On a recent visit to my in-laws the subject of Christmas presents came up. The conversation went something like this:
Us: No electronic and character toys for Gabriel please!
In-Laws: Really? Not even a Tickle Me Elmo doll?
My Husband: You can buy him an Elmo doll but we'll throw it in the trash.
Me: We're not throwing anything in the trash but we really don't want those kinds of toys for Gabriel.
In-Laws: It's the parents' right to make those decisions.
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My in-laws are kind, generous, and loving. They are amazing grandparents. They are respectful and mindful of our parenting value, even if we do things a little differently than they are used to. Their desire to possibly get Gabriel an Elmo doll comes from a place of love. Elmo is cute and Gabriel has enjoyed watching him on You Tube from time to time. So I can certainly understand why they asked about it.
The problem with an Elmo doll? It will always be an Elmo doll. Numerous studies have shown that when children interact with character toys an important thing disappears from their play: creativity and imagination.
Children playing with character toys tend be quite rigid.. They stick to storylines and characteristics formulated by the corporations making the shows and movies. I would even hesitate to call it "play." Play involves imagination, creativity, activity, and a sense of agency. Intearaction with character toys is really more about imitation of the previously viewed content.
When children play with plain old fashioned dolls they are more likely to use their imagination. There is no authority figure (corporate media) telling them "how" the dolls are "supposed" to act, or what they can be, or what they can do. I have fond memories of my dolls. Sometimes they were babies in the cradle. Sometimes they were students in the kindergarden. Sometimes I made them tea. The play was creative and open ended. It was possible to develop my own characters and storylines.
Character toys are designed for one thing only and it isn't to make children into healthy, creative, and dynamic human beings. Character toys are part of a cyclical corporate adverstising campaign.The television shows/movies/DVDs are advertisements for the toys and the toys are advertisements for the television show/movie/DVD.
Sesame Street may cry poor when it comes to pledge week on PBS, but they've made hundreds of millions off Elmo licensed products.
When parents buy a character licensed product--be it an Elmo doll, a Dora backpack, or a Thomas the Tank Engine sippy cup, or a Cinderella t-shirt-- we use our hard earned money to give a corporation free advertising. In other words, we allow our children to be used as billboards.
Electronic toys are also detrimental to creativity and yes...even to learning. The only thing a child learns from an electronic toy is how to push a button and make noise. You can get the same effect from a doorbell. They are also extremely jarring with their incessant noise. A child whose electronic toy is going off loses the peace and quiet they need to exercise their developing brains through exploration with the environment through the five senses.
Corporations like to make plastic boxes that randomly sing the ABCs or count to ten when a button is pushed. They call these "learning" toys. The boxes say things like "promotes number recognition" or "promotes early literacy." What these toys actually do is deceive parents into thinking they are educational while creating completely passive children who aren't really learning anything of value.
The truth is that children are not going to learn number recognition, and the concept of numerical amounts from hearing Elmo count to ten when they push a button. They might imitate the counting, but they do not understand for one minute the difference between one and six. It is just a sound.
Children do not learn to read by hearing or singing the ABCs. We don't say A-P-P-L-E when we want an apple. We pronounce the word phonetically. Electronic toys aren't going to teach children the encoding and decoding skills needed for literacy. The ones that "read" for the child with the electronic scanner are quite scary. Instead of working through a story by sounding out the words, a child can completely avoid learning to read. The magic wand does it for them.
Parents buy into the electronic learning myth because they've been sold a bill of goods by corporations. Vulnerable mothers and fathers are warned that the first three years are critical to learning (which they are) and that the best way to enhance this magical time is by purchasing electronic learning toys and educational videos (which it is not).
The truth is so much more simple and so much more liberating: Open ended toys and unstructured playtime leads to more creative, more curious, and more active children. Childen who engage in the world around them. Children who use their imaginations. Children who feel free to explore. Children who come up with new ideas.
Pots and pans and wooden spoons. Fingerpaints and paper. Mud, dirt, grass, and sticks. Simple dolls. A ball. Some blocks. Play silks. Baskets. A wooden truck. Legos. Puzzles. Books.
The best toys are simple. They don't require batteries. They are free to be whoever and whatever the child requires at the moment. They give a sense of peace and the purpose of them is endless.
On Friday we were feeling much better...and the sunshine and first snow beckoned...and the temperatures were mild and tolerable. I dressed Gabriel in his snowsuit, tied up my boots, strapped on the Ergo, and walked to the park. It was glorious to be outside in the fresh air. 
