Kids get creative with traditional toys

Every year, parents line up in stores looking for the season’s hottest toys. Media outlets and the Internet are all abuzz with the trendiest gadgets and high-tech items of the season.

Amid all the chatter it can be easy to forget the single most enduring toy at the disposal of every child — his or her imagination.

Plenty of high-tech toys encourage creativity, but to really fire up a child’s imagination it’s hard to beat the power of timeless, classic toys that rely on low-tech interaction rather than on electronics. This type of nostalgic toy can become a child’s best friend, and parents will be happy their children have something that doesn’t require batteries and doesn’t stop working just because it’s been dropped a few times Here are five timeless no tech toys that any child should love and maybe even learn from:

Classic doll

Countless generations of little girls have fallen in love with a special doll. This is one toy that can serve many functions, from best friend and confidante to teacher and even role model. Although there are lots of in-your-face styles of dolls with attitude lining store shelves, you can still find dolls that offer contemporary appeal combined with more homespun values. There are myriad choices in the world of the ever-popular Barbie alone, and Fisher-Price offers lots of traditional dolls, including Dora the Explorer and Brilliant Basics Baby’s First Doll.

A wagon

Whether it’s an oldfashioned metal wagon decked out in fire engine red or one of the modern, SUV-sized plastic numbers, nothing beats a wagon for getting kids moving. It’s also a toy that can keep pace with a child’s development and changing styles of play. Very young children will enjoy riding as parents tow them along on trips to the park or walks around the neighborhood. As children grow, they begin to pull the wagon themselves, using it to transport toys or other children. Turn it over, if it’s big enough, and it’s a makeshift fort or castle.

A building set

Whether it’s plastic, wood or metal, a building set can fire the imagination of budding engineers. Building materials that link together have a leg up on oldfashioned blocks, allowing kids to create increasingly complex structures. With so many different construction toys available, it’s possible to find a building set for virtually any age or skill level.

Dress-up items

Pretend play is an important way for children to explore their own personalities and potential. Dressing up as a doctor, nurse, firefighter or police officer helps kids learn about career choices and adult roles, and facilitates creativity through role playing. Creating a dressup chest is simple and inexpensive. Parents can fill a plastic bin with handme-downs, old Halloween costumes and even a few store-bought items.

An easel and drawing pad

Coloring books are always a good choice, but there’s something about an easel that makes a child feel like a real artist. A simple wooden frame holding a large drawing pad can become the launch pad for flights of fancy rendered in crayon, watercolor and even washable magic marker. Whatever your child’s media or favorite subject, putting him or her in front of an easel will enhance enjoyment of the artistic experience and get young creative juices flowing.

—ARA Content