As a former preschool teacher, I have a lot of strong opinions on what makes good kids’ toys.

The single biggest problem I find is that many modern kids toys take choices away from kids, limiting their imaginations.  A prime example is a doll that cries, says “Mama,” and drinks.  Instead of letting a child do the voice of the baby herself, and choose what the baby says and when, you are limiting the baby doll’s purpose to these three things.  That might be fun for a little while, but most kids will quickly lose interest — and for good reason.

Therefore, toys that are open-ended and allow kids to make their own choices are, in my opinion, the best toys for kids.

I also think that a certain amount of preference should be given to toys that have educational value.  I don’t mean interactive toys that “teach” kids to read, such as the little computers that talk to kids and play letter games with them.  Educational toys aren’t always necessarily reading and math.

For instance, jigsaw puzzles are educational because they teach important spatial concepts.  Even toys that encourage kids to “play house” can be educational, because kids are actually learning when they imitate adults during imaginative play.

I also regard kids outdoor toys very highly, because I think as much time as kids spend these days sitting in front of the TV or playing video games, they need every encouragement they can get these days to play outside.

Those are my ideas about what makes for good kids toys, at any rate.  This video shows how kids really don’t need noisy toys to be entertained — something as simple as building towers with foam blocks, and then knocking them down, can be incredibly entertaining for kids!

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