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LEARN THROUGH PLAY, THE CHEAPER WAY

THE very early years of childhood are a critical period in the development of young minds, and there are a bewildering array of hi-tech toys on the market which claim to help it on its way.

But parents who feel guilty about not being able to afford the latest expensive gadgets to aid their little one’s development may take heart from new research which suggests that the simplest of toys may be the most effective learning tools for the very young.

A US study has found that playing with coloured blocks may lead to improved language development in young children. This follows other research showing that viewing media, such as some television and baby DVDs marketed with unsubstantiated claims that they help development, may actually hinder language learning.

The latest study, which involved 175 toddlers aged between 18 months and two-and-a-half years, found that children who played with blocks scored 15 percent higher on language assessment than those who didn’t.

The study was led by Dr Dimitri Christakis, of the University of Washington in Seattle, who explains that the reason playing with blocks helps children’s vocabulary is connected to their inner language, which is a precursor to speech.

"As they play with the blocks, children are speaking to themselves internally," he says.

"If they’re building a tower, they're thinking 'I'll put that one on top of that one', or if they’re making a car or a castle, it’s reinforcing that word in their head.”

He says parents often help their children play with blocks, and this is an interactive experience which is key to learning.

But he stresses: “In recent years we’ve seen an explosion of products which make all sorts of claims that they’re educational for kids, but the majority of claims are unsubstantiated.

“However, parents are blinded by pseudo-science and they’ve grown away from traditional toys like blocks.

“We now have our first evidence of a kind of toy that really can improve language — and it’s a throwback to a prior time; children using their hands, minds and inner language to reinforce what they’re learning.”

And the authors of a new children’s play book agree that expensive toys aren’t necessary to help young children learn.

Janni Nicol, co-author with Christopher Clouder of Creative Play for your Baby (Gaia, £12.99) says: “Children can be quite content playing with simple toys with which they can exercise their imagination.

“As far as learning’s concerned, complex toys that are so-called 'educational' are unnecessary and parents shouldn’t feel obliged to buy them for fear of their child being left behind.”

The book shows how to make simple educational toys such as soft farmyard animals, wind chimes and wooden blocks, and gives advice on how a child can learn through the Steiner method of natural development.

Nicol insists that simply participating in household tasks, being told stories, playing games that involve movement and being out in nature are of much greater developmental value than expensive toys.

“Experiencing learning in a social context and being given time to interact meaningfully is a better start than having expensive consumerist objects that don’t relate to the values of childhood.”