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Medford/Somerville, Mass. -- While they may not be stocked on shelves alongside self-proclaimed "educational toys," Barbie and GI Joe may be just as valuable to a child's development. "Barbie and GI Joe have as much a chance of stimulating creativity and being educational as the so-called educational toys -- depending on how they are used," Tufts' George Scarlett -- an expert at Tufts' Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development -- told the Washington Post. According to Scarlett, the key to these toys and others, is their ability to help children fantasize while they play. "There is plenty of data suggesting that not only do even young children clearly distinguish their fantasy play from reality, but that the better they are fantasizing, the more likely they are to have a firmer grasp of reality," he said. But Scarlett emphasized that parent participation and interaction still plays a very important role during children's play. Posted 12-12-00 Barbie is a copyright of Mattel.
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Barbie
and GI Joe -- Educational Toys? 