The phrase ‘Back to Basics’ is a term frequently used by those in the childcare profession. It relates to a desire for children’s playtime to be less structured or defined, that a child’s development physically, emotionally and intellectually, is being limited, because the natural tools that would normally encourage these values are being limited by toys, games and activities that no longer provide the classic stimuli anymore.

This doesn’t mean that children should be encouraged to run wild. It relates to how modern culture has finely-tuned children’s toys and activities that they have become almost counterproductive.

For an extreme example, we could relate to such video games that offer flying adventures in the jungles of South America, encouraging children to, not only stay inside, thus not enjoying the outside world and not getting their expected dose of vitamin D from the Sun, but most significantly they restrict their minds to some of the most underrated development skills of human nature – social skills and imagination.

Imagination is not simply the notion of dreaming. It is the foundation stone of our mental ability to appreciate the social components of setting goals, assessing consequences of actions and of structuring strategies. These important elements of our social and emotional well-being, not only are relevant to big events in the lives of our children, but also in the incidental things, of understanding how their actions, even the almost insignificant ones, can affect their lives, and how others view them.

This is not meant to mean that all structured toys like action figures, merchandised toy products or craft sets with limited artistic potential are bad, as any toy that inspires a positive passion in a child is of true worth. The important concept of acknowledging the value of the ‘Back to Basics’ principle is, as with all things in life, to hold a balance, to not only allow a child to follow their personal passions that allow them to mix comfortably with those of their own age, but also to insure that we offer them successful tools to support the natural process of youthful development, to insure they are exposed to activities and toys that challenge, encourage and expand their mental, physical and emotional well-being.

This is a core element of the Kardtects Card Building system, and we feel privileged and proud that it has been recognized within our product. We will do our best to offer more guidance on this aspect, so please do keep an eye out for our posts, as we try and provide assistant in how toys, like Kardtects, can be used to really help child development.