Pediatricians Recommend ‘Old-Fashioned’ Play, Toys for Kids

Local pediatricians recommend parents of younger children give more focus to old-fashioned forms of toys and playtime during early stages of development.

Dr. Apryl Hall serves as the Director of Pediatrics at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. She says giving children simpler toys allows them to develop problem-solving skills.

“It’s true play and not directed play. They get to decide what it is that they’re playing,” Hall says. “Are they building a log cabin, are they building a tower, what are they doing? They have self-directed play and imaginative play. This grows their brains in ways video games and other electronics just don’t.”

Hall recommends toys like Lincoln Logs or LEGOs to develop their cognitive skills and have their own form of play.

“Even if it’s not to build a toy specifically, for them to play and be imaginative is always great,” Hall says. “Card games are also good. Any type of a thinking game is excellent where they have to solve a problem.”

Hall says in some cases, a child may not even need an actual toy to have fun and develop their cognitive abilities.

“I tell people all the time, you’re better off giving them the box that the toy came in, and a stick to beat it with than you are to buy them a toy,” Hall says. “They can have so much more imaginative play with a stick and a box than sometimes the thing that comes in that box.”

Hall says allowing children to explore the world through their imagination is best for them in their early stages of development.

“We really would like for you to get away from screen time and get back to play time, being outside, and doing things outside with imaginative play,” Hall says. “They can go out and explore nature. It’s really the best for their brain, for their best growth, and best imagination, is going out and being kids.”

The American Association of Pediatrics reports children spend an average of seven hours per day using entertainment media, including computers, television, and video games. Hall says the Association recommends children not be exposed to screen time before the age of two.