Toys can play an important role in stimulating the emotional and mental growth of children. This does not mean, however, that parents must spend a lot of money on high-​tech gadgets. Some of the most wholesome and stimulating playthings will cost you next to nothing.

A simple cardboard box can be turned into a playhouse, an airplane, or anything a child’s fertile imagination can envision. A pail and a shovel allow a child to build sand castles. Simple blocks, puzzles, clay, and crayons can likewise provide hours of wholesome recreation. For older children, art materials and hobby kits can teach useful skills and provide a healthy outlet for creativity​—infinitely more satisfying than zapping computerized blips.

Some play activities require no special equipment at all. A walk through the woods can be an exciting adventure for a child, especially when accompanied by a loving, involved parent. Why, even basic household skills can be taught as fun activities. Writes Penelope Leach in her book Your Growing Child: “Cooking a cake or a meal, digging the garden, cleaning the car or painting the ceiling, doing the shopping or bathing the baby may all be work to you, but to your child they may be among the most desirable kinds of play.”

Parents sometimes feel that a toy has no value unless it is “educational.” Professor Janice T. Gibson, however, reminds us: “Children learn from all toys they play with. What is important is that they have fun so that they keep on playing in ways that are good for them.”