Hi Tech Kids

My grandson, Elliot, who is just two, is a whiz with electronic gadgets, only having to be shown once how they operate, and getting the hang of them immediately. It would not surprise me if he could programme the video recorder if someone showed him how to do it, which is more than his old granny can do!

However, his Mum was rather taken aback the other day when Elliot came into the room dragging one of his soft toys, complaining that it wasn’t working and it needed new batteries! As exciting as electronic toys are, they don’t have the cuddle factor of cosy soft toys, and even our little high tech wizard appreciates his teddy at bedtime, or when he is feeling poorly.

Whilst high tech toys have their place, it would be a great pity if they completely replaced some of the tried and tested low tech toys, which have given pleasure to children for many years. A particularly good game, enjoyed by my grandsons, is ‘Rainbow Towers’, for children of two +. There are six different coloured balls on sticks. You throw a dice, which has coloured circles, and the aim of the game is to see who can complete the sequence first. It is an excellent educational game. We first came across the game 30 years ago when our eldest daughter, Paulette, then five, only had a hazy idea of her colours, even though she could read well. After playing ‘Rainbow Towers’ a few times, she was soon able to name all the primary ones.

Looking back two thousand years I wonder what were the ‘must have’ toys of the day? I expect the young Jesus and his pals would have been just as interested in high tech toys, had they been available, as our young Elliot is today!