I view Mindstorms and Crickets as Froebel’s Gifts for the 21st century, using new technologies to extend the kindergarten approach to learners of all ages. Unfortunately, they are the exception rather than the rule in today’s toy stores. Most electronic toys are not in the spirit of Froebel’s Gifts, since they do not provide children with opportunities to design or create. Most of today’s electronic toys are pre- programmed by the toy company. Children cannot design or create with these toys, they can only interact with them; for example: hold the doll’s hand and its mouth turns to a smile, sing to the doll and it starts dancing. I am sure that designers and engineers at the toy companies learn a great deal while creating these toys, but I doubt that children learn very much while interacting with the toys.

Mitchel Resnick

Resnick, M. (2007). All I Really Need to Know (About Creative Thinking) I Learned (By Studying How Children Learn) in Kindergarten. MIT Media Lab, 1–6.