The best way to play with toys - don't let the solidified thinking kill the child's imagination
August 24 11:02:59, 2025
I went to pick up my 10-year-old son from school, and he led me to a stationery store near the school. The store was filled with toy cars and various accessories, and my son immediately showed interest in one of them. When I checked the price, I was shocked—this tiny car, about the size of an eggplant, cost over 150 yuan, which was way more than I expected. I decided not to buy it.
But my son wasn’t in a hurry or making a scene. Instead, he asked me to watch the cars with him. At the entrance of the store, there was an eight-shaped, three-level race track. Several kids were already racing their cars, and the sound of the engines mixed with their excited shouts. The atmosphere was contagious, and even though I wasn’t sure, I couldn’t say no when my son looked at me with big eyes.
He eventually chose a cheaper car for 25 yuan. I thought he would immediately put it on the track, but he didn’t. I felt a bit frustrated and thought he lacked courage. But I kept quiet.
On our way home, I said, “If you bought it, you should play with it. If you don’t, it’s better not to waste money.†He replied, “You didn’t see their cars? Their cars are much sturdier. When mine is placed next to theirs, it gets knocked over instantly. I can’t stand that.â€
It turned out I was wrong again. That night, after finishing his homework, my son didn’t come out to wash up. My wife and I got worried. I went into his room and found him playing with the car, but it was completely disassembled. I told him to fix it quickly and go to sleep. He said, “Some parts are broken, and I can’t put it back together. But I just took the motor out, put in the battery, and let it zoom around—it was so fun!â€
When I saw that, I got angry and said, “If you spent so much money, you just take it apart? You don’t value it enough!†I almost lost my temper. He shouted back, “Why can’t I take it apart? What if it only makes it run faster? I just want to know why it goes so fast!â€
“Why can’t the car be taken apart?†I screamed at him. And then I realized—why shouldn’t it? It's just a toy. If a child can have fun, learn, and explore by taking it apart, isn’t that a better way to play?
It seems I was wrong again. We often judge children’s actions from an adult perspective, using rigid thinking to decide what’s right or wrong. But sometimes, we need to change our mindset. If we look at things from the child’s point of view, we might find that our ideas aren't always the best—sometimes they even stop them from exploring and growing.
The car was meant to be taken apart. For **children’s toys**, who says that isn’t the best way to play?