The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1918-06-20
TRAINING LITTLE CHILDREN
Give Children Toys Which Answer
Their Needs-Teach Them to Care
for Their Toys and This Will
Tend to Make Them Neat and
Orderly

consequently they are not stirred to
make toys for themselves and their
powers of invention are retarded.
There are two classes of toys, useful
and useless. Those are suseful which
answer the needs of child-life. A ball
is a most useful toy because it is
about the first child can play with.
All mothers know how babe, as soon
as it is old enough to use it's hands,
loves soft, bright-colored ball. From
infancy practically through the whole
of life the balls plays an active part.
Tennis, golf, baseball, football-all
sports of later life center around al
ball.
Soon comes the building stage,
which blocks. A ten-cent box of domi-
noes is excellent material for building
and for making tables, chairs, beds
and soldiers in a row.
Then comes the initiative stage of
toys. Every child, boy or girl, wants
to do as father or mother does. Al
ten cent sweeper and ten-cent broom
are always joy to childs heart and
enable the little one to actually help
mother
The doll also plays an important
part in children's lives, for it answers
the instinct for nurture which is in
born in children. Good serviceable
dolls, not too many at once, are most
useful. Children also need sets of
dishes with which to learn TO set a
table and to pretend to cook, and
which they can wash and dry, again
initiating mother. Initiating father,
children can play with toys of con-
struction, such as sets of stone blocks
and trains, automobiles and other
tools of mans world
Toys are useless which are easily
broken, such as inexpensive mechani-
cal toys. These are generally more in
teresting to grown-ups than to chill
dren. Huge hobby-horses, large dolls
and too many toys are useless also.
Every little girl longs for big doll,
which is right and good, but for babies
of two years or younger such toys are
not only useless but lead to the bored
child, which of all things is the most
pitiable-a child to whom nothing is
new, nothing interesting!
Through play the child should be
taught the care of toys. A child who
is taught to pick up his toys and put
them away in their proper places be-
comes neat and orderly. Often. 1e4.sae
dren are careless with their toys and,
unless carefulness is instilled in them,
they become wantonly destructive and
have no respect for the property Of
others. If little boy has a stuffed
dog that barks and he is found invest
igating the reason for the barking, he
is not destructive so much as he is
curious, and it must be remembered
that through investigation the great
discoveries of the world have been
made. A child with a mechanical
mind will often take his toys apart,
'to see how they are made" But
curiosity is strong in all children;
therefore before furnishing a child for
destroying toy, be sure that he has
been guilty of something more than
pure thoughtlessness or curiosity.
Happy and contented-these are
the two words which describe the con-
dtion of children in the kindergarten
and should describe the condition in
the home, too. You can accomplish
so much more through love than you
can through force. The busy mother
in the home can have just as happy
children as the kindergarten has,
but she must devote a part of every
day to them conscientiously
Be reasonable with a child and he
will be reasonable also. Remember |
that the desired results from child
training depend first upon the physical
condition of the child and secondly
upon the time, thought and intelli-
gent care which you give to them.
A dear old lady said to me once,
after had remarked with discourage
ment that all I seemed to accomplish
in day was to care for my baby's
needs, "My dear, you are doing a
woman's greatest work right now
the training of your child's mind and
morals. The time spent may show no
immediate results, but you are laying
the foundation for character that
will stand as monument to your work
and wisdom in years to come"
Please pass this artice on to a friend
and thus help Uncle Sam reach all the
mothers of the country.