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3 things to consider when buying preschool toys

When shopping for toys for a preschooler, there are three main things to keep in mind. Obviously once you have established your budget and interests of the child, you should then have these three points in mind when you go shopping or research online.

  1. Safety
  2. Everything else falls into a distant second position next to safety. Preschoolers are notoriously curious and are still putting things in their mouth, biting and experimenting, often destructively, with their toys.
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Why children (and adults) need toys

Children can benefit from toys through out all stages of their development and while they are quite often happy to play with items from their surroundings at home or in the park, they will need the gentle guidance into learning that only toys can provide.

Younger children like infants and toddlers are busy acquiring the skills that we as adults take for granted. They need to learn about their world and their bodies by playing with toys that will offer a variety of weight, texture, colours and shapes. They need toys that will make sounds and react to their use.
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What makes for the best kids toys

There are many points to consider when looking at getting that perfect toy for a child. You must keep in mind their age, their interests and your budget. So once you have got a range in mind you can then do a little research about toys online and find out what makes for the best kids toys.

  1. Wooden
  2. You have probably heard it said before, but wooden toys really do make great toys for kids of all ages. There is something in the feel and construction of wooden toys that makes them so appealing and user friendly for the child. A wooden toy can be thrown about and sucked on and dragged through the dirt and still come out looking pretty good. Toys such as wooden blocks are always a staple for any child’s toy box. They encourage creative play, imaginative play and develop those fine motor skills of balancing and stacking. You can even use them to demonstrate colours and shapes. Wooden toys can also be dollhouses, car garages, trains and train sets, wagons and bikes.
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Why Fisher Price Remains such a Popular Brand

If you were asked to name a brand of toy for children, what would be the first name you’d come up with? Fisher Price perhaps? That’s because Fisher Price has been making toys since the 1930s and remains one of the market leaders in children’s toys.

Fisher Price is one of the top ten most recognised brands in the world and still makes some of those beloved toys from your own childhood. Their moto rings true today, when they promise to make toys with ‘intrinsic play value, ingenuity, strong construction, good value and action’.

With a toy selection to suit children of all ages, Fisher Price’s licensing agreements have meant that for most of your child’s life there has or will mostly like be a
Fisher Price toy in their toy box.
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Toy Stories

This article was written by Sonja Walker B.A.Dip.Ed

This article was written by Sonja Walker B.A.Dip.Ed

As the saying goes, ‘play is a child’s work’.

Research has shown that, with the exception of children who are very disadvantaged or severely disabled, between 3% and 20% of children’s time and energy is typically spent in play.

That’s a big part of your child’s day.

Pretend play is what kids do to learn about their world and understand how to interact with the people and things that are in it.

While it might look simple, there’s actually quite a lot happening when children use their imaginations to engage in their fantasy world.

Problem solving, skill building, language development, overcoming physical and mental challenges, it’s all going on behind the scenes when kids engage in pretend play.
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5 Tips you Need to Keep in Mind when Buying Children’s Toys

Whether you are buying toys for your own children or someone else’s, you need to keep in mind certain things to ensure you get the appropriate toy.

Safety

Safety is the most important factor when looking at children’s toys.

At different ages there are different levels of safety factor. For example, with small children, you must ensure there are no small pieces or parts that can break off. Infants always put things in their mouth, and anything with small moving parts can be trouble. For older kids it’s important not to buy things that can be launched as missiles or used to hurt another person.
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Developmental Toys for the First Five Years

First time parents are often uncertain about the development of their child. They are not always sure how to encourage their child’s growth in the many areas that need their gentle guidance. That’s why developmental toys can be so useful in those first five years of a child’s life. Before they go off to school and learn, they must learn the basic milestones of their young lives. From crawling and walking to talking and counting, social and motor skills and finally reading and listening, children have so many things to learn. Parents can help them learn these skills with the aid of educational and developmental toys and games.
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Why all Kids Need Creative Toys

With the abundance of computer games and television distractions and toys with little room for creative engagement for children, it is important to give their lives a little balance by providing them with toys that nurture and develop their creative side.

Creativity is not limited to the arts and ‘creative activities’ such as music and visual arts. Creativity can be developed in many areas of life such a maths and problem solving, social interaction and human movement. Creative toys will stimulate your child to use their brain actively instead of passive play. Creative toys will encourage role-play, problem solving and the use of their imagination.
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5 great educational toys

Everyone knows that children learn by play. So it stands to reason that we all want our children to get the most out of their play. There are many great toys around, and so why not combine a great toy that kids love with a learning tool.

Here are five great educational toys for children and why they are so good for your kids

1) Wooden Blocks

Wooden blocks have been around for ever and there is a simple reason for that, children love them. Kids of all ages and genders love playing with wooden blocks.
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Toys and games for a rainy day

“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day!”
Being stuck inside because of wet winter weather is a challenge for active, curious kids.
While computer games, the Wii and DVDs are a good standby on a rainy day, sometimes they are more trouble than they are worth, especially when they cause sibling squabbles and petty arguments.
So what can you do this winter to keep your kids engaged and entertained when they can’t go outside?
Here are three great toy tips to help you survive the winter blues.
1. Choose toys and games that your children can play with independently
Teachers and children’s health professionals recommend that children need to learn to play happily on their own. Kids who need parents to play with them, or to be their referee when arguments start, miss out on the opportunity to develop self reliance.
Puzzles are a great way to develop independent play.
Whether it comes with five pieces or five hundred pieces, a puzzle can also while away a few hours no matter what the weather.
When choosing a puzzle, make sure you select one that is appropriate for your child’s age and level of skill.
Younger children have more success when their puzzles:
• Contain large objects and distinct colours
• Are based on a photograph with clear lines between objects
• Are based on an educational theme or current favourite character.
• Have obvious border pieces that can be connected first.
Older children might enjoy a more challenging puzzle that will take several days to complete – but don’t forget to set this expectation up at the start so that your child knows that the puzzle will take time to complete. Also, make sure the unfinished puzzle is stored in a safe place where younger siblings can’t spoil your older child’s efforts.
2. Choose games that have clear rules
Cooperative play is a skill that kids need to learn. It requires communication, collaboration and compromise – things that some adults even find difficult!
Board games are a great way to develop cooperative play skills. An added benefit is that they can also develop children’s thinking and learning competencies.
There are hundreds of board games on the market and many have ‘junior’ versions suitable for children under the age of 10. Just make sure that you choose board games that are appropriate for your child’s age and interest.
Some games that encourage maths, problem solving and counting skills include:
• Snakes and Ladders
• Monopoly
• Chess
• Trouble
• Battleships
• Mastermind
Games that encourage creative thinking, story telling and literacy include:
• Scrabble
• Pictionary
• Boggle
• Hilarious Headlines
• Celebrity Head
Card games are another great standby for wet weather. They also have the advantage of being super portable and so come in very handy in airports, waiting rooms or the homes of friends and relatives who don’t have children and have no toys around to keep kids occupied.
A regular pack of cards can be used for games like:
• Memory/Concentration
• Go Fish
• Rummy
• Blackjack (without the gambling, of course!!)
Other card games that are associated with superheroes like Pokeman and Bakugans are also engaging for imaginative boys, while old favourites like Uno can be played by the whole family.
3. Encourage your kids’ creativity
Wet winter days are a perfect time to develop your child’s imaginative and creative skills. Boys and girls love to have extended opportunities to build a world of their own and there are many ways that you can facilitate this.
Dress ups provide children of all ages with creative fun. You can purchase costumes representing fairies, princesses, superheroes and cowboys, or just have a box of shirts, ties, hats and jewellery that kids can experiment with. Add a mirror and your child’s role playing will hit new heights.
Construction toys like Lego, Meccano and Connex also help kids to become resourceful and inventive. In addition, these toys develop children’s fine motor skills, making them a great choice for kids of all ages.
Art and craft activities are another winner for a wet winter day. A simple easel combined with paints, textas, crayons and coloured pencils can provide children with hours of fun. Play Doh is another tried and true favourite, as are sticker and colouring books. For older children, craft packs that contain everything a child needs to make jewellery, scrapbooks or models are also a good way to spend a rainy day, while the ever popular Beados have a novelty factor that appeals to kids of all ages.
So this winter – give your children an alternative to the TV and save your sanity.
With a bit of planning and some well chosen toys and games, you and your children can survive the wet winter weather!
This article was written by Sonja Walker B.A.Dip.Ed

This article was written by Sonja Walker B.A.Dip.Ed

“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day!”

Being stuck inside because of wet winter weather is a challenge for active, curious kids.

While computer games, the Wii and DVDs are a good standby on a rainy day, sometimes they are more trouble than they are worth, especially when they cause sibling squabbles and petty arguments.

So what can you do this winter to keep your kids engaged and entertained when they can’t go outside?


Click Here To Read More