Playing by innovation: creative toys to challenge your kids with this holiday while reducing idle screen time

Had you ever walked into a brick-and-mortar Australian Geographic store prior to its transfer to online retail, I bet you would have absolutely loved it.

I did, anyway. From the Celestron Nexstar 6SE that I desperately wanted to stargaze from our balcony with to the ‘Grow-Your-Own-Shark’ kits that somehow gave off a dodgy two-dollar-shop ripoff vibe, the stores were gold.

For a kid with interests in science, technology, and engineering, as well as the gorgeously Australian motifs, the galatial-to-wilderness-to-Great Barrier Reef wallpapers and lushly cardboardy smell of rock collection packs was a luxurious haven from otherwise mundane grocery shopping in a bustling shopping centre.

Perhaps it’s romanticization now, but chances were, if you bought something - for your kid or for yourself - you would learn something, practical or intellectual. None of the time I spent drooling over my painstakingly constructed Vex Robotics construction tower pulley system ever went to waste. The satisfaction of screwing a few thousand plastic pieces in place was enough to push me to keep building, tapping, exploring.

This year, worldwide shutdowns and the muddled call to semi-homeschooling for millions of parents raised the need for tech savvy to a new degree, in terms of both work and play.

Life became overwhelmingly digital - and so digital became increasingly normal and integrated.

For your kids now, the majority of whom have been steadily drowning in months of apps, emails, and Zoom classes: how can they play innovatively - and how can you keep challenging them to grow and explore - both with and without a growing reliance on tech?

How to engage the available digital spaces productively without leading to hours and hours and hours and hours of idle screen time? Or how to break free from them entirely, even if for a short while over the holiday period?

In one break I took from preparing for my own end-of-school exams, I came across an inspiring short video from the South China Morning Post covering a Chinese father's (known to his followers on social media as 'Douyin') journey through making DIY toys for his preschool-aged daughter. Made with low-cost, accessible materials such as cardboard and bottle caps, the various toys - including a bottle-cap 'catapault' duel - reportedly helped lower his daughter's screen time while increasing her concentration and critical thinking.

It made me wonder - what other toys like this are out there?

So as you continue to plan your (somewhat altered) holidays shopping list for loved ones both little and large(r), take some time to look at the selection of creative, innovative toys listed below.

After all, playing has always been essential to the development of children through exercising their imagination, problem solving, and critical thinking skills (not to mention social awareness and emotional health when working in group situations) - and who knows? Perhaps you'll find your own imagination spark up once again and spend a few hours building your own bridge to Terabithia or, failing that, re-immerse yourself into the ancient familiarity of a calmer, more positive (and perhaps fluffier too, if including the input of soft toys) world.

It seems that George Bernard Shaw didn't say this for nothing: 'We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.' Wise words, everybody.

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1. Twister ($40 from Amazon)

In an oldie-but-goodie twist (no pun intended), consider investing in ().

As a not-only physically but also to some extent socially challenging game (it can be hard to vocalize your next move while crumpled over like a disgruntled crab), this'll put a crushing workout on your post-Christmas-lunch belly while also encouraging intense family bonding(a marvellous bargain!).

You can grab a copy of the game here for $40 (delivery fees not included) to keep for holidays to come.

2. Sphero Mini ($78 from Amazon)

Should your small fry want some alone time with their devices after dinner, however, it might be a good time to pull out the codable Sphero Mini (think drag-and-drop blocks, not unlike the early stages of Lego Mindstorms).

Coming in at $78 on Amazon, this is an obviously more expensive option - back in those Australian Geographic stores of yore I pretty much only dared look at the Sphero wall in wonder (especially the BB-8 edition) - but is by all buyer accounts a worthy investment due to the large volume of educational tutorials and programming possibilities - particularly so if the child in question is a fan of more animated, robot-like characteristics.

As mentioned, though, a commendable alternative for older or more invested kids may be the Lego Mindstorms products, though these are far more expensive, with the new 'Robot Inventor' pack coming in at $549.99 on the official LEGO website.

Keep in mind, however, that sheer cost should not be the only consideration when deciding whether or not to purchase a programming toy like those mentioned here, as many enthusiastic users of Lego Mindstorms today are well into their adult years and still learning.

3. KidKraft Large Play Kitchen with Realistic Lights and Sounds ($186.70 on Walmart)

For a more immersive experience (perhaps especially fitting given the ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide), it's hard to go wrong with a sizeable play kitchen. Equipped with realistic effects that you might expect to find in any kitchen, kids can create scenarios as wild or as realistic as they wish. For the adults, too, a purchase like this could be the perfect excuse to put aside the real kitchen duties for a few minutes in favour of a plastic grilled cheese sandwich or a foam milkshake.

4. Tetris Stackable Lamp ($49.74 from Amazon)

In a slightly different approach, you might find it surprisingly fun to integrate some playfulness and 'toy-like' characteristics into your kids' everyday routines and objects. This memorable Tetris stackable lamp allows just that. Composed of seven separate Tetris blocks, the lamp automatically switches on when all blocks are touching, and off again when one or more are removed (if desired, you can also combine several lamps), with a nearly infinite selection of possible arrangements. Not only will your child get a flashback to the retro glory of the 80's, but you'll also likely find tiptoeing to their room at night to switch off the lights a more enjoyable task. Just displace a block, and pouf! - lights out.

5. DIY cardboard/wood toy kits (assorted)

The last item in this guide takes inspiration from the introduction (hmm yes, circle-of-life style). Drawing on Douyin's deeply thoughtful and often time-consuming cardboard creations, taking the time and effort to build something for your kids - whether by yourself or, better yet, with them by your side to poke an occasional sticky finger or giggle into the process - will undoubtedly strengthen the parent-child bond and simultaneously create some fantastic memories, even if something should go wrong along the way.

Feel free to start with something simple and in your comfort zone - try hitting up your local dollar store for a (perhaps cruder) kit for a miniature living room or bathroom and take a few minutes to punch the pieces out of the wood sheets and assemble them. Paint the result, even, if the inspiration strikes you!

If you find that DIY-ing toys is up your alley, then maybe it's time to up the game a little. DIY kits for various toys (though mostly dollhouses) are easily available after a quick Google search - from this intricate DIY coffee house set ($43.90, full instructions and tools included) available at Devon Children Store to this DIY wooden music box from CatinBox, complete with inner machine (regular price $63.67, available online).

In fact, Australian toy store Makedo (a catchy rejection of the opposing pursuit to 'buy new') exclusively uses cardboard, with the mantra of 'empowering kids to harness their creativity to build their own toys with one of the most recycled materials on the planet, cardboard'. You can get one of their (reusable) sets online from $20 upwards. All materials included in the kits, such as a flexible plastic saw, are safe for children.

One of the beauties of DIY projects is that you can tone them as far up or down as you want, in accordance with your skill and/or enthusiasm. For example, continuing with the Tetris theme from before, you could challenge yourself with this electronic Tetris re-creation project involving a microcontroller and a soldering kit.

The possibilites are many, and altogether it should always be remembered that the experiences you gain in the process of gifting, whether buying a premade product or making one yourself - or eventually hope to gain once shared with your children - are the ultimate goal of the holiday season.

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There you have it. As toys continue to improve, taking on more and more advanced characteristics, do what you can to take advantage of these advancements while keeping in touch with - and revelling in - the ideas, passion, spontaneity, and joy that already come naturally to your kids, regardless of the mode of expression.

Happy holidays, and a Happy New Year.