A child painting a potato, ready to print with.

Down with Pinterest-friendly craft ideas!

Play is the most important thing a child can do. Bringing home a paper plate face with button eyes and a piece of string for the mouth might make you feel like your pre-schooler has achieved something today. But it was accomplished at the expense of freely-chosen activities. Author Erika Christakis argues in her book, The Importance of Being Little, that we should allow more time for unstructured play, both at home and in the nursery.

At One Hundred Toys we say, down with Pinterest-friendly craft ideas! Children need access to open-ended materials – when you absolutely have to be at home – and lots of time to explore nature.

Do you agree?