What's Your Favourite Toy?

I was up at my cottage over the long weekend, and I found an old computer (circa 1977) in our old bedroom. Even if we had been able to power it up, I don't think there's a single thing it could have done without overloading and sputtering to a slow and embarrassing death. I thought, "Wow - I can't believe that piece of junk is still here!" And then a moment later, I remembered why we'd kept it all these years. 

When my cousins and I were kids, we would sit around that computer for hours - without even turning it on - playing GhostWriter, pretending we were in mission control for a NASA space launch, imagining we were breaking into top secret networks. That old useless computer was a launching board for our epic imaginative adventures! It didn't matter that it was objectively a piece of techno-junk; for us, that computer was a window to countless other realities. 

As adults, we often tend to look at objects as they are. In our business, this can be especially true.
"This is a spoon. What do you do with a spoon? You eat with it! A spoon is a kind of... cutlery!" 

But a spoon can be so much more! A spoon could be a ninja turtle's snowboard, racing down the hill away from approaching bad guys! A spoon could be a fun musical instrument! A spoon could be a new friend to play with! A spoon could be a magic wand, or a conductor's baton!

Teaching our kids that an object can represent many things is the basis for symbolic play. At around 18 months, TD kids will start to pretend using things in their environment for lots of different purposes. One of the milestones on the VB-MAPP is "plays with everyday objects in creative ways"! Yet, when this target shows up on our data sheets - we seem to find it immensely hard to get our kids to do it! 

We need to lay the groundwork for this step by stretching our kids concepts of what is acceptable, appropriate and fun in their day-to-day play! At first, our kids might think we're just being silly, but for those who are ready for it - a little persistence and energy can go a long way in getting them excited about it and thinking creatively. 

What were your favourite toys as a child? Did they have a million moving parts, or cool sounds, or incredible features? Or were they a canvas for you to paint your imaginative landscapes? When we look at the objects around us with our childhood eyes, we invite our kids to join us in a world of endless possibility. Let's try to bring this imaginative awareness to our play this week, and see if we can bring our kids imaginations online!

Please leave a comment telling us what your favourite toys were as a child, and/or what toys you love to bring into your play with your students! As per our guidelines, please refrain from using any child's name (or even initials) in your post, and endeavour to use general language that could be applicable in a broad sense, rather than making specific references. Thanks!