We all remember the things that we grew up with. The very first few songs on the radio, the shows on TV, and even the very food we ate all take us back to our childhood, when life was much simpler.

But among all these things, nothing highlights a person’s childhood more brightly than the toys they played with. And while it’s easy to dismiss them as mere playthings, you’ll be surprised at how surreptitiously impactful toys can be in the development of a person.

The moment we first interact with our toys during infancy, we are already developing our motor skills. When we grip, lift, and shake our baby toys, we are already developing the basic movements that are necessary for life.

Playtime is a glimpse into the future

To a degree, toys allow children to get a feel for some of the professions and activities that they might be interested in. When a child pretends to be a doctor or maybe a race car driver, or an astronaut, they are already visualizing what things might be like in that profession. This is often the stage where children begin to formulate aspirations regarding what they want to be when they grow up.

Toys allow for social interaction

Toys encourage children to play with each other. In a way, they act as a bridge between children during playtime and they also help teach children how to share and give way for another person. Being able to give up something you want for the sake of another person that you care for develops a sense of companionship and selflessness.

Toys are the first step to creativity

Toys such as Lego and scale models, especially the best rc boats encourage a child to build things and to unleash their latent creativity. The ability to break down things and to figure out how they work is essential in many industries today. This is especially true in the fact that we, now more than ever, rely so much on our technology. The rate at which we are able to develop and innovate is constantly introducing new problems to solve.

There is a real danger in growing too slow, but growing too fast is just as bad, especially if we take into consideration the fact that modern problems will always require modern solutions.

That’s all good but…

Toys can also impede a child’s development. There’s a danger that parents may attempt to force a child to play with a specific set of toys. A prime example would be in forcing a young girl to play with dolls and a young boy to play with action figures. While modern society is much more accepting of the different sexualities, it’s incredibly unfair to the child if he or she would be forced to assume a gender that doesn’t come naturally to them.

Toys are tools that we use to help shape our children. Much like hands are a potter’s medium through which they shape clay, use these tools well to create something you can be proud of.