversations when shopping, while a plastic one only encouraged pushing buttons.

A good toy is indefinite (open ended)

An unspecified toy might be, for example, a wooden block. It is up to the child to figure out how to use the toy - how the story and all its exciting twists and turns unfold.

Imagination takes flight when a toy does not imitate anything in particular and therefore does not define its intended use. Such toys held children's attention for longer than other toys. 

A good toy is non-realistic

For example, while play dishes make for fun play, the study found that children communicated more with other children with non-present toys. This allows for more problem-solving learning, creativity, rich communication and conversations with other children.

Particularly strong enablers of quality play, year after year, were construction-set-toy (such as Legos, blocks and magnetic building sets) and character toys (such as small people, animals, vehicles). With construction set toys, your child can build whatever they want, letting their imagination run wild. With character toys, they can experiment with different situations and emotions and practise cooperation skills.  

Rules of thumb for qualifying toys

I myself have made similar observations when encapsulating both my own and my customers' toys. Legos, trains, cars, dolls, animals, plushies and magnetic toys seem to be my particular favourites. Many a child's multi-tasking remote controls and pick-up phones have been a momentary fascination compared to Lego toys.

Remove at least half of the toys to allow play

The results of the study should make sense to most parents - noisy silent playground equipment is not conducive to quality play. Instead, it can be enabled and nurtured, and even requires boundaries set by adults in the midst of all this material overload.

Preferably prune half of it out (some to be recycled, some to be put in a jar). You can discuss with your child which toys will be left for active play.

Toys that take time should be left to play or encapsulated

From the professional organiser's point of view, the longevity of these toys, which have been proven to be of high quality, is also particularly pleasing. So if you're wondering which heirloom toys to save or still have from grandma's house, the list below is a good guide.

Individually good toy options From the Timbani study: 

• Toy cars, trains and trucks
• Wooden train sets
• Painting supplies
• Magnetic construction toys
• Animal infusions
• Duplot
• Wooden cash registers
• Human figures

Four categories of active toys for a wide range of play

One important cornerstone is that toys are not really kept in active use beyond a few categories, so that the child can perceive and carry out the cleaning. A low number of active toys also supports quality play.

Sometimes toys with many parts are a bit of a puzzle, as storing them can also be complicated and parts can get lost here and there. The solution is simple, however, in that you should choose a storage space large enough for multi-piece toy sets, so that your child can collect the parts at home after play, in their own free style. If it's difficult to clean up or the storage space is too small, toys will remain lying around despite the small amount of space.

If you need help conquering the toy mountains, contact us! In the Ruuhkaton arki method, toys are gone through together with the child, while learning important object skills. The end result is a home where toys do not litter the floor and the child is generally able to do the cleaning up after play, supported by an adult, in an age-appropriate way.

Summing up the end of the broader a bunch of rules to help qualification from a previous article if you are wondering what other boundary conditions you could use. Sign up for the Ruuhkattoman newsletter below to be the first to hear about new concrete planning ideas.

Here From the Brain Association article you can read a good summary of the importance of play.