Study finds that swapping a child’s toy for the backyard cubby house can boost their success later in life

A study has found that an overload of toys can hinder a child’s development and creativity.

Rainer Strick and Elke Shubert conducted an experiment in a kindergarten classroom in which they removed all toys for three months and observed what happened. They found that the children utilised their basic surroundings to invent games and made greater use of their imagination.

Strick and Schubert concluded that by limiting a child’s choice of material objects, they must resort to more thoughtful ways to keep themselves occupied.

Children should also be encouraged to socialise with their peers, according to Dr. Anita Gurian and Dr. Alice Pope. They have found that social play can lead to a greater chance of academic and social success during adulthood.

These findings should encourage parents to limit the number of toys their child can have and to encourage them to play outside and to play with other children. This will move them to exercise their imagination and develop their creativity and resourcefulness.

Source: http://www.gsusignal.com/perspectives/too-many-toys-can-have-a-negative-effect-on-children-1.2167665