Plastic in daycare centers: Time for a change in education
Plastics have taken over our daily lives since the 1950s—including in preschools. Yet the ubiquitous use of plastic toys, tableware, and furniture is more problematic than previously thought and significantly hinders children’s development.
Educational Drawbacks of Plastic
Plastic objects offer children significantly fewer valuable learning experiences than natural materials. While a wooden building block provides authentic sensory experiences—its specific weight, natural texture, and characteristic appearance—plastic surfaces are unpredictable: sometimes hard, sometimes soft, sometimes heavy, sometimes light as a feather. They often pretend to be something else, which confuses children.
Particularly problematic is the sensory overload caused by garish plastic colors, which overwhelm children visually. Furthermore, plastic toys are often designed down to the last detail and promote stereotypical thinking—a plastic figure is not simply a person, but rather predefined roles such as a princess or a knight. This significantly restricts children’s imagination.
Learning with All the Senses
Natural materials, on the other hand, tell stories about the world. Children who work with wood, metal, ceramics, or glass develop a better understanding of materials and their properties. In the building corner, wooden blocks promote an understanding of statics, since poorly balanced towers fall over—with plastic building blocks, everything simply clicks into place mechanically.
Environment and Health
In addition to the educational drawbacks, plastics place a massive burden on the environment. Only nine percent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. From a health perspective, harmful substances like bisphenol A and phthalates are problematic; they have been detected in over 95 percent of children.
The Way Forward
Daycare centers can improve the quality of education through conscious material selection: From wooden building blocks and real tableware to nature-oriented gardens, there are better alternatives for every area that provide children with authentic, development-promoting experiences
You can learn more about this in the scholarly article by our colleagues Anja von Karstedt and Melanie Vielgut, published in the “Educational Practice” series at www.WALHALLA.de, which you can read in its original form here.