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Benefits of Low Tech Toys

Hi everyone! It is the year 2020 and everyone seems to have a cell phone, table and personal computer. As a parent, I can say, these items do come in handy and do play an important role in our household. I for one am able to work from anywhere because of my laptop and phone. This affords me more time with my kids, less transitions throughout the day and so on. If you are a parent, you know being flexible is paramount…and I thank my gadgets for allowing a little more flexibility.

Now…when it comes to kids with technology…I don’t know what is best for others and I am not here to judge what others do as I truly believe parents all want what is best for their little ones ….and sometimes you need to find a Curious George episode so you can cook dinner!

We all know high tech toys. They are available and many have merit …. But today we are going to talk about the benefit of the old-school, low tech toys we grew up with!!! I do believe, and you can see from what we develop at Mobi, that there are so many developmental benefits associated with low tech toys. From the chance of more physical play to the opportunity to learn how to play fairly…there are lots of benefits we can find!

Board Games:

Board games allow the whole family to play together and often involve a competitive element. We’ve started playing Go Fish and Crazy 8s with our six-year-old. This has really been a lesson in playing fair and emotional regulation for him. He constantly wants to change the rules so that he can win, take more turns to increase his chances of winning and often hides behind the couch with a pout (and sometimes tears) when he loses. Game by game, we’ve seen his ability to regulate his emotions increase. The emotions have also provided us a way to talk about feelings, how we handle them, how we control our own thoughts and actions. It’s been really interesting.

Another cool thing about board games is that you can often play them inter-generationally! At Mobi, we’ve got 5 games on the market now and we’ve made a point of this being a key feature of all of them. There is nothing better than seeing our kids play a game with their great grandmother! It’s amazing and something both the littles and great gran cherish. Mobi, Mobi Kids, Ultimo, Bllox and Stello ….. they can all be played with all ages!

Stuffies:

We’ve just gotten into stuffies as a household. It all started because my son was afraid to sleep in his new bunk bed on his own. We talked through it and I gave him my old stuffed bear from when I was a kid … Bert. Bert has become a favourite and sleeps in that bunk every night. Bert can be thought of as a transitional object …. He provides a feeling of consistency and security when our son was adjusting to the new bed.

Bicycles:

We’ve got a six-year-old and a two-year-old who are extremely active. Bikes have been wonderful thing for our family. Our son can ride a two wheeler now and our daughter is on a balance bike. Not only do the bikes provide physical activity and therefore burn off a ton of energy….they provide an opportunity to learn about road safety and help develop balance and motor skills. 

We’ve notice our son grow up a lot since he began riding a two wheeler. There seems to be a huge sense of freedom, independence and empowerment that comes along with riding a bike. Our son has begun to trust himself to make more decisions on his own and we’ve also encouraged him to lead us on family bike rides … to be “the leader”. It has been so neat to watch his confidence grow.

We’d love to hear from you! Tell us some “old school” or low tech toys you love!

Team Mobi here!  We hope everyone is enjoying their spring/summer so far!

One of the big buzz words in infant and child development is "open-ended play" and the search for "open-ended toys" has been rapidly increasing over the last several years.  But what exactly does "open-ended" mean?  

Bascially, it means that there are no restrictions, boundaries, or fixed purposes.  You can use the item/toy/activity in a variety of ways, and it allows the child to use their imagination and think creatively.  There's no right or wrong way to play.

A classic toy example would be building blocks, but open-ended play can also refer to activities like dress, role play, and so forth.  How many of us have sat through tea parties or been the recipient of a plastic hamburger with lettuce, cheese, an egg, and perhaps some purple jelly?  These are all examples of ways kids can use their imagination to have fun, and give us adults a bit of insight on what is going on in their fascinating minds!  

Ones of the easiest ways to engage your kids in open-ended play is to just give them a bunch of random things and see what they come up with.  Check out Isabelle and Sophia's maze that they made with recycled goods!

There is also the category of open-ended sensory toys.  Sensory toys are toys that are meant to stimulate at least one of the five senses (sound, touch, taste, smell, sight).  These can range from kinetic sand to these silicone based toys that we've developed (Zippee, Peeka, Wigloo). 

As a company, we are devoted to creating high quality toys and games that have some educational and/or developmental attributes in addition to just being fun!  For more information on our products, visit our website!