"It's as easy as falling off a bike!"
We all relate to falling off the bike and so relatable is it, that it becomes a phrase.
But how easy was it learning to ride that bike?
What if we could teach our kids to ride a bike without the scrapes and bruises?
A ride down nostalgia lane is good, even if the bruises, scrapes, pain, and tears did not feel that good at the time. More so because we begin to see how playtime stays the same, even if times change.
We all have memories of clambering up walls, swinging off trees and branches, sliding down grassy mounds. Remember banging the sides of a tin can or the sides of a box and driving everyone crazy as you imagined yourself to be the best drummer?
Or building those tall towers that teetered and fell as you watched? We often wish we could replicate that for our children.
Netflix has an entire series dedicated to nostalgia about toys called Toys that made us. It includes action figures and Barbie dolls among other toys and games.
Though none of us realize it in our childhoods, the games and toys we played with had a significant impact on our lives. We stayed fit, learned skills, solved problems, socialized and set our imaginations free.
Those cities we built and spent hours in. Those train sets that took us places and made us curious about the kinds of engines and the places we could travel to.
Today. there are many complex toys with bells and whistles and digital screens that promise a better education to little ones.
It can all get very confusing. But all we need to know is that it is the generations that played on simpler toys that reached the moon, made it to Mars, harnessed solar energy and enabled wireless communication.
All the discoveries that we reap the benefits of, through modern technology have been built by those who played with blocks, clambered walls, swung from trees and so on.
"Experts say that simpler toys make for smarter kids."
Modern living sometimes seems to have overtaken toys too, but there are still ways in the midst of the urban sprawl that you can access these toys, games, and experiences for your children.
The balance bike, for instance, is a great evolved version of the bicycle. It is sturdy and just right for your pre-schooler to learn cycling at their own pace.
The blocks that we built with were simple, and nowadays the modern versions of them just tweak curiosity and imagination a bit better as they keep up with the levels of exposure that today's young ones have.
They may come in the shapes of Ninjas, or just made perfectly to draw and write on. You can now watch your little one build that city of their dreams as they develop their imagination and skills.
It's not just nostalgia that ought to spur us on to get our little ones their playthings. But when experts endorse classic, simple toys as best for little ones, we can relive all our memories with the timeless toys that helped us become who we are. Rediscover the child within you with your little one. Happy Children's Day! Happy playtime!