Deciding what toys to buy for the loved children in their lives is often not an easy decision for parents and grandparents to make. With such a variety of toys available on the market, it is easy to understand how it can become overwhelming.
There are toys that talk, dolls that wet their diapers, and computer games that claim to make kids smarter. Yet, even with all these high tech options, it is still the simple things that children return to again and again.
These toys that perform scripted actions are limiting as to how imaginative kids can be with them. A robot toy that has lots of flashing lights and which responds to basic voice commands has a limited scope for enjoyment. After the child has pressed all of the buttons on it, and got it to walk, turn around and stop, it becomes a case of "What do I do with it now?". On the otherhand, the cardboard box that the robot came in, simple as it may seem to adult eyes, can be imagined by a child to be a spaceship, which they can have all kind of adventures in.
Those toys which stand the test of time, you will find to be the ones that can be played with differently each time a child gets them out. Some examples are blocks, boring dolls, dress up clothes, and child safe face paint and make up. Though a toy may look the same each time, they can incorporate it into wherever their imagination wants to take them.
Using my own kids as an example, they love pretend sword fighting, and almost anything they can get their hands on (pens, cutlery, rolled up magazines, etc.) they will imagine to be a sword. Ninjas, pirates, whatever suits their fancy at the time. Before I know it, their electronic toys are gathering dust in the house, and they are outside hacking at each other with tree branches while one defends the tree house ship from the marauding pirate below.
A childs imagination really is a wonderful thing! That's not to say that you should let them run wild with it unsupervised though, as the situations that they want to play out can be as dangerous as they are creative. Whilst modern fancy toys undergo rigorous safety testing, their simpler alternatives can only be tested in a limited fashion. After all, how much testing can really do on building blocks and plastics swords? It's that the toy in itself can be dangerous, it's the way that children find to utilize them. So, always be on your guard and keep an eye on them.
The younger they are, the more watchful you will have to be. Do not be fooled into thinking that they will just sit and hold whatever you give them. Just holding something is no fun at all! Within 10 minutes they will biting, pulling apart, standing, etc. whatever toy it is that you have given them. However simple, safe and indestructible you think something is, they will always try to find some way to injure themselves with it. That's just the way are!
So, the next time you are out and wondering what toy to buy for your little special ones, do not automatically go straight for the latest fad, instead, give at least a little thought to the toys that will encourage and develop their imagination. - 30224
There are toys that talk, dolls that wet their diapers, and computer games that claim to make kids smarter. Yet, even with all these high tech options, it is still the simple things that children return to again and again.
These toys that perform scripted actions are limiting as to how imaginative kids can be with them. A robot toy that has lots of flashing lights and which responds to basic voice commands has a limited scope for enjoyment. After the child has pressed all of the buttons on it, and got it to walk, turn around and stop, it becomes a case of "What do I do with it now?". On the otherhand, the cardboard box that the robot came in, simple as it may seem to adult eyes, can be imagined by a child to be a spaceship, which they can have all kind of adventures in.
Those toys which stand the test of time, you will find to be the ones that can be played with differently each time a child gets them out. Some examples are blocks, boring dolls, dress up clothes, and child safe face paint and make up. Though a toy may look the same each time, they can incorporate it into wherever their imagination wants to take them.
Using my own kids as an example, they love pretend sword fighting, and almost anything they can get their hands on (pens, cutlery, rolled up magazines, etc.) they will imagine to be a sword. Ninjas, pirates, whatever suits their fancy at the time. Before I know it, their electronic toys are gathering dust in the house, and they are outside hacking at each other with tree branches while one defends the tree house ship from the marauding pirate below.
A childs imagination really is a wonderful thing! That's not to say that you should let them run wild with it unsupervised though, as the situations that they want to play out can be as dangerous as they are creative. Whilst modern fancy toys undergo rigorous safety testing, their simpler alternatives can only be tested in a limited fashion. After all, how much testing can really do on building blocks and plastics swords? It's that the toy in itself can be dangerous, it's the way that children find to utilize them. So, always be on your guard and keep an eye on them.
The younger they are, the more watchful you will have to be. Do not be fooled into thinking that they will just sit and hold whatever you give them. Just holding something is no fun at all! Within 10 minutes they will biting, pulling apart, standing, etc. whatever toy it is that you have given them. However simple, safe and indestructible you think something is, they will always try to find some way to injure themselves with it. That's just the way are!
So, the next time you are out and wondering what toy to buy for your little special ones, do not automatically go straight for the latest fad, instead, give at least a little thought to the toys that will encourage and develop their imagination. - 30224
