Notice
anything unsettling about your kids' Hanukkah wish lists this year? A
Maccabean je ne sais quoi that transcends the standard sticker shock?
Might it be that the latest lot of hot holiday "toys" are not actually toys at all?
You
have the Disney Flix Video Camcorder ($79.99, Disney); the Barbie
Digital Picture Frame with Remote Control ($99.99, Emerson Radio Corp);
and the Kid-Tough Portable DVD Player ($149.99, Fisher Price). And, of
course, some toys don't even pretend to be toys, the crown jewels of
high-tech Chanukah hauls: cell phones, iPods and laptop computers.
"We're
finding that kids have one foot entrenched in kid-dom and another
entrenched in technology and things you might normally associate with
adults," says Leigh Anne Brodsky, the president of Nickelodeon and
Viacom Consumer Products, which has released a new line of branded
electronics aimed at kids, including a $250 SpongeBob SquarePants
flat-screen TV.
Experts say the concern over high-tech toys is
not so much in their existence as it is in their rapid and aggressive
replacement of the tried-and-true standbys -- the good, old-fashioned,
non-electronic, non-flashing, non-instantly gratifying toys that long
lit up children's Hanukkah wish lists -- and their imaginations.
"Old-fashioned
retro toys, such as red rubber balls, simple building blocks, clay and
crayons, that don't cost so much and are usually hidden in the back
shelves are usually much healthier for children than the electronic
toys that have fancier boxes and cost $89.99," says Kathy Hirsh-Pasek,
a developmental psychologist at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Ever
wondered why archeologists find baby dolls wrapped up with ancient
Egyptian mummies, toy-sized chariots that date back to the days of
Julius Caesar and cavern walls decorated with the prehistoric
equivalent to crayons?
It's because these objects are the
timeless tools of childhood. They are essential springboards for
learning about the way the world works, vehicles for exploration and
experimentation, and props with which to practice being mommies,
daddies, firefighters and school teachers. Childhood is a learning
process by design, and traditional toys are a core part of the
curriculum.
"The central importance of creative play in
children's healthy development is well supported by decades of
research," says Joan Almon, the coordinator of the U.S. branch of
Alliance for Childhood, a worldwide organization that promotes healthy
living for children. "And yet children's play, in the creative,
open-ended sense in which I use the term, is now seriously endangered."
Sadly,
there's not much we parents can do to halt the societal evolution from
Babes in Toyland to Kids in the Electronics Aisle. But we can rally
back with a healthy balance. The following suggestions will help you
keep creativity and imagination burning bright in your children for
many high-tech Hanukkahs to come.
Limit screentime. According
to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average American child
spends four to six hours a day zoned out in front of a screen, yet the
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting children to no more
than two hours daily of television, computers and video games combined.
Simply, if we don't ever tell our kids to stop using electronic
products, chances are they never will.
Equip them with classic
toys. Hanukkah provides the perfect opportunity to gift our kids with
springboards for creative play, such as puppets, building blocks,
modeling clay and tea sets. "Your child gets to build his or her
imagination around these simpler toys," Hirsh-Pasek says. "The toys
don't command what your child does, but your child commands what the
toys do."
Accept the mess. Exercising creativity can be a whole
lot messier than playing video games or watching TV, so put old
newspapers on the floor, cover the kitchen table with butcher paper,
rope off an area of the house for childhood clutter to gather, then let
your kids yuck it up.
Pick worthwhile electronic toys and games.
Just because a toy requires an electrical current doesn't necessarily
mean it's devoid of value. Fulfill your kids' high-tech hankerings
without compromising their creativity by searching for electronic toys
that offer opportunity for growth and imagination.
Celebrate
Shabbat. In the weekly Sabbath, we have a God-given day of rest from
all things high-tech and a full 24 hours for kids to engage in
essential, imaginative play. A special box full of battery-free
playthings pulled out at sundown every Friday will get kids into the
playful Shabbat spirit.
Be a worthy role model. Admit it, we
are addicted to high-tech toys just as much as our kids. So lock up the
Blackberry, unplug the Internet and take a much-needed screen siesta
yourself. And should you happen to stumble upon a few superheroes
imagining up adventures in the family room, be sure to join them in
flight.
SHARON DUKE ESTROFF
Sharon
Duke Estroff is an award-winning educator and author of "Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? (Random House,
2007). Her parenting articles appear in over 100 publications including
Parents, Good Housekeeping, and Woman's Day. Her popular Undercover Mom Blog on Net Family News
gives digital immigrant parents timely, straightforward advice on raising digital native kids.
