Do kids still play with toys?

Discussion in Toys, Kids & Baby Stuff started by mistymi • Mar 27, 2014.

  1. mistymi

    mistymiActive Member

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    When I was a kid I loved toys. I had trains, RC cars, planes, typical boy stuff. I liked building and riding my bike. Now I see that most kids have cell phones. My younger sibling doesn't have any toys and only needs video games to stay entertained. If you have kids, do you buy them or do they like electronics more?

    If I was a kid now, I probably wouldn't need as many toys because there are lots of games where you can build and play with people your own age.
     
    #1Mar 27, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2014
  2. eagle22

    eagle22Active Member

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    It does seem like most of this new generation is only interested in playing on the iPad or cell phones doesn't it? Kids do still enjoy playing with toys though, I knew my nephew LOVES his train set and toy cars.
     
  3. starfox64

    starfox64Active Member

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    Yeah, kids still like toys but probably not as much they used to. My little brother who is 4 really likes toy dinosaurs and superheroes and such, but even he would rather sit down and play with some gaming apps rather than sit and play with toys. Kids these days...
     
  4. Oakster

    OaksterActive Member

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    Kids still like playing with toys, but the age at which their attention shifts to videogames is younger than before.
    When I was a kid you would start gaming around 8 or 9, this was the NES era, but my nephew is now 5 and he just wants to play on the tablet.
     
  5. Galadriel

    GaladrielNew Member

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    I don't have kids of my own, but I have two very young nieces. I find it somewhat depressing, but they are glued to technology - always grabbing for smartphones and tablets, sitting in front of the television...this is something I have had a hard time with, and have been doing what I can to discourage it. I think that kids are still very into playing, but, since technology is so incredibly common and prevalent in society now, it's increasingly difficult to break them free. If you yourself set a good example for your kids, I think it would have a very positive impact on your kids. Try not to use your phone at the dinner table, maybe take one night a week to be "tech-free," etc. These are all great ways to show your kids that you yourself are not addicted, and that there are alternative ways to learn, have fun, and be entertained. I hope this helps!
     
  6. Lostvalleyguy

    LostvalleyguyActive Member

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    I am appalled to see my four year old nephew more adept on his tablet than I am. I think that toys are somewhat less interesting to the kids these days than games. Lets face it, a lot of toys that have been on the market for years have very little play value. The toy makers are going to have to step up their game in order to compete with the video game industry. Tablets are great for keeping the kids distracted on long drives, but it is up to the parents to make sure that there are alternative way to play. I would never let a child forgo a bike for a video game. Both my niece and nephew like kicking around balls and playing with Lego. There are still lots of good toys out there, but they require that the parents be a little less lazy and don't just park their children in front of the tablet in order to make parenting easier.
     
  7. lizzief79

    lizzief79Active Member

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    Yes they do. My daughter is 15 now so she is a little bit old but my sons are 9,2 and 10 months. All of them play with toys. My nine-year-old has a Nintendo Wii and an XBox but still spends more time playing with his football, lego and toy cars.
     
  8. Miaka_M

    Miaka_MActive Member

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    When I was younger I used to play with my barbie dolls and I made make-shift houses for them using my hardcover books. My brother used to play with marbles and his little toy cars and trains but I don't see many kids playing with toys so much now. When they're about the age of 5 I noticed that the kids leave the toy phase and lean more towards technology like television, computers and game consoles. I remember doing laundry in the laundry room and I saw a kid with an ipad, he looked like he was 4, but he could work that thing like a pro!
     
  9. VTEC 9/12/44

    VTEC 9/12/44Member

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    My mother teaches kids who are around 3 to 4 years of age. They love toys as much as games, from how she tells it. I don't think we'll ever fully leave them behind. Or, at least, I hope not. Imaginative play is important and toys are good for that.
     
  10. 003

    003Well-Known Member

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    They would have to play toys instead of electronics. If I have kids, I would give or provide them toys more than electronics as though I don't have a proof for it, I think that toys are better for the development of the kids than video games because with the toys while they play they are able to imagine unlike where video games where it gets all the kid's attention and develop the kid the way the game would have to be played like for example an action gun-shooting game, the kid will develop to be aggressive.
     
  11. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    Very young kids would prefer toys over video games. But when the kids go to school and their friends start telling them about all the cool video games they play that's when they start losing interest in toys. Kids are impressionable. Should they be in school with other kids who like to play with toys then they'll prefer toys.

    I think kids starting to play video games early in life can affect their social life a lot later.
     
  12. Mayvin

    MayvinActive Member

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    I agree. I think most kids inherently like to play with toys but not as much just because they can log onto the computer and play online or something. There are so many interactive games on line that in anther 20 years I wonder if kids are going to be even playing with physical toys?
     
  13. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    My daughter collects Sonic the Hedgehog action figures, so she sort of has toys. But she mostly uses her computer for entertainment. I think toy companies know that kids are moving away from toys, because now a lot of toys have an interactive element like a QR code or a website that works with the toy.
     
  14. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    The kids in my family certainly still play with toys and they still enjoy them. However, it's mostly only the younger kids that do while the older ones tend to be more into playing on the computer or watching videos of their favorite shows or games. The younger ones still appreciate toys a lot, though, but even they are able to and like playing on iPads as well so their attention and enjoyment is already divided between toys and devices, which I think is only natural. I personally don't mind where they get their enjoyment, but I just hope they don't end up ruining their eyes from staring at screens for long periods of time from such a young age.
     
  15. Verity Darkwaters

    Verity DarkwatersActive Member

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    I often ask the same thing when shopping for children. Growing up I played with Barbies, cars, baby dolls, toy food, dress up clothes, you name it. I loved toys, heck I'd still play with some of them. But it is depressing to see that all children want is technology. The thing is many parents use this as a form of parenting. If they are glued to a screen they are out of their hair. Which is so sad. Plus all the other kids have it so they want it. But, I think smaller children still play with toys, I know middle aged kids like 5-10 still sort of do. After that no. It is cell phones, ipads, and computers.
     
  16. Gadzooks

    GadzooksMember

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    I *hate* that kids are so stuck on electronics that they don't really get to experience how fun life can be without electronics. It's like pulling teeth to get my oldest (8 years old) to play with her toys. My youngest (5 years old) always wants to play with her but my oldest gets herself stuck on the XBox. I have had to put down rules. She can only play the XBox or watch TV a certain amount of hours during the day, depending on the day (summer break, spring break, school day..). She did have a meltdown at first, but now she's gotten used to it. I much prefer for my kids to play with toys and use their imagination than to let a screen be their imagination for them.
     
  17. akshaychouhan785

    akshaychouhan785Member

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    My nephew is 2 years old and he seems to play with just about anything that he can get his hand over and he'll not get bored even after playing with the same thing unless you put a rather interesting thing before him. It's obvious that if I give him something like cellphone or a video game then his old toys are not going to interest him anymore. So it's up to you that what you want your child to play with.
     
  18. wallet

    walletActive Member

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    The answer to your question depends on the age of the child. I think that kids until the age of eight or nine years old they are still playing with toys, but after this age, they stop and start to play at tables, phones, or PC. It is sad to see this and is very hard to correct such behavior!
     
  19. kaka135

    kaka135Active Member

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    I don't really allow my young children to watch TV and use the mobile phone, and we don't allow them to play video games, so yes, they are playing with their toys or made up games all the time. Besides playing with toys, they have always been running, jumping, climbing inside and outside the house. I prefer kids to play like this, more naturally, than to play with the electronic gadgets though I know the gadgets always interest them.
     
  20. FolkArtist

    FolkArtistActive Member

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    They do say kids play with touchscreens more than they play with traditional toys these days -and I know the grandkids that come to play at my house once in awhile, like all those games,watching videos and movies on their devices. They also like to play a bit though with the action figures- like the Power Rangers -and so I am glad I can relate to that because we had Captain Action as a kid, growing up back in the 60's and of course GI Joe. I think GI Joe was the world's first action figure that Hasbro created back in 1964.