According to a study by Oxford University, the academic success of 3 to 5-year-old kids depends more on their home environment and parental involvement rather than toys given to them. In the research, involving 3000 children of 3 to 5 age groups, kids who had few toys, and had spent more time with their parents performed better in school. They also scored better in areas of emotional and social development. Parents’ attention proved to be of more importance than toy money can buy.
On a similar note, Uttara Singh, Director – Principal of The Shriram Millennium School, Noida told EducationWorld, “Experiential learning is definitely a wonderful learning tool. Especially when children spend time with their parents enjoying certain learning experiences together, the impact is long-lasting. Whether it’s going for a walk, reading together, visiting different places, or simply cooking, cleaning or riding a bicycle – every experience teaches life skills that are so important for a child to imbibe and learn. Joyful experiences create memories for a lifetime and help children to develop their emotional quotient too! Every opportunity to learn should be explored and learning through experiences is learning for life!”
As per a report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, “The best toys are those that support parents and children playing, pretending, and interacting together. You just don’t reap the same rewards from a tablet or screen. And when children play with parents — the real magic happens, whether they are pretending with toy characters or building blocks or puzzles together.”
Parents, take note!
Sukanya Nandy
