When I was growing up just after the end of the second World War the only media influences that children were subjected to were the radio, and billboard posters, until, when I was about nine, black and white television came along.
These days, however, children are bombarded on all sides by television, and by computer social sites and games, many of these media employing commercial pressures and fantasies that suck children into a virtual world. Many children hardly play outside at all now, preferring instead to spend hours on Facebook or playing the latest fantasy computer game.
As a result of this, many children, especially those who live in towns, are entirely ignorant of wildlife and the wonders of nature. They have little or no knowledge of the vast array of animals in the world, and their knowledge of history is limited to the biased and often exaggerated depictions of the superheroes on television.
Television viewing is entirely passive and requires no input at all from a child, who can sit for hours in front of it just absorbing material that is often trivial and without any educational value. Even computer games that require some input from a child, are more often of the "shoot-em up" type, requiring little thought, but simply quick reactions.
Soon, in all parts of our country, in each neglected village, or new settlement, the Christian female teacher will quietly take her station, collecting the ignorant children around her, teaching them habits of neatness, order and thrift; opening the book of knowledge, inspiring the principles of morality, and awakening the hope of immortality. Soon her influence in the village will create a demand for new laborers, and then she will summon from among her friends at home, the nurse for the young and sick, the seamstress and the mantuamaker; and these will prove her auxiliaries in good moral influence, and in sabbath school training. And often as the result of these labors, the Church will arise, and the minister of Christ be summoned to fill up the complement of domestic, moral and religious blessing.
—Catherine E. Beecher (1800–1878)
How much better it is for a child to play with actual three-dimensional toys for at least part of their day. Actual physical toy s that they can hold and move around are of tremendous value to children in that they encourage inter-active play. The educational value of action toys, such as those produced by Schleich, is that the child is encouraged to imagine the scenario into which the models or figures can fit, and to create in their mind a story line about them.
Schleich figures are very life-like and exquisitely detailed, and can encourage role-playing in children, an essential part of their learning about development of social skills and inter-acting with others.
Schleich produce several, wide ranges of realistic models which encompass farm animals, wild animals, dinosaurs, horses, plus buildings, plants, and accessories to bring each world alive. There is a set that includes knights and courtiers from mediaeval times with an impressive castle as a backdrop.
There are fantasy figures such as fairy princesses, elves and mythical creatures which can inspire a child to read more stories having seen these beautiful models.
Our challenge as parents is to be patient enough to allow our children to take ten minutes to do something that would take us two seconds. We need to allow our children to develop what I call their “struggle muscle.” This is developed the same way any other muscle develops, through regular exercise.
—Stephanie Martson (20th century)
If you have young children you should not deny them the pleasures and benefits of letting them play with real toys from as early an age as possible. The advantages of allowing them to play with action toys like Schleich models are immeasurable, connecting them to the real world rather than restricting them to a virtual one.
Robert Esmund works with Totally Schleich.