Education Purpose

By: Jim Ford
Toys have changed so much since we were young kids. Traditional wooden toy blocks, paper dolls, and yoyos have come a long way. Toy blocks are made from plastic and come in different colors, shapes and sizes. Paper dolls are a thing of the past, and modern dolls laugh, cry, eat, and even talk. Toy makers have made great strides to make toys and games more educational and fitting for our high tech environments. It’s hard to forget about the old school toys of our generation that brought so much joy, fun, and laughter. What were some of your favorite old school toys?

Some favorite old school preschool toys you may remember from a kid are: lite brite, etch-a-sketch, lincoln logs, jacks, and speak and spell. Lite brite and etch-a-sketch were creative toys that you could draw with. Lite brite allowed you to create colorful pictures with light up pegs and etch-a-sketch was great for creativity without the mess of paper, crayons, or paint. If you are looking for mess free creative activities for your preschooler, there are markers and special papers that won’t mark on anything except for the paper. You won’t have to worry about maker ink getting on your carpets or walls. Speak and spell seemed pretty high tech at the time, but not compared to new inventions by toy and games makers. There are video games that have the same concept as the old school toy. Some hand held video games allow your child to write on the screen and spell words and make complete sentences right on the game screen. Lincoln logs were great for building towns made up of miniature log cabins. New building games that are good for older kids are 3D puzzles.

Some toys will never go out of style or seem old school. Educational toys that you may have played with as a kid that you also see your child play with are building blocks, colorful beads, and wire mazes. These types of toys have been around for years and are great for preschool aged kids. They focus on colors, hand and eye coordination, and basic math skills. Building blocks will continue to be a kid’s favorite toy to play with because they now come in all different shapes, colors, sizes, and materials. The new blocks are a far stretch from the traditional wooden building blocks that you probably had as a kid. It can be fun to tell your kids about your favorite old school toys you had as a kid. Old school or not, preschool toys are fun and educational. 

Jim Ford is the President of KinderMark, a family owned and managed business which sells waiting room toys and waiting room furniture used in doctor’s offices, hospitals, auto dealers, dentists offices and libraries. Preschool toys such as an activity table and learning toys are favorites for pediatric offices. For more information, visit www.kindermark.com .