crunchy parenting

Walk into any major toy store these days and you’ll find no shortage of things for your children to do. Thay can play with cars and trains, or dolls and ponies, build houses, and more. Yet, in spite of what appears to be an amazing selection, I’ve started to look at toy stores differently since becoming a conscientious parent.

I walk through the aisles and I see pre-fabricated stories being offered to my child. *Virtually gone are the simple block toys that could double for a phone as easily as a fire truck.* Now, children choose their adventures from predetermined lists. If you want to play with horses, you have to choose between the pink and purple My Little Pony sets or perhaps an immaculate Barbie-as-an-equestrian set. (Not to mention the limitations if you, or your child, happen to be a minority.) The tragedy of this arrangement is that more and more of the toys in toy stores are just profitable spin-offs from their television or home DVD shows. If you doubt this, *I beg you to help me come up with one example of a kids’ TV show that doesn’t have some kind of product for sale.* Even that old educational favorite, Sesame Street, can be found in some toy, drink, or item available for purchase in every town across America.

Now, I’m not advocating we eschew all modern entertainment for children. (Well, not entirely.) But there’s something to be said for letting young children discover the natural world around them in their own time and experience, rather than having it thrust upon them in these preconceived ways. *More and more educational experts are coming around to the idea that smart, successful young adults are born from children who have been allowed to explore their imagination to the fullest extent.* Creative play is slowly making its way back into mainstream parenting, as society realizes that by putting play first, a genuine passion and love of learning will follow.

So, how do you encourage creative play in your babies and toddlers, or wild imagination in your young children?

• Get rid of your television. (If you have a TV and didn’t click on the link, please do. There’s a reason this is the first step!)
• Weed through your children’s toys with your newfound critical eye. For example, how “open-ended” is that Lego Atlantis toy set? Regular Legos are great in that they encourage the child to think of new and different combinations, but some of the pre-fab sets are less creative. Start small and fill one grocery bag with toys to give away this week.
• Try out simple toys with your kids. It never fails to amaze me how long my 2-year-old can be occupied with a sand shovel and some dirt. Other cheap ideas are paint & paper, sidewalk chalk, or a hose, a bucket and some plastic cups with holes punched in the bottom. For older kids, you have to get a little more creative, but most still want to be be helpful. Try things like having them rearrange the pantry items by color, or pick out things they’d like to plant from a garden book or website.
• Be patient. Like sugar-addicts coming down off the Ho-Hos, kids that have been used to high-energy electronic toys or lots of TV time are going to take a little while to get used to playing with a stick and some mud, or a pile of wooden blocks. Resist the temptation to park them in front of the TV or your iPad even for “just a few minutes”. Tossing them outdoors with some toys and a bucket of snacks can work wonders on bored kids and your sanity.

If you’re in the market for new toys, check out Amazon’s great selection of natural toys or visit sites like Rosie Hippo and Moolka for more creative, imagination-firing ideas. Yes, some of these toys are more $$ than their typical plastic counterparts, but stick to the simple open-ended toys and don’t get more than a few. Your children’s’ creativity and resourcefulness will surprise you.