Have you ever seen a child given an expensive gift, only to see them discard it within a couple of minutes? I'm guessing that you have. Why is it that simple toys often offer children the most fun.
There are undoubtedly numerous psychological explanations that can be used to explain this behaviour. Of course, it's true to say that many younger children have little awareness of the value of items.
One of the main reasons why they discard more expensive gifts is often than simple toys can provide more room for their imagination to fill. It's imagination that is the driving force behind many games. Indeed, while we may think that this imagination is considerably weaker for adults, what would we all do without the power to imagine?
Our imagination allows us to escape from the mundane and the predictable. It gives us the ability to dream and to hope that better things may be just around the corner. It has a lot to do with many of us believing that we might find a better life by moving house, or changing occupation. Is it really belief, or simply imagination?
For children, the strength of their imagination can be seen when they turn the most simple toys into racing cars, football pitches, aeroplanes and ships. The changes may not be physical, but their minds allow such changes to take place.
This ability has helped to ensure that many classic toys and activities have retained popularity for years. Take the example of climbing frames, for example. Surely these pieces of equipment should have long since lost popularity? The reality is that they have retained popularity, largely because they continue to inspire.
The latest range of TP climbing frames take things on to a new level but the basics remain unchanged. After all, why change something that works so well?
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