Tech Toys

"Teched up" toys seem to have become a necessity in children's toys. It seems it is almost impossible to not find a toy that makes a noise or lights up, or tries to proactively to be "educational". This, of course, does not come without any major concerns. Some common beliefs are that tech toys distract children from real play and that it may confuse children from what is alive and not. The optimistic bunch often believe that it teaches children valuable skills and increases their comfort with technology. Research, although somewhat scant in certain areas, has shown mixed reviews of the effectiveness of technology. Overall, it seems that technology may have the potential to enhance children's learning, particularly in their familiarity with technological objects in our increasingly technology dependent world. However, there have been some pitfalls with the way that toy companies seem to be using technology in their toys. The component would most likely make technological toys most effective is the very thing that they seem to be lacking- parent interaction. A study where researchers looked at the differences between mothers and their toddlers playing with electronic toys vs non-electronic toys showed that when playing with the electronic toys mothers were less engaging and less responsive to their toddlers. Perhaps this is due to the fact that electronic toys seem as though they do all the work for you, such as reading the words aloud in an electronic book. Or perhaps parents are merely unsure of how to use electronic toys with their children. This is quite the downfall considering children, especially of this young age, learn the most when their parents interact with them and they have the social aspect in their play. I think tech toys have their potential, once they fine tune and really find the most effective ways to engage both the child and the parent in play for learning. Until then, I would be wary of if certain tech toys are actually doing what they claim to be promoting.