Getting right to the point: the more the toy does, the less your child does.

Electronic toys are SO great at holding the attention of our kids that we want to buy more of them BUT it’s important to remember that electronic often promote passive engagement rather than active, hands-on play. This in turn may limit the development of essential motor skills and creativity.

“BUT my toddler has learned so many new things because of her electronic toys?!”

I hear you! It can be cool to hear our little ones repeat back the memorized words but is it true learning? A recent study from Northern Arizona University found that electronic toys such as a baby laptop or cell phone do not promote language development in young children as well as books and traditional toys such as wooden puzzles, shape-sorters and blocks.

The study found that play with electronic toys, there were fewer adult words, fewer conversational turns, fewer parental responses, and fewer productions of content-specific words than during play with traditional toys or books. Children vocalized less during play with electronic toys than during play with books.

💭 So should I get rid of all my electronic toys?
Nope, you don’t have! You just have to find a balance and not resort to electronic toys to provide the quality interactions. Instead, you can:

✨ Save electronic toys as reserve activities for when we needed the time instead of offering screens, for long car rides, or another time when you aren’t able to offer a high quality interaction.

✨ If your child is also overstimulated by electronic toys (like mine) because they’re pressing multiple buttons at once, you can take out the batteries and it becomes a passive play thing that encourages active play!

Passive toys make for active kids and active toys make passive kids because the more a toy does, the less our children do.

If you’re looking for toy recommendations for toddlers, check out my list HERE.