Childhood is so important because it’s then that the stage is set for how you’ll feel about education and learning for the rest of your life.  That’s not to say that you can’t change the values that you were instilled with in childhood, but it certainly makes a big difference on how you’ll view learning.

One thing that I think is so important is buying kids toys that will support learning.  There are way too many of these so-called “interactive toys” that talk to kids, play music, move, etc.  All these types of toys teach kids is to press buttons and wait for a response.

I much prefer the old-fashioned type of play.  I can remember turning a dining chair into a Barbie house, creating a maze for my rat with wooden blocks, and countless other substitutions that required my imagination to make them work.  Do I think I suffered because I didn’t have a “real” Barbie house?  Heck no.  In fact, I think I had more freedom in what I played, simply because I didn’t have a doll house with prescribed rooms.

That’s why, when I buy toys for my nephews and nieces, I like to get European toys such as the famous HABA toys, painted wooden toys that allow kids’ imaginations free reign.  That’s also why, when my husband and I have kids, I have every intention of expressly forbidding friends and relatives from getting them toys that make noise.

Getting kids toys that make learning fun sets the stage for being interested in and enjoying learning later in life, too.  Don’t underestimate the importance of fostering learning during this important stage of development!

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