Toys with the very best of intentions can often be big stress creators. Any thinking parent who walks through a toy store, knows instinctively, that what he or she pulls off the shelves can make or break the peace and enjoyment of home for everyone, including the children themselves. And, while computer games can bring peace and enjoyment for a time, parents should also be aware that they are one of the main underlying factors giving rise to the increasingly serious problem of overweight in children. Computer games can be mentally stimulating and a good learning tool, but don´t provide the variation in sensual stimulation that kids need in order to feel well.
What is a Good Toy?
Things to watch out for in your selection of toys for your kids are:
Toys that encourage own creativity and are not merely a guided experience.
Toys that do not create high noise levels, which can over time damage your child´s hearing and eventually affect their intellectualand linguistic development.
Toys that do not stress you as an adult. A stressed parent is the number one underlying factor of stress in children.
Toys that encourage activity in the outdoors.
Classic Wooden Toys
Given that the largest percentage of land in Scandinavia is covered by forest, it comes perhaps as no surprise that wooden toys are a Scandinavian specialty. By their very nature they are what we call low tech toys, simple for everyone to use and in their very simplicity creating the mental space for creativity and imagination. Companies such as BRIO, MICKI and LEGO (which started with toys made of wood) have played a historical role in the development of toys for good, unstressed fun since the early 20th century.
Ergonomic Toys
Today´s low tech wooden toys from Scandinavia take new factors in children´s wellbeing into consideration. Björn Dahlström, who designs for larger toy manufacturers, told us that he sent his rocking bunny to a day care several times for experimentation before he could get it ergonomically properly adjusted for young children. Dahlström has made several other striking low tech designs for young children, all of which are ergonomically suited to small bodies and hands still building up co-ordination skills.
But what happens when children get past the rocking bunny stage? What "good" toys are available out there? There is a lot if one begins to look and think. A tip: quite often the best toy is something that you make on your own perhaps on your own with a junior carpentry set.
What is a Good Toy?
Classic Wooden Toys
