Play time is not just for burning off energy. Kids also use their play time to learn new skills. Skills like learning how to cooperate with their playmates, how to take turns, how to develop stories and problem solving.

As a parent or an educator you can take advantage of play time. To do this you will need to develop learning activities that will develop specific skills. For example, you can develop a learning activity that teaches counting skills, ordering skills or communication skills. Read the rest of this entry »

Most parents complain that their child does not concentrate on his/her academic pursuits, but instead whiles away the time, playing with toys. For such parents, and for all others, educational toys have come like a breath of fresh air and a ray of hope.

Purpose

As the name suggest, the purpose of educational toys, is to educate. They essentially make learning fun, and have helped many a child to grasp the basics of various subjects. Over a period of time, many teachers, education experts have also started prescribing the use of educational toys to increase the intellectual ability of the child. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for simple, inexpensive toys for your child that require no batteries, assembly, and keep his or her attention for hours? Here are some ideas for simple things around the house that will entertain your children while you accomplish all the things on your to-do list.

1) Play-doh. This is easy to make and lasts for a long time if you keep it in an airtight container. Kids love things that squish and squash, so put down some wax paper and let their imaginations take over! To make play-doh, take two cups of wheat flour, two cups of water, two tablespoons of oil, one-third cup salt, and one-fourth cup cream of tarter and mix them in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir until all excess moisture has evaporated and play-doh consistency has been reached. Let cool and store in plastic containers or bags. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite very strict toy safety regulations in the United States and the United Kingdom, some unsafe toys still do slip through the net. It is essential that all consumers are familiar with regulations and remain vigilant when buying toys for kids.

For the most part, toy safety regulations have been very successful. Very few household accidents involve toys, and when accidents do involve toys it is very rare that the accident is caused by a defect in the toy itself. Accidents involving toys usually involve people tripping over them or using them inappropriately.

In addition, where defective or dangerous toys have made it onto the market they have been recalled quickly and publicly. However, this is no reason for parents to leave their guard down when buying toys. Read the rest of this entry »

When one of my friends asked me to help him work on a guide to the best toys, I initially balked at the project. It seemed like to broad an effort. After all, how would you rate toys? Would you look for the best selling toys, the best educational toys, or the most unique and unusual toys? Are tech toys inherently better just because they seem to be selling better, or do the classics get a higher rating because they have withstood the test of time? Thinking about all of these questions, I thought the project was impossible. Nevertheless, he convinced me to persist for a while. In retrospect, I am glad he did. Read the rest of this entry »

When a child is under the age of five, there are often very limited options for things they can do outside. They can run and play, but they can’t ride a bike, or get on a scooter like many of the other kids they may see while out. This means that they have to find something comparable to do. My daughter always loved the kids ride on toys that my mother got for her, and I know that many other children love them as well. There are different types that go with different age groups, and many can be saved for the next child, if you are having more. Read the rest of this entry »