Dear Teachers,
Its gift giving time and as usual, I’m torn. Every year we decide not to buy a lot of poorly made toys and stick to learning toys. As I go over the list, I try to ask myself, will this toy be more fun to play with than the box it comes in? I’m tired of donating toys that are barely used. How do I know what to buy?
Having No Fun at TOYSRUS
Dear No Fun,
Who better to know what to buy your child than you? You know what types of things they like, what they already have and how they spend their time. From a safety standpoint, use manufacturer’s age guidelines and limit small parts. Keep some “baby” toys for a while that use skills they have already mastered. As they grow and are challenged to learn new skills, it is comforting for them to return to familiar toys and feel a sense of accomplishment. Recognizing how much they have grown through their toys is self-esteem building. Play is your child’s work. Through play they learn and grow emotionally, socially, physically and intellectually. Toys offer unique opportunities to learn new skills, practice at current skill levels or exercise their imagination or muscles. Artistic materials (paper, paints, crayons, chalk, markers, scissors, glue, and stapler) expose their creative potential by developing their sense of color and balance, small motor skills, and self-expression and self-confidence. Puzzles help to develop spatial awareness, shape and object recognition, small motor abilities, eye-hand coordination, perseverance and problem solving. Card and board games help to develop patience, the ability to set and/or follow rules, and higher level thinking to develop strategies. Vehicles are good for dramatic play, measuring and estimating, and small or large motor development depending on the size. Dolls, stuffed animals and puppets are good for dramatic play along with language development, role playing, and imagination and can often serve as an emotional outlet to resolve issues. Building toys/blocks/marble runs are great for mathematic concept development, problem solving and dramatic play. Athletic equipment is always a favorite as young children love motion. Balls, hoops, and riding/peddle toys help to develop a child’s balance, gross motor skills and self-confidence. Children learn best when they have a large block of time to use their entire bodies, several senses and open ended materials. This type of play develops their overall body, too, as a child in motion is apt to build more muscle, develop a better appetite and sleep better at night than one who is sedentary. You’ll notice no mention electronic learning games which are best used with parental guidance on a limited basis with this age group. All toys can be used by your child alone, of course, but of the best gift you will ever give your child is the time you spend alongside them using your senses with the gifts they unwrap. Time to share a new book from their grandparents. Time to watch the puppet show they just created on the spot. Time to build with them using their new blocks. Time to teach them how to button, zip, snap, or tie using the new outfit for themselves or their favorite doll. Time to listen as they play the Mommy or Daddy with a new doll or truck. Time to hear your child singing G rated lyrics to their new kiddie CD as you drive around town. Playing with boxes will always be a fun bonus, too. They make great building blocks, space ships, and whatever else your child can imagine.
