Forget hi-tech toys —children prefer the park
Boffins at Scotland’s Stirling University also found educational technology toys were no better than traditional methods at teaching pre-school children their ABCs and numbers.
And parents who wanted their toddlers to learn about technology would do as well to let them play with old mobile phones and home computers, the academics’ study said.
“These (educational) toys are not particularly beneficial, although they are not particularly harmful either,” said Professor Lydia Plowman, who presented the findings at a conference in London.
“There’s no problem in having them at home but in terms of literacy and numeracy they are certainly not more effective than more traditional methods of helping children to learn.”
The popularity of toys like the V Smile games-style console for toddlers has soared as parents want their children to be technology-literate while learning vital skills at the same time.
But academics said the technology toys could be best used in role-play with youngsters pretending to be in an office or ordering shopping.
Youngsters gained an understanding of the role of technology in the home and outdoors simply by watching their parents use mobile phones, cameras and computers.
The researchers’ findings were based on a two-year detailed study of 24 families from varying social backgrounds. They also quizzed a further 346 families about their use of technology.
The academics discovered parents were eager to prepare their children for school and work but were unsure if technological toys were the best way.
Mums and dads who did buy their toddlers such gadgets found they often failed to replace batteries once the child had lost interest in the new toy, the study revealed.
The study showed toddlers themselves tended shun technological toys anyway, with most parents saying their children preferred to play in the park.
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