There was a TV commercial from a couple of years ago that made a statement about how society bemoans the lack of women in scientific and engineering fields, and yet hardly gives little girls anything to play with other than tiaras and dolls.
We shouldn’t discourage our daughters from playing with Legos and chemistry kits and whatever else they want to play with. Girls’ toys don’t have to be all about ruffles and princess costumes, and the color pink. Forget about gender role stereotypes and open up more possibilities for your girls. They’ve got to have more than physical beauty going for them. Engage their minds and their imaginations and help them see their potential. Empower them by developing their skills and their ambitions.
Here are a few examples of great toys that your daughters can play with.
- Goldie Blox
Of course the inspiration for this post has to be in this list. This company has been producing amazing thought-provoking promotional videos and definitely has the goods and wares to support their campaign for more toy choices for young girls. They’ve got crafts and construction kits that are chock-full of fun and colorful odds and ends — pegs, wheels, hubs, nuts, bolts, axles, washers, belts and bands that are basically found in every young engineer’s dream toolbox. - Makerspace Kits
Ignite the spark in your little engineers and inventors with a project kit from that cool shop, Makerspace. Have them assemble their very own remote pet feeder, or put together a toy giraffe that actually walks! You could also get a Little Bits electronics kit which has all sorts of switches, sensors, circuits and anything they might need to create their own electronic gadgets.You might even get yourself your own toys as this online shop has toys for adults to play with too, such as drone kits, and 3D pens. Ponder on the possibilities of that. - Wooden building bricks
There’s something so beautiful about the tactile experience of wooden toys. They have a certain heft to them and a texture created by the grain in the wood. The simplest act of stacking blocks helps kids acquire an instinct for gravity, mass, volume, and balance, as well as develops an aesthetic sense for space.These blocks have that retro vibe about them, but they are truly timeless. Kids don’t really outgrow them, because they’re so basic, so versatile, that as their abilities grow, the structures they build evolve too. - Archaeology and Paleontology Kits
There are parents these days who are so focused on keeping their kids, especially daughters, clean and spotless, which has them missing out on an important element of play — making a mess, getting in the dirt, finding the connection between soil and life.These kits are totally dirty. They’ve got the goodies encased in dirt, and the kids get to painstakingly pick at that soil and brush it aside to get their payoff. Awesome.
We’ll end this post with another video from Goldie Blox. It sites a statistic that girls who are just given fashion dolls (yes, Barbie, that’s you) grow up seeing very limited career options for themselves. It is indeed time to break the mold and help this half of the population reach their full potential