Providing free but innovative toys for your child
Our first born son Temwa just turned ten last Wednesday, 8th July. It obviously brings so much joy to mama and I. You see, when he was born, being the first child, my wife and I were so excited. Not to mention the expensive clothes we bought for the little baby, we went around buying all the best little toys to make him happy. Actually, out of ignorance, some toys we bought were beyond his age. We simply wanted the best of everything for him. So, at first we spent a good deal of money on all sorts of stuff—balls, toy cars, play pens, bells, you name it!—we dumped a lot of money on these things.
As he grew up, he was becoming so expensive to manage since the toys to match his age were also becoming expensive. Over time, however, we realised how much money we were losing on toys. Something dawned on us later that we used to be very creative as children ourselves. Our parents hardly bought us anything really. Growing up in Ndirande (Blantyre), we would go down the Nasolo River, find some clay and make very shiny toy cars out of it. We would make trucks and any model of car out of copper and aluminium wires. We would make toy guns that would blare with fire and loud sounds out of wire and fire matches. We were a happy bunch of children and would look forward to competing (without seeking any reward) on our innovations.
‘Yes, that was then, now times have changed, Thom,’ I can hear some of you murmur like the children of Israel in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. But I will tell you something. Presently, some of the best toys our son enjoys are home-made. We taught him how to makegalimotoyadongo and yamawaya(clay and wire-made toy cars). He can make a kite and fly it around. He can make some wind-driven wheels made out of tree leaves and run around with them. He can do small boats out of paper. He can make a soccer ball out of some plastic bags. He can draw triangles, rectangles and all sorts of shapes on pieces of paper and cut them for pasting on his wall charts. He made a jar where he can throw-in and save some coins. What makes us even happier is the excitement and bubbling that he shows every time he makes something new by himself. And guess what? His performance at school has considerably improved—thanks to his innovative mind, he can think beyond what the teacher presents in class.
Some would say ‘Akuluapandiyemwayenjeza, kuwumirakwanjikumemeku? Just buy your son computer games—musamuphereufulu wake! (is this not more of being stingy than money saving?)’. Well, call it what you may but one fact stands out for your consideration: Not only are we making huge money savings by teaching and encouraging our son to use home and own-made toys, we are also inculcating a spirit of innovativeness. In these days of computers and TV, it is so easy to have the children engrossed in computer games, television shows and other cartoon programmes with little time for them to exercise their brains for intellectual activity.
So, before you splurge on expensive toys and computer games for your infant or toddler, first give these ideas of home-made toys a try. The money saving and intellectual stimulation rewards could be enormous.
A blessed day to you and yours!
