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<\/a>Research by Dr. Carly Dauch, left, and Dr. Alexia Metz found less is definitely more when it comes to toys and toddlers\u2019 creative, healthy play.<\/p><\/div>The results of the study come just in time for family and friends who are picking up holiday gifts for the children in their lives. The research, which will appear in the February issue of Infant Behavior and Development, suggests that an abundance of toys may create a distraction. Fewer new toys might be a better route this holiday season. <\/p>\n
When toddlers had exposure to fewer toys, they played twice as long with the toys they had and in more sophisticated ways, said Dr. Alexia Metz, the study\u2019s lead investigator and a UT associate professor of occupational therapy.<\/p>\n
As the mother of 12-year-old twins, Metz has personal experience with the proliferation of toys phenomenon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was astonished by how much our home filled up with stuff,\u201d she said. \u201cI wondered whether there was any risk to having that much stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metz said she also had observed people worrying whether their toddlers had attention deficit disorder. Toddlers, by nature, are distractible, but she wondered whether their environment might be a factor in how they played or how easily distracted they were.<\/p>\n
Metz and her team of graduate students studied 36 toddlers from 18 to 30 months of age. The children visited the playroom lab twice. On one visit, the children played in a room with just four toys; on the other, they had access to 16 toys.<\/p>\n
The team charted how many times the toddler picked up a toy; how long they played with it; and how many ways they played with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen there were fewer toys, they played with them in more ways,\u201d Metz said. <\/p>\n
In the 16-toy environment, many of the children played with 10 or more toys in the 15 minutes soon after they entered the room. By flitting from toy to toy, they didn\u2019t take the time to explore the ways they could use each toy, Metz said.<\/p>\n
Fewer toys led to \u201chigher quality play,\u201d meaning the toddler stuck with the toy for longer and played with it in more creative ways. Instead of stacking or tipping a toy, they began to hammer with it or feed it or hide it. This increased exploration may support development of motor and cognitive skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday there is the demand to have the latest and greatest toy that encourages a more technological mind. In this study, we used older toys that encouraged more creative play and tested the theory of is less really more?\u201d said Dr. Carly Dauch, who graduated from UT in May following the completion of the study and is now an occupational therapist at the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities. \u201cHow the children played supported our hypothesis and provides support for deeper and richer play with fewer toys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michelle Imwalle and Brooke Ocasio, who also graduated in May, were the other graduate students involved in the project. <\/p>\n
The bottom line for parents: \u201cIf your child receives an abundance of toys, you don\u2019t need to introduce them all at once,\u201d Metz said. \u201cSave some for later and swap them out. If they have a chance to explore a few toys at a time, they might have a richer experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is also good news for families who may feel guilty for not being able to shower their children with dozens of toys.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not depriving their children of an opportunity for meaningful play,\u201d Metz said. \u201cThis is a less is more story.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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