PotreroHillParents.org

I am constantly amazed at all of the new fangled toys out there for kids (especially babies)! My daughter received some of these as gifts, played with them for about 5 minutes then promptly returned to being entertained by a paper towel. All of this gets me thinking “what did we do without all these toys, let alone what did kids do 100 years ago??”

When it comes to toys vs. love, love wins every time.

Forget the latest toys — All kids really need is love
Authors say public policy should focus on helping children have good experiences in their earliest years
BY AMY ADAMS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

With flashy toys, expensive classes and music compilations all promising to make your child smarter, it’s hard to sort out the best way to help your child’s brain thrive. A new policy paper helps put those worries to rest. The gist of the paper is this: What kids need is a secure relationship with adults who adore them.

“It’s all about playing with your child,” said Eric Knudsen, PhD, the Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the School of Medicine, succinctly summing up a paper in the June 27 advance online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A child’s eventual ability to learn calculus or a second language, he explained, starts with the neurons that are shaped by positive interactions with nurturing adults.

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