Nursery took away all the kids' toys for 3 months to monitor their creativity—the results are eye-opening
As much as kids need to play and leisure, they also need to grow during their formative years. Handing them toys and devices for a continuous period can hinder that growth. A kindergarten in Germany made a bold choice to deprive kids of their toys for a few months and see whether it helps boost their development, per The Independent. All the students had were tables and chairs and how the exercise ended left everyone astonished. Titled the “Der Spielzeugfreie Kindergarten" (The nursery without toys), all toys were taken away for 3 months. The project was initiated by public health officers Rainer Strick and Elke Schubert who worried that kids would get addicted and dependent on toys.
To break this habit, this idea was proposed and a few nurseries have been implementing the same. Gisela Marti, a teacher at the Friedrich-Engels-Bogen Nursery in Munich, has been observing students’ behaviors after the project for the last two years. "We offer the children space and time to get to know themselves. Because they are not being directed by toys or teachers, the children have to find new ways to master their day in their own way,” the teacher explained. The goal was to make kids "self-confident, able to bear conflict and frustration, able to say `yes' and `no' and also be aware of their weaknesses and strengths.”
When the kids are away from the regular sources of entertainment, they are encouraged to use their abilities and manage. All the kids had were tables, chairs and blankets and initially, they had no idea what to make of it. The kids were left alone and observed via camera. Another teacher, Gudrun Huber noted, “The children didn't know what to do but we left them alone, even if they were bored, because sometimes things in life are boring and you have to learn to cope." However, the next day, the children were quick to make a change. They used the blankets, tables and chairs to create a den and began to play together.
"Once the children realized they could do what they liked and they were in control, they went a bit mad—they got very boisterous and excited, climbing all over the furniture,” the teacher recalled. There were certain rules put into play so the kids could play safely. The kids were initially too chaotic and scattered but eventually, they learned to invent new games that fit the teachers’ criteria. "They loved acting and putting on a show, or pretending to be in a circus or on a train, but most importantly, all the time they were playing, they were learning to socialize,” Marti said.
Tamara Eberl, a teacher at a nursery in Penzberg who took on this project, noted, "In the second month, they start to make very creative games. And in the third month, we see the children that are usually shy suddenly find their voices and the loud children become calmer,” per World Crunch. Multi-media education expert, Rainer Strick said, “We still want the children to play but in a more independent way than usual. If a child never has the experience of overcoming a problem themselves, thinking something through or even being bored, they don't develop important life skills.”
This project brought other positive reformations in the kids too. Compared to those who didn’t take part, the others were found to have better imagination and processing as well as better interaction. Even skills like concentration and understanding improved. Marti noted, "Earlier, the children used to do one little squiggle on a piece of paper and then throw it away. But when the paper was taken and given back to them, they drew or painted all over it until there was not a patch of white paper left." Marti strongly added, “We don't teach them letters or maths. First, we try to help them be happy, secure and self-confident.” And all of it worked successfully thanks to this 3-month experiment.