Best of both worlds - Toys - Techie Gadgets and Old School Toys

Technology has evolved tremendously in the last 3 decades and we have actually seen and felt how technology has changed our ways of living.

Now, remote working, work from home is much easier and is actually an approach that many multinational corporations are advocating.  Thanks to technology, the physical distance that separates family members (such as in my case) is more tolerable because communication is way easier!! Nowadays, we have facebook messenger, viber, whatsapp as staple communication tools. 

The impact and influence of technology is also very felt in the day to day activities of our kids.  Now, kids have computer or technology classes in primary school.  At one point in our lives, we have relied on modern toys such as tablets to pacify our crying toddlers. 

I am pro technology but at the same time, I believe that children should be exploring and not just confined with tablets, television, mobile, videos. 

I believe children should now the importance of modern gadgets, their functionalities as technology is our present and our future, but we should be guiding them so as not to overuse these gadgets.  The usage of these gadgets must be part of our governance, after all, they will only use them when we tell them to do so (Now, I am talking very corporate here hehehe). They should be aware of these modern toys because technology, data now plays an important role in our globalization, modernization.

However, children should still use books, pencils, papers as part of their learning and as part of satisfying their curiosity. They will be hooked up with video games, for sure, but let them enjoy nature, playgrounds, parks which are havens for children and toddlers!! I still remember the goofiness that I showed whenever my son would start or engage in “conversations” in public parks!! It is also gratifying to see how my child´s eyes light up whenever he would see a dried leaf or rock and then we convert them as toys!! 

We still create paper money and do grocery shopping the natural way; from time to time we would create a make believe store, museum, bookshop where we would sell items.  With this type of game, I am also reinforcing basic math operations; for example:  in our make believe store, I bought 5 books which cost 15€ and I paid 20€. How much is my change? Hehehehe

Legos, trains continue to be a winning combination for children!! 

It is not a question of selecting between modern gadgets and old toys but rather striking a good balance when to leverage the toys and technology that are important in building lasting childhood memories.  Our children are fortunate to have the best of both worlds!