Thursday, November 23, 2006
Christmas Gift Shopping...
Tomorrow is said to be the largest shopping day of the year. Do you know what gifts to give chilldren?
The right gift for the right age
Birth-18 months
Babies learn about the world from sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Choose brightly colored noisemakers, activity quilts with different textures, attachments that squeak or jingle, rattles, activity bars and soft balls to drop and retrieve. Babies learn about dexterity and the concept of cause-and-effect. As they grow, they're ready to experiment with nesting cups, activity boxes, stacking rings, large blocks, and a little later with shape-sorters. These toys help develop fine motor skills and teach relationships among objects.18 months-3 years:
Toddlers delight in running, jumping, climbing and riding. A ride-on toy, low climbing toys, large balls, and outdoor items like a sandbox or wading pool are good choices for developing gross motor skills. Take-apart toys, pop-up toys and simple puzzles gratify toddlers' curiosity about how things work, reinforcing their eye-hand coordination and understanding of spatial orientation and cause and effect. The time-tested classic is a good block set or modeling clay. Tambourines, xylophones, drums and other simple musical instruments are satisfying noisemakers.
Read the rest of the article...
Here are some resources that can help...
- Dr. Toy's Guide; the world's first website to provide information on the best in toys and educational products, offers year-round, award-winning toy and children's product information plus timely articles, useful resources, links and much more. Dr. Toy has released the 100 Best Children's Products for 2006.
- The Parent's Choice Foundation states that, "Good toys are about construction, not destruction. They’re about sparking imaginations, not stifling them. Good toys (and puzzles and games) offer new ways of thinking, new ways of seeing, and new ways of creating. Good toys offer new approaches to learning; imagination, not a battery, is the catalyst. From the magic of science to the worlds of make believe, learning adventures here are propelled by puppets, mind-bending puzzles, and some knock-your-socks-off games." Check out their awards for best books and best toys of 2006.
- The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio was founded in 1989 as the only independent consumer review of children's media. They test and review products for children the year-round. Check out the information on this website by clicking the appropriate age link on the left.
- The Child Toy Guide has good information on how to choose the right toy for a child as well as toy reviews.
- One of my favorite early childhood activity sites, Kids Domain, also has a good listing of what toys to look for this year.
- Finally, don't forget to check out The Toy Guy. He will help you look at a lot of different toys.
I hope you have a relaxing day and enjoy your Thanksgiving and eat lots of good food with your family and friends. Make sure to play a little Thanksgiving Bingo and watch some parades. And if you do go out shopping tomorrow, have fun and hey... let's be careful out there!
