Source: Ananova
June 22, 2005
Children at playschool in Austria are having their toys taken away in the belief it will help them fight drug addiction and alcoholism later in life.
The project called 'toy-free kindergartens' will see groups of youngsters forced to go without their usual classroom playthings for three months to make them more independent and socially integrated.
Vienna city councillor for health, Renate Brauner, said the campaign was to prevent children from becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol in adulthood by developing their social competence.
"Pilot tests have shown that taking away children's toys encourages them to think more about how to entertain themselves. They become more social and even those on the outside of the group find a positive role," she said.
The campaign comes after recent studies in Austria found more and more children are growing up in families in which one or both parents drink too much alcohol and the number of teenagers developing problems with alcohol and drugs is growing.
