My daughter has recently become obsessed with these little walking, talking hamsters known as zhu zhu pets. A friend of hers has a few of them and generously gave her one, which was very sweet; however, I tend to group these little toys with other passive toys that simply don’t allow for the development of the imagination.

Sure, such toys can be fun; why else would kids love them? And I certainly don’t mind my child playing with her little hamsters, holding them and playing pretend. But it’s when the kiddos place the hamsters inside their little wheels or play areas or whatever and simply sit back and watch them the passivity starts.

We have televisions for that already; why use toys in the same way? Kids are getting more obese, more bored, and less active overall—and we give them toys that yip, bark, flip, and make noise so they can sit and watch them? It just does not make sense.

Rather than letting our children sit passively in front of these toys (or the TV for that matter), why not encourage more active play?

Rather than purchasing the latest battery-operated imagination blocker, we can instead do our kiddos a favor and buy them simple, open-ended toys like…

• Yo-Yos
• Lincoln Logs
• Play-Dough (try making your own)
• Blocks
• Paper and pencil/crayons
• Books
• A colorful blanket or piece of silk
• Yarn (this occupies my four-year-old for days)

Of course, we don’t have to purchase many toys at all; many children (my own included) have more toys than they know what to do with! Instead, we can provide them with the entire world as their toy—from rocks and sticks to flowers in the garden, to insects and grass to the playground to simple pots, pans, and cooking ingredients in the kitchen… Life itself is full of things to play with and enjoy. By showing children this, not only are you providing them with an unlimited supply of playthings—you’re also giving them the knowledge they need to critically examine their environments, find joy everywhere, and do the one thing we’re working on in our home—“Be happy with what you have.”

You can even let them play with actual toys at children’s museums, puppet theaters, and other child-friendly establishments where the toys don’t come home with you. That makes them all the more special for your next visit—and doesn’t clutter up the house, either.