Heart Reflections Live

Toys For Boys

I' ll start by emphasising what I said at the start of my article on girls' toys-THINK SIMPLICITY! A toy is not better just because it twirls & whirls & has 22 flashing lights on it. A child will tire far more quickly from such a toy, than from one that is very simple & that can be utilized in many different ways.

One dominant type of toy most associated with boys is the action figure. They've been around for years, but took off in a big way in the early 1980's when there was a huge surge in children's marketing. I believe "Masters of the U niverse" was the first "Commercialtoon" made. It was extremely occultic & in play the children would act out with the toys, the stories from the comic books & on TV. There is now a multitude of action figures on the market today & while all are not occultic, they are designed to be played with as per the movie, video game or book. For a start, while this is not wrong within itself, it kind of produces what I call "2nd-hand imagination"-someone else has already written the story. If little ones are playing together & one child starts pretending something not in the story-one of the others will usually say "That's wrong-that's not in the show!"

Personally, I would avoid anything like Pokemon, Digimon or anything that looked like it came from an Eastern martial arts background- because the spiritual side associated with these is at odds with Christianity. Many are quite violent too.

Has anyone noticed that the same kid's shows we grew up with (I'm late 30's) are now more violent & Pschological than the older versions- eg. Superman, Spiderman, Batman & Robin etc?
If you have a child mad-keen on the Superhero genre, why not try to get them copies on DVD of the older movie or TV versions of these? They are less violent & more slapstick. And speaking of older DVD's, why not consider for your sons, vintage Disney classics such as Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Old Yeller or The Swiss Family Robinson. They certainly extol the virtues of courage & hard work & the blessings of family life much more than a lot of the modern stuff on the market.

Getting back to action figures, did you know that various companies produce bible toys & action figures? Do a search on the net. Some are silly & tacky looking but others are very reverently designed to help children to remember their bible stories. Also Fisher Price have a toy & video series called Rescue Heroes where the characters use their specially designed equipment to save others from danger- very positive play.

Sports equipment & active toys are a far better choice than video games for boys approaching adolescence. I heard a Pastor say once that the combination of energy exerted from sports & hard work helps keep hormones & wandering thoughts at bay.

For the littlies I've never found anything wrong with Thomas the Tank Engine, Postman Pat Bananas in Pyjamas, The Wiggles or the like. Stay away from Harry Potter or anything that looks dark or wizardy- if it looks bad it usually is-use your discernment & think Phillipians 4:8.

And lastly, you can't beat old fashioned toys: pull-along wagons, blocks, lego, meccano,construction toys,yo-yos marbles or boardgames- if you come up with any other good ideas, post a comment & let's share ideas together-that's what blogging's all about!!