“Lloyd,” he told me. “His name is Lloyd.” Of course. Why is the green Lego Ninjago called a different name? This plastic figurine has shot to the top of son Sam’s Christmas list.
Anyone who knows young children will relate. While they covet the Barbie Color Reveal Deluxe Styling Head, which promises instant but fleeting joy, we want to buy a woodland activity kit that is sure to nourish the body and mind.
If you are despairing of such a choice, help is readily available. Thanks to our increased understanding of the cognitive benefits of specific toys, we now have a better understanding of the relative merits of different toys. This Christmas, I decided to use this research to identify the perfect toy, or at least get as close to it as possible.
If you dig deeper into this world, you’ll quickly discover that some toys are really better for young brains than others, and that computer games aren’t as evil as you think. Now you know the secret to buying toys without getting bored. Cupboard.
Although toys may seem like a relatively recent invention, they have been a part of our lives for thousands of years. Analysis of rock fragments dating back 60,000 to 80,000 years in South Africa’s Western Cape suggests that children may have been tinkering with dull and functionally useless copies of adult stone tools. Ta. These ancient playthings are thought to have been key to the development of cognitive skills, such as the ability to imagine alternative scenarios and come up with new ideas.
