The AAP offers families and physicians guidance in an updated clinical report, “Selecting Appropriate Toys for Young Children in the Digital Era,” to be published in the January 2019 issue of Pediatrics and available online Dec. 3. The report focuses on toys for children from birth through school age.
“Toys have evolved over the years, and advertisements may leave parents with the impression that toys with a ‘virtual’ or digital-based platform are more educational,” said Aleeya Healey, MD, FAAP, a lead author of the report. “Research tells us that the best toys need not be flashy or expensive or come with an app. Simple, in this case, really is better.”
“A cardboard box can be used to draw on, or made into a house,” said Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, co-author of a new report on selecting toys for young children, up to around age 5. Many parents feel pressured by ads promoting tablet-based toys and games as educational and brain-stimulating but there’s not much science to back up those claims, Mendelsohn said. Their main misconception: “The toy that is best is the one that is the most expensive or has the most bells and whistles or is the most technologically sophisticated. Simpler hands-on toys that parents and young children can play with together are preferable for healthy development.”