Just in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season, the group TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment) has released its Toy Action Guide. Here, an excerpt that underscores their general outlook on play:

Play is essential to children’s healthy development and learning. Children use play to actively construct knowledge, meet social/emotional needs, and acquire life skills. The content of their play comes from their own experiences. Because of the pervasive influence of the electronic media — TV, movies, videos, DVDs, computers video games — children spend more time sitting in front of a screen and less time playing creatively with each other. These changes in today’s childhood are undermining play.

Toys of value enhance children’s natural ability to engage in imaginative, meaningful play by allowing them to try out their own ideas and solve their own problems. However, many toys rob children of opportunities to use their own imaginations, creativity, and problem solving skills. These types of toys are often linked to popular media images and programs.

Their advice is pretty straightforward: Choose toys that give children opportunities for dramatic play (such as a doctor’s kit), manipulative play (blocks, puzzles), and creative play (instruments, art supplies), as well as board games and toys that encourage healthy physical play. The guide includes specific toy recommendations.

What to avoid, according to TRUCE? Toys that make violence central to play (action toys with weapons marketed to little kids), “sexy” toys (such as Bratz), and toys that lure little kids into the world of PG-13 movies or that tie toddler icons to older kid toys (such as Tickle Me Elmo Barbie, who wears an Elmo T-shirt and carries around a mini Elmo doll).

Also in the cross-hairs: “Educational” toys (such as LeapFrog’s My First Computer), traditionally creative toys that are geared away from open-ended play and toward violence (such as the Lego Exo-Force sets), and toys that make kids dependent on screens for play (such as Jammin’ Gym Class from V-Tech).

The idea of preserving open-ended play was brought home to me the other day when we had a playdate and the most coveted “toy” was a cardboard tube from an empty paper towel roll. And why not? It served as a trumpet, a telescope, a rolling-thing, and a rocket ship, in the span of minutes. Santa may just bring a sackful.

Posted by MommaSteph.