TOYS: The Joy of Play

Christmas season is the most important time of the year, especially among children. This is when most children wish for a toy as a gift. Did you know that giving toys to children does not only bring joy, but also brings a lot of benefits to their personal development?

The origin of toys is not quite clear, but it has been a part of human culture for thousand of years with evidence of toys dating back to ancient civilization. The earliest known recorded toy was a yo-yo made from wood as mentioned from a 500 BCE Greek historical records. All children love to play with toys and to have fun creating their imaginary world with them. However, little did we know, toys go much beyond just mere playthings that we all take for granted. Many studies have demonstrated that toys are also tools which allows children to learn fundamental skills and abilities that could help them in the future. Playing with toys is a treasured memory for children; it is more than just amusement and fun for them. Recently, researchers are realizing that allowing children to play with toys impacts their psychological well-being, their emotional growth, and their abilities to adapt to changing environment.

Some examples of toys that brings benefits to a child are dolls, Play-Doh, and toy weapons. Dolls, for instance, allows children to practice social skills when they play make-believe with dolls. Play-Doh promotes mindfulness and motor development. Toy weapons allows them to act out battles or war scenes that could teach them understand and manage their own rage. There are more toys out there designed to not only to bring joy and excitement, but to educate our children and to help them develop their innate abilities.

This Christmas, you can donate toys to the CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish Campaign and bring joy to children in need in the Greater Toronto Area. Their program also provides financial assistance to hundreds of agencies. To learn more about this program or to send in a donation, go their website at www.cp24.com.