Why are they not playing toys............advi ce

[5 Little Monkeys]

That's a great idea ebhappydc! My group loves when I bring out the basket and small soft balls so they can play basketball. Might have to introduce toss time too!

[playfelt]

Take a look at some of the toys too and while they look cute they have very little play value in the sense that after the child has pushed a button a few times and seen the toy do it's thing the play value is gone. Make sure there are lots of open ended type toys too they can mix it up with. But yes kids have changed a lot. They totally lack curiosity and imagination compared to their counterparts of yesteryear.

[Secondtimearound]

Mine too ! I refuse to buy toys that do not engage imagination and .... They take them out and throw them all over . They love tv and I use it only at nap time for non nappers ( usually ) I have started putting the timer on for 10 minutes and making them take one toy and "play" then they can switch but I have 2 and up . I think it's not so much of parents playing with kids it's handing them their cell phones and iPads !!!
Very little imagination !! When we pretend here I'm constantly told , " we aren't in a restaurant ect ugh

[SevenwatersDaughter]

That's what it's like here too, with a three year old and two two-year olds. It helps if you get down and play with them -- get them interested! Not always possible when we have cleaning and meal planning and prep to do haha but it helps sometimes.

[AmandaKDT]

Take a look at some of the toys too and while they look cute they have very little play value in the sense that after the child has pushed a button a few times and seen the toy do it's thing the play value is gone. Make sure there are lots of open ended type toys too they can mix it up with. But yes kids have changed a lot. They totally lack curiosity and imagination compared to their counterparts of yesteryear.

Yes, for sure! Pretty much all my toys are opened ended - play kitchen, baby dolls and accessories, dress up clothes, little people play sets, trucks and cars, dress up clothes, blocks. If the only play comes from pressing buttons itsn't going to keep them busy long.

it is very interesting to hear about the number of providers that seem to have kids unable to play with anything that isn't electronic. I feel lucky because I can't say I have that problem with my crew at all. Interesting...

[torontokids]

My crew is pretty good at playing by themselves but they aren't necessarily like that with mom and dad. I have just made a conscious decision to not entertain them (which has been hard for me at times and some kids really do struggle with this) but once my first crew was "trained" then all new kids have just followed suit. That's not to say I don't have a couple sucky kids that want all my attention but they are redirected and usually find something to do. We do a lot of free play here and I learned quickly that the more I do for them (activities etc) the more they expect from me.

[torontokids]

We are also TV free here, don't know if that makes a difference but I may attract certain parents with this.

[AmandaKDT]

My crew is pretty good at playing by themselves but they aren't necessarily like that with mom and dad. I have just made a conscious decision to not entertain them (which has been hard for me at times and some kids really do struggle with this) but once my first crew was "trained" then all new kids have just followed suit. That's not to say I don't have a couple sucky kids that want all my attention but they are redirected and usually find something to do. We do a lot of free play here and I learned quickly that the more I do for them (activities etc) the more they expect from me.

I purposefully don't entertain as well. Unless someone needs a redirection because of a disagreement with a friend I keep free play totally up to them. I may introduce a new toy or suggest a play idea, but other than that I don't get involved at all (unless of course someone wants my to try the delicious chocolate cake they "made"). I also don't have TV as an option either, except for my non-sleepers during quiet time .

[5 Little Monkeys]

Yes, for sure! Pretty much all my toys are opened ended - play kitchen, baby dolls and accessories, dress up clothes, little people play sets, trucks and cars, dress up clothes, blocks. If the only play comes from pressing buttons itsn't going to keep them busy long.

it is very interesting to hear about the number of providers that seem to have kids unable to play with anything that isn't electronic. I feel lucky because I can't say I have that problem with my crew at all. Interesting...

Almost all my toys are open ended and I only have a few that require batteries ( hate those toys lol) but I have found a lot of kids are being given technology toys early on. I had one mom tell me that her child got an iPod of some sort for his 3rd birthday!! The even crazier part is that they returned it for one that was internet capable! ( the first one wasn't a regular iPod it was for children...I'm not up to date on tech stuff lol. Seriously this 3 year old knows more than I do!) I've also had a 4 year old who brought her own iPad ( yes her own! Brother had one too!) to daycare to use after nap. When I told mom she had to nap/lay quietly for 30 mins first, mom was ticked off at me!

I know technology is taking over but it blows my mind when such young kids are given access to it. I've worked with large groups in dc centres and the style of play has changed so much in the past 10 years. Kids pick up toy phones and take "pictures" with them instead of the toy camera, books get turned sideways and they are now "iPads", instead of pretending to go to the grocery store they go to the apple store!

[AmandaKDT]

Almost all my toys are open ended and I only have a few that require batteries ( hate those toys lol) but I have found a lot of kids are being given technology toys early on. I had one mom tell me that her child got an iPod of some sort for his 3rd birthday!! The even crazier part is that they returned it for one that was internet capable! ( the first one wasn't a regular iPod it was for children...I'm not up to date on tech stuff lol. Seriously this 3 year old knows more than I do!) I've also had a 4 year old who brought her own iPad ( yes her own! Brother had one too!) to daycare to use after nap. When I told mom she had to nap/lay quietly for 30 mins first, mom was ticked off at me!

I know technology is taking over but it blows my mind when such young kids are given access to it. I've worked with large groups in dc centres and the style of play has changed so much in the past 10 years. Kids pick up toy phones and take "pictures" with them instead of the toy camera, books get turned sideways and they are now "iPads", instead of pretending to go to the grocery store they go to the apple store!

My daughters both play with the ipad we own, my oldest has been able to use it independently since she was 3! Who needs to read, right? But they don't get unlimited access and they both can also easily do imaginative free play.

Yes, one of my friends as a 5 year old and an almost 3 year old and they BOTH have their own iPads. Crazy! I make sure my girls know the iPad is MINE and getting to use it is a privilege, not a right.

But technology has changed so much, it doesn't surprise the examples you listed. Just like kids will play kitchen and copy mommy, they will pretend to ge texting and taking pictures with their phones too!