Have you ever wondered how the definition of free play has been changed for children over the past decades? It has been found a 25% decrease in time spent playing, a 55% decrease in time spent talking with others at home, a 18% increase in time spent in school, and almost 1.5 times more time spent doing homework. Today’s generation hardly experienced or heard the games like Kabaddi, Hopscotch, Pallanguzhi, Kho-Kho, Five Stones, Golli/Kancha, Hide-Seek, Clay Dolls and Hoops, Model Horses with wheels, Lattu/Spinning top and the list goes on. Nowadays, kids getting engrossed in this virtual world. Inevitable widespread adoption of technology and smartphones and even the rise of social media/gaming platform and its impacts made parenthood more challenging. In recent research, it has been found that “One third of children ages 7 to 9 use social media apps”. As a parents/well-wisher/neighbour/family we play a vital role in this by giving the experience of technology in their early childhood. So, its high time for us, to ensure creative learning platform in their early STEM development.
Modern toys have been introduced in late 19th century. Usually they are made from plastic, nylon, or foam were often unsafe as some were made with sharp edges and toxic materials. Before the invention of plastic and technology, the earliest toys are made from materials found in nature, such as rocks, sticks, and clay wood or animal bones which are all organic, biodegradable and provided open ended playtime.
“All life goes in a circle, around & around, you started at one place, and then came right back to it again”.
-Ann Petry.
As this phrase goes by, here we are “Lil Woods” on our way to revive and pass on our childhood tech-free playtime to this generation. Because identifying and satisfying the kids daily needs has become more challenging lately. It’s never-ending puzzle especially when it comes to play through learning or learn through playing. Once kids get satisfied or getting hang of a particular play/toy activity they will start looking for a new one. At times they become super-active or not showing much interest during their playtime. It’s either lack of knowledge on how to play or getting over-stimulated. In general, Overstimulation happens when children are swamped by more experiences, sensations, noise, and activity than they can cope with. We keenly study and design our toys that will become the best companion for your children, which will induce and unlock their creative learning and promotes Montessori based play time at home.