Play is a major part of a young child's education. Children deprived of play experiences can develop learning and other problems from which they may take years to recover. Parents should be encouraged to buy toys which are right for their child's stages of development. "Educational toys" can be useful in stimulating particular aspects of development, eg hand-eye co-ordination, manual dexterity, association of cause and effect. A good variety of toys is important. Children become more quickly bored than adults because their attention span is shorter. A good principle is to buy toys that are challenging without being too difficult, However, children also need time to relax with older, more familiar toys and easily completed activities.