Educational Activity Boxes for Kids – Monthly Subscription – Cthul Magic Box
Educational Activity Boxes for Kids – Monthly Subscription
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Dear Parents; Welcome to the world of “ Cthul Magic Box ”; let’s explore more about this “ Cthul Magic Box ”.
These boxes are generally called ‘monthly subscription boxes for kids’. Also known as – ‘monthly subscription activity box’, ‘monthly subscription boxes’ ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids‘.
This could be safely assumed that parents with a ‘well intention’ to contribute into child’s growth and development buys such kind of – ‘monthly subscription boxes for kids’, ‘monthly subscription activity box’, ‘monthly subscription boxes’.
“Well intention” of parents increases the importance of discussion for this particular topic.
Having heard about the importance of first five years in child’s life, parents are always looking for ways to enhance their child’s Growth and Development in these years, before it gets too late. And this ‘magical period’ is ‘magically’ used by marketers to ‘cash’ parent’s fears and concerns.
Irrespective of the fact whether you are much exposed to media or not, you will not fail to notice that a huge ‘marketing umbrella’ is targeting your child in every possible ways.
Selling & Marketing is not sin and profit making is also not one of the sin. But, making false statements / claim, entering into fraud is not only sin but is also a crime.
When it comes to marketing messages, advertising slogans, and sales gimmicks, India is still a nation of ‘snake charmers’ and gullible customers generally believe on whatever is being told to them through strong ‘marketing plan’. Elections are won on the basis of marketing, Chamatkari baba still exists, proselytization is still done through ‘marketing’, social service organisation thrives ONLY due to marketing, the list is really endless …
That’s why we will try and raise each element of discussion associated with such ‘monthly subscription boxes for kids’. This Page would be regularly updated, and for the purpose of discussion, readers are requested to submit all their thoughts through comment boxes (send emails only when it’s really very-very personal).
It is very dangerous to label any such ‘box’ as ‘do-it-all’ kind of thing. What is more dangerous is the claim that such stupid and poor copy things are more effective than already existing, proven and scientific materials (in ECCE sense).
Many of us may generally stop to glance at the fanciful look, which some ‘box’ generally carries. But, if one starts thinking even a bit further, most of the fanciful thing will melt away to give place to the brutal scientific reality and purposes which such boxes will serve or not?
Stupid Box suggesting to replace the Idiot Box
Dissection is the best form of learning. In this Research Paper, we will dissect such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ being sold . Complete dissection is studied under these main 23 (Twenty Three) heads :-
1. Play Based Education;
2. Informal Learning;
3. Pretend Play;
4. Memorization;
5. Adult Involvement;
6. Science;
7. Adult vs Child;
8. Miniaturization;
9. Ignite the imagination;
10. Curiosity & Creativity;
11. Hands-on;
12. Assortment;
13. Story telling is also play;
14. Montessori;
15. Exploration and Discovery;
16. Traditional Method vs. Non-Traditional Methods; 17. First Five Years;
18. Poor Box content – Flash Card, Art and Craft Activity, Charts;
19. Research;
20. Caution;
21. Balance;
22. No to highly structured play with one right answer approach;
23. Money;
[Parents / Child minders are suggested to go through complete page in a very proper manner, otherwise they will regret a lot and spoil the precious time of their child and their money too]
1. Play Based Education –
Play is quite essential to Early Childhood Development. Play is so important, that it has been recognized by the UNCRC as a right of every child (Article 31).
It is well accepted scientific fact that play is the most powerful teaching tool. Now, here we are not going to romanticize with the philosophy of ‘Play Based Education’ or to uselessly criticize it.
Several Early Childhood Education theorists (like – Vygotsky, Bruner, Piaget, Bateson, Sutton-Smith) have defined ‘play’. Lev Vygotsky quotes on Play – “The trouble with a number of theories of play lies in their tendency to intellectualize it”.
Toddlers, Preschoolers and Kindergartners are active explorers of their environments; they are capable to discover ‘play’ in everything they come across and seek meaningful learning from it.
But, these so-called ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are putting play in regimented compartmental approach and so this is not at all ‘play’.
‘Guided play’ is a powerful teaching tool, ‘Montessori Materials’ are also ‘Guided play’.
Play Based Education includes both free play and guided play (both have its own importance).
But these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are to be used in such a way that it leads to ‘direct instruction’ being given to the child. ‘Direct instruction’ might also be good and useful in several cases, but the manner in which such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ requires direct instruction in such a way that the child doesn’t gets meaningfully engaged and this becomes everything but not ‘play’. So these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are NOT delivering ‘Play Based Education / Playful Learning’.
Since most of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are having pre-defined one solution and one structured path and that’s why they are intending ‘practice’ and NOT ‘playful learning’. Additionally, ‘practice’ of what, is also one huge question to ponder!
There are several activities which give the child more pleasure than play; we may always go for such activities. But, please be mindful whether such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are really providing ‘more pleasure’ to the child or you are ‘inculcating’ pleasure on the child (being under buyer’s dissonance, buyers may end up doing such things).
There are times when activities might look like to be engaging for the child, but we need to see whether it is entertaining?
Children are naturally inquisitive and very creative, they invent hundred ways of playing with their toys, but such play can happen only with toys being designed having focus on ‘what all child can do with these toys and NOT what all these toys can do’.
Thus, Play is Equal to Learning; Guided play is a powerful teaching tool; there are activities which provides more pleasure than play; but these so-called ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are NOT Play, NOT Guided Play, and NOT Pleasure.
2. Informal Learning –
Most of the time ‘Formal’ is being referred to the settings, where learning/teaching is done on desk and chair like in the classroom settings.
In the terminology of UNESCO (2000b), and as generally used in the literature on development and education, ‘formal education’ is considered to be of an academic nature and within the context of a structured, age-graded school system. ‘Informal’ education is considered as an organized educational activity outside the school.
Now, let us look into Early Childhood Education.
The child learns through variety of experiences and most of them are informal learning experiences in their home and community.
When we look deeper, we see that Early Childhood Education is a non-routine setting (informal learning settings), where most of the time child minder (teacher / parents) are engaged with the child is informal learning conversation, even the assessment of the child is informal assessment, complete setup of Early Childhood Education settings is informal setting, care of the child is informal care. Early Childhood Education is ‘play based education’ having child-centered approach.
In fact, Early Childhood Education has a holistic nature of learning, and here nothing could be divided as ‘Formal’ or ‘Informal’.
Thus, usage of the term ‘Informal Learning’ is a simple idea of going overboard in marketing and trying to fleece the gullible customer/parents into buying things/services.
To have ‘Informal Learning’ big scientific gadgets are not required, huge opportunity lies in Child’s home and nearby community. Telling stories, reading to children, are all examples of Informal Learning.
3. Pretend Play –
If we talk about contribution of activities/play (or any such thing) into developmental areas / domains, ‘Pretend Play’ also holds huge importance. Pretend play is also referred as imaginative play and dramatic play.
In simple words, ‘Pretend Play’ is pretending that one thing represents another (child uses one object to stand for another); ex. chocolate carton becomes iphone, child becomes a scientist, child becomes a pregnant lady. Involving into ‘Pretend Play’ is very unique, useful and quite important for the child.
NAEYC, in one of its position paper states “high-level dramatic play produces documented cognitive, social, and emotional benefits”.
‘Pretend Play’ contributes into nonsocial cognitive aptitudes (creativity, intelligence, problem solving, reasoning, conservation), social cognition, social skills, language, narrative skills, and self-regulation (emotion regulation).
If we talk about adult contact and adult-child conversation, which is generally flaunted by ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ as one of the main attraction (Unique Selling Point – USP), then one must be aware that the ‘Pretend Play’ provides great opportunity for adult contact and adult-child conversation.
4. Memorization –
Under the pretext that there are some basic skills that the child must learn to get academic success (reading, writing, and mathematics), parents / child minders enforces memorization. Although, such presumption by parents / child minders is scientifically untrue, let’s assume that there are things which might be memorized and there are things which need to be understood contextually. Thus, one would be under obligation to clearly identify as to what is being learnt and what is being memorized.
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are being presented as play activity, but they are not.
There are worksheets; there are assessments, which enforce memorization, whereas on the face it might not look like the same.
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are NOT play, rather they are enforcing memorization through some structured thing which seems like play (to uninitiated ones).
Parents / child minders must understand that playful learning promotes cognitive skills, social skills and simultaneously also builds academic knowledge (so-called academic knowledge required for success).
And, such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are NOT play activity but they are just repulsive memorization tool (if at all they are anything).
If you have already bought such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are have already gone under buyer’s dissonance, then you may check ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ on theses parameters –
What is the experience that the child is getting from such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’? Are these experiences, meaningful and useful as per the child’s need and interests?
5. Adult Involvement –
With respect to child, ‘Adult Involvement’ is required in each thing. These ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are using the term ‘Adult Involvement’ only as some marketing propaganda term. They have found that most of the parents are having poor involvement with the child, and that’s why they have started banking on this term – ‘Adult Involvement’.
So it becomes necessary to understand this term – ‘Adult Involvement’.
Developing safe and stable environment is ‘Adult Involvement’; creating opportunities to explore and learn ‘Adult Involvement’. Talking with child, reading to child, telling story to child is ‘Adult Involvement’. The child does something and the adult responds, the adult does something and the child responds, that means entering into positive adult-child interaction is ‘Adult Involvement’. Early Childhood Education and Care is not all about Education, it’s also about nutrition, security and the complete environment which is being provided to the child and creating a complete enabled environment is ‘Adult Involvement’.
Adult involvement is NOT when adult is doing something with a purpose to transfer information and child watches without interest.
Thus, we see that ‘Adult Involvement’ is not when doing extra-terrestrial things like opening and using ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’, but ‘Adult Involvement’ is found in daily routine life things.
You want ‘something’ to get associated with your child … ‘play’ with your child. That ‘something’ that ‘play’ item could be several things in general household things and nearby community.
Everyday mundane act offer more opportunities for ‘Adult Involvement’ and thereby engage in meaningful learning.
6. Science –
One more bankable term found by these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ is ‘Science’.
Most of the parents know about the importance of science. Parents also know about the importance of early science skills.
In Early Childhood Education (Zero to 8 Years), children don’t need fancy science toys or fancy science kits to learn science. A child understands Science concepts in context. Meaningful learning of science is abundantly found in daily life materials. Child learns science in everyday interactions, daily observations, and by exploring out in nature and community.
Free play activities provides best opportunities to explore, practice, and refine early science skills.
Learning is NOT memorization.
But, these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are providing decontextualized presentation of facts, which will generally not lead to learning (amalgamation of fact might happen due to direct instruction and display).
Science learning happens best in meaningful contexts, and not when children are force-fed with so-called activity items having no connection with natural science learning environments.
Question might arise that can there be toys, which will aid in this science learning process of the child? Answer is strongly affirmative ‘yes’, if there could be good books, crayons, paints, sponge, plastic tubes, balls, then there could be appropriate science toys, but then we need to develop it with right focus on the child and not with myopic agendas like ‘I can do this so I did this’.
To be an inquisitive science learner, what a child needs is supporting adult with engaging real life home based engaging activities and NOT useless ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’.
To learn about ‘gravity’ a child don’t need some fancy looking 3-d model of gravitation, promising to develop extra brain muscles but activities / examples from daily life and materials / things from household / community. Learning science is NOT putting brain into gym. So, just say NO to ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ and ‘Brain Gym’ kind of stuff.
7. Adult vs Child –
Each parents / child minders must have experienced the huge difference between 6 months old and 10 months old child. Observe that, just a gap of 4 months, and a huge difference in their capabilities.
The world of Child and those of Adults are completely apart.
While doing statistical analysis, listening to Ghazals of Jagjit Singh might be soothing for an adult while it would be distracting for a Child. While waiting on airport, Rubric game might be engrossing for an adult, while it might aid in increasing child’s frustration.
Similarly, some fancy looking 3-d models, being presented as scientific gadget might engage an adult. But a child doesn’t get enticed by the fanciness or complexity of toys rather what entices a child towards ‘toys’ is the multitudes of activity child may engage with that.
Something which might seem ‘interesting’ to an adult doesn’t necessarily is interesting for the child. Plastic cans, packing boxes, plastic tubes, foams, sponge etc would seem more interesting to the child in comparison to ‘fancy-looking’ boxes / toys (‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’).
Parents / Child minders must always remember this difference of Adult versus Child and must always choose toys wisely.
While appreciating the fanciful and 3-d model look of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’, parents / child minders must consider fact whether it would make ‘appeal’ to the child.
The Child comes back to their ‘choice’ toys, at least hundred times.
8. Miniaturization –
Miniaturized model looks great in ‘Pretend Play’. In some other Playful learning or Guided Play, ‘Miniaturized model’ might work great. But, in Early Childhood Science learning, concepts are required to be learnt in context, and so ‘Miniaturized model’ doesn’t works good here. Early Childhood Science learning requires experience from real life; real world shall get connected here. E.g. we all may easily understand that, to understand life cycle of plants, planting seed in garden / outdoor is the best thing, at the most, it could be substituted with flower pots (gamla), but do you think that doing this science activity with small plastic cans, small droppers instead of watering can would be nice idea?
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ in some cases, might look fanciful to an adult due to miniaturization, while on work-ability and Early Childhood Science learning, it miserably fails.
9. Ignite the imagination –
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are also found to claim that they ‘Ignite the imagination’ of the child.
When a child is playing with blocks, there are infinite possibilities of using blocks. Blocks do not pose any restrictions; a block doesn’t have its own set of ‘n’ things which could be done with it. Such kind of toys, for sure, ignites the imagination of the child.
Whereas, such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ carries items / activities, which works in just a limited area, the solutions which could be arrived by using such box items are generally limited to ONE.
Thus, such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are NOT ‘igniting the imagination’ of the child but training the ‘Child’ to reach towards ONE solution through just ONE particular path.
In alphabet puzzles, A would not fit with Car, but then we do not say that ‘alphabet puzzles’ will ‘Ignite the imagination’; we simply say that it is ‘guided play’.
There are ‘toys’ which surely ‘Ignites the imagination’ of the child, because those are ‘toys for the child and not child for the toys’. And, definitely these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ doesn’t come under the category of ‘igniting the imagination’ of the child.
10. Curiosity & Creativity –
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are also found to claim that they ‘increase child’s Curiosity & Creativity’.
Earlier also we had discussed that children are active explorers of their environment, to build on child’s curiosity, parents / child minders needs to provide the child with enough opportunities to explore and learn.
Playful learning in context, stimulates creativity.
Everyday household materials are enough to provide child with exploratory environment.
There are several ways through which we may build upon child’s Curiosity & Creativity, and these all are available in regular household materials, stationery materials, colors, art and craft materials.
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ has materials and activities which generally has just one set of solution.
So, these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ doesn’t foster Curiosity & Creativity in any way. And, in many case some activities / materials of these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’, may in fact constrain curiosity, as most of these requires direct instruction, supervision and guidance from adult.
11. Hands-on –
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are also found to exploit the term ‘hands-on’ in a great way.
When it comes to academic learning some aware parents knows that direct-instruction doesn’t works well with the child and the child need hands-on playful learning experiences.
Dictionary meaning of ‘hands-on’ is involving or offering active participation rather than theory, and in Early Childhood Education we understand it same.
Most of the activities / materials, from these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ require too much direct instruction. In several cases of these, ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’, it is like ‘adult doing’ and ‘child watching’. ‘Adult doing’ and ‘Child watching’ is not at all ‘hands-on’.
Most activities of ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ relating to ‘hands-on’ experience are at the most like ‘assemble’ toys.
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are in fact providing ‘adult-directed learning experiences’. ‘Guided Play’ and ‘adult-directed learning experiences’ is poles apart. Inserting some tools in ‘adult direction’ doesn’t make it ‘hands-on’.
Thus, ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ in maximum number of cases are NOT ‘Hands-on’ thing.
12. Assortment –
We all know ‘assortment’. We have seen ‘assortment’ of chocolates being sold on festival days. So, how would you feel if chocolate company claims box of chocolate to be tastier than the individual chocolate piece or a sketch company claims a box of sketch pens to be more effective than some loose sketch pens?
As long as marketing offer is concerned, ‘assortment’ is fine. Things might be clubbed together and being sold as ‘assortment’, it is also fine, but then why make claim about such ‘assortment’ to be better than the ‘individual’?
In several cases such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are just ‘assortment’ of things like metal sheet, small pipes, small fan, pen, marker, pencil etc, and top of it that, they claim such ‘assortment’ as ‘better’ things which will ‘increase’ brain of the child.
If such ‘assortment’ will provide ‘playful learning’ then ‘individual’ thing will also provide ‘playful learning’. So if such ‘assortment’ thing works fine then ‘individual’ thing will also work fine.
But the point is that why such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are providing ‘assortment’ of things and claiming it to be ‘brain increasing’ toys, ‘play learning toys’?
Beware Parents / Child minders, such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are bogus things, you must say NO to these and go to your nearest ‘Stationary shop’ and ‘Art and Craft shop’ to make a better purchase.
13. Story telling is also play –
Several times parents / child minders looking for ideas for ‘adult involvement’ just ignores the most obvious things which they already know and will uselessly rush to fancy looking things.
“play . . . is story in action, just as storytelling is play put into narrative form” (Paley, 1990, p. 4).
Telling story to child, exploring household and stationary stuff, doing art activity, reading to child, participating in rhyme singing, dancing with your child are just some wonderful ideas, which we all know and seldom use (one need not be Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez to sing and dance with their child). Time to practice these starts and times to put away such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ also starts.
14. Montessori –
Montessori is the beginning of Early Childhood Education. Newton is considered to be one of the greatest scientists but that doesn’t means that Newton is all what Physics is, similarly ‘Montessori’ is NOT all of Early Childhood Education.
Several Parents / Child minders goes gaga over just the use of word ‘Montessori’. That’s why ‘Montessori’ is one of the most exploited terms in Early Childhood Education. These are some of the information which all parents must know about ‘Montessori’ –
1. ‘Montessori’ is not ‘all-in-all’ of Early Childhood Education.
2. ‘Montessori’ is NOT ‘play’ but it is guided play. What is meant here is that, ‘free play’ and ‘guided play’ are different things. Other examples of ‘guided play’ could be using puzzles, media etc in play.
3. Montessori education means – ‘specific materials’ in ‘specific surroundings’ having ‘specific objective’ to convey specific understandings.
4. Montessori was against ‘fairy tales’ and ‘pretend play’.
5. But, Parents / Child minders must always remember that ‘Montessori’ is very necessary, important and useful in Early Childhood Education.
These facts about ‘Montessori’ is shared with you to just open your eyes towards several things which you DO NOT know and sellers of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are exploiting your unawareness.
‘Montessori’ toys and equipment were based on the works of Séguin and Massachusetts Institution for the Feeble-Minded at Waverley was also using identical things like Montessori material.
‘Montessori’ materials are ‘guided play’.
Whereas in the case of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’, where they claim toys to be ‘Montessori toys’ are not that way.
Their toys which are having instructional activities, and that requires memorization, requires mastering learning, requires repetition-based activities are being labeled as ‘Montessori toys’, which is completely wrong.
Montessori is ‘guided play’ and ‘guided play’ is completely different than ‘adult assembling toys’ and providing instructions to the child.
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are NOT at all ‘Montessori toys’. A toy doesn’t become ‘Montessori toys’ just because it is so claimed by manufacturers / sellers. Parents / Child minders must stop getting fooled by the usage of term ‘Montessori’.
15. Exploration and Discovery –
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are also found to claim that; their usage leads to aid in ‘Exploration and Discovery’ by the child.
The Child is encouraged more by every day and real-life materials, towards exploration and discovery.
Such compartmentalized ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ toys / materials do not leave much scope or entertainment for the child to make exploration and discovery.
Toys providing open-ended experience, encourages child to make exploration and discovery. Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are having one defined path with one destined solution, so there is absolutely NO scope for ‘Exploration and Discovery’ by the child.
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are highly structured and typically involves getting that ‘ONE’ right answer, so does not allow opportunities for ‘exploration and discovery’.
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ in no way encourages ‘Exploration and Discovery’.
16. Traditional Method vs. Non-Traditional Methods –
Such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are also claiming that their methods are non-traditional.
These ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are using the word ‘Non-Traditional’ in such a manner as if being ‘Non-Traditional’ means being ‘super scientific’.
In Early Childhood Education there is nothing like traditional or non-traditional.
Most traditional things of Early Childhood Education, like Montessori, Vygotsky, Piaget etc are almost hundred years old are they are much scientific and still useful today.
Terms like ‘Non-Traditional’ are being used by these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ just to seek attention from parents / child minders. By making ‘Non-Traditional’ claim, they are trying to reflect that they are different and thus superior. We make claim on non-existent and flimsy grounds only when we don’t have anything to claim about, that’s precisely is the point that these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ DO NOT have anything to claim for.
17. First Five Years –
There is no doubt that first five years of child’s life holds great importance.
First one thousand days of a child’s life is a great period of opportunity, due to nutrition, healthy life, language, literacy, numeracy and several other things. Stunted child loses a great opportunity in several things.
First Five Years holds huge importance, but parents / child minders must also notice that huge myopic marketing bomb is created aroung this term – ‘First Five Years’
By doing oversimplification and inappropriate interpretation of term – ‘First Five Years’; huge advantage is being generated by sellers / manufacturers.
When it concerns Early Childhood Education, parents / child minders must also take note of these (so that they are not unduly wary about things) –
Early learning in ‘First Five Years’ is important because it sets the basis for later learning.
‘First Five Years’ does not means that not because the window of learning opportunity closes after ‘First Five Years’.
In ‘First Five Years’ children learns vast amounts of information, but it is not until adolescence that abilities such as critical thinking, integration, or abstract reasoning develops.
Exposure to literacy play materials increases literacy, exposure to board games and math toys impacts Math, but that doesn’t means one should introduce Newton’s law of motion in ‘First Five Years’. In ‘First Five Years’, we will build the basis of child so that at a later stage child is able to appreciate Newton’s law of motion in a proper way.
‘First Five Years’ is IMPORTANT. Period. But that doesn’t mean that parents should get fooled by usage of this term – ‘First Five Years’.
18. Poor Box content – Flash Card, Art and Craft Activity, Charts –
Since manufacturers / sellers of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are targeting ‘not-so-aware’ parents, they are also compromising on the overall box content as well.
In several cases, Flash Card, Art and Craft Activity, Charts etc are being shipped. If any parents sees value in such Flash Card, Art and Craft Activity, Charts, then they must know that they are available at local book shops and are also economically priced. Many such Flash Card, Art and Craft Activity, Charts etc are also available in ready to print format on several websites.
19. Research –
We saw that such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ are making several claims whereas none of their claims stands true on the grounds of truth, scientific facts, research or even personal experience.
This clearly shows that, most of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ have not even cared to go through any of the researches which have been carried out worldwide.
Manufacturer /Seller of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ have cared for only one research and that is – parents reacts strongly towards the word ‘brain development’ ‘7 developmental areas’ ‘12 developmental areas’ ‘7 developmental domains’ ‘12 developmental domains’.
Earlier also we had discussed that highly structured play which typically involves getting that ‘ONE’ right answer, does not allow opportunities for ‘exploration and discovery’ are neither ‘more educational’ nor ‘more beneficial’.
Manufacturer /Seller of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ should have focused on preparing unstructured, open-ended play, which allows children to find multiple ways to do things as well as multiple things, helps more in making children learn.
Manufacturer /Seller of such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ could have helped parents, had they been responsible with their manufacturing and marketing.
‘Early Childhood Education and Care period’ (that is zero to eight years) is much precious to nurture development, so parents must be careful about choosing toys and Manufacturer /Seller should be careful about manufacturing toys.
Very few researches in Early Childhood Education are epiphenomenal, but these two research are epiphenomenal – 1.Playful learning is the best 2. Highly structured play with ‘ONE’ answer approach is not good
20. Caution –
Buyer’s Dissonance – When a Buyer goes under dissonance, they start convincing themselves that the ‘purchase’ made by them is ‘good’.
In our case, such behaviour by parents would be very dangerous as it pertain child.
If you have already bought one of these ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ then do not ‘force’ it upon your child.
Helping child in exploring a toy and ‘forcing’ child on some toy are two completely different things.
Forced participation in any game, activity, art & craft work, storytelling etc has no benefits, any kind of compulsory “play” negates the potential benefits of “play”.
So, parents should not force ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ upon their child.
21. Balance –
Child of 21st Century, to be successful in 2050, needs to be creative and life-long learners. For this new age child, learning is not going to stop at graduation / post-graduation.
In last three decades, several researches have taken place in Early Childhood Education. Parents need to update themselves.
Both parents and child has several things at hand, so parents shall always keep balance among all things like – free play, guided play, toys, outdoor play, indoor play, materials choice, educational philosophies, books, writers, image, 3-d media, story, arts, music, blocks, construction blocks, pretend play / imaginative play / symbolic play.
22. No to highly structured play with one right answer approach –
Highly structured play with one right answer approach might seem more ‘academic’ and of more ‘value’ to the parents. But the truth is that unstructured play with open-ended experiences to make exploration and discovery contributes more on all domains academic as well as social and emotional aspects.
23. Money –
Middle Class (SEC) is most insecure about the future of their child. That’s why all such ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’ manufacturers / sellers are targeting vast Middle Class of India. We strongly suggest parents that they shall only invest in those toys which require little or no investment. Very soon they will find out that such toys provide more joy and more learning to the child. By completely avoiding ‘Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids’, parents will save money and this they may invest on better toys that rightfully promotes ‘playful learning’ and not just claims.
Let’s end our discussion with a nice paragraph –
Madeleine L’Engle (1962) describes a world in her classic book, A Wrinkle in Time –
“… Below them the town was laid out in harsh angular patterns. The houses in the
outskirts were all exactly alike, small square boxes painted gray. . . . In front of all the houses children were playing. Some were skipping ropes, some were bouncing balls.
Meg felt vaguely that something was wrong with their play. . . . “Look!” Charles Wallace said suddenly. “They’re skipping and bouncing in rhythm! Everyone’s doing it at exactly the same moment.”
This was so. As the skipping rope hit the pavement, so did the ball. As the rope
curved over the head of the jumping child, the child with the ball caught the ball. Down came the ropes. Down came the balls. Over and over again. . . . All in rhythm. All identical. Like the houses. Like the paths. Like the flowers. …”
“If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man’s future.” —Maria Montessori
Do not go for useless and extraordinary claims and do not show your hyper reaction to smart marketing tactics of using ‘brain development’ and ‘developmental domains / areas’.
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Complete information regarding – Monthly Box Subscriptions Monthly Box Subscriptions for Kids Monthly Subscription boxes for Babies Monthly Subscription Boxes for Kids Monthly Subscription Activity Box Monthly Subscription Boxes Educational Monthly Activity Boxes Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids Educational Monthly Activity Boxes for Kids Monthly Subscription