7 points to remember when buying toys for children
Toys are so important to a child that play is considered 'work'
for them.
They inspire children's imagination. They develop their hand eye
coordination. They develop social skills and learn about rules
and fair play.
We all know during festive seasons such as Christmas the
children will be deluged by an avalanche of toys . Don't let
them open all the toy presents at once. Having so many toys all
at once confuses the child. It 's better to let the child play
with one toy at a time. Secondly, you can save the other toys
for a later occasion or when the children have grown tired of
their existing toys.
Arts and crafts are good as they let children express
themselves. However, children are clumsy especially when it
comes to painting or drawing. They end up spilling water and
paint on the floor or on the table and step on paint and then
roam about the entire house leaving paint footprints on the
floor. Remember to let them wear easy to clean material.
Likewise, put plastic sheets or newspaper beneath their art work
and restrict painting in a specific area to prevent further mess.
When you buy toys make sure they can be easily stored especially
if the toy is bulky or consist of many parts. Ideally the toy
should come with a specially designed container or a bag to keep
them. Well designed containers help to prevent clutter and
optimize space available for storage of toys in the house. Also,
by having containers made specially for the toys , it becomes
easier to retrieve them and play.
Select toys which do not have sharp edges as they may hurt a
child accidentally. You should not pick toys with many small
parts as a young child might swallow them.
You should buy educational
toys. Avoid electronic gadgets and computer games. These
electronic toys may stifle a child's imagination. These toys
also cause a child to be anti social in nature. The children get
engrossed totally and ignore what's happening around them. These
games also over stimulate them and as a result the children get
bored easily. Staring at the mini lcd screen may also affect
their vision and cause eye strain. Balloon
lagoon is a very good educational game that teaches kids
math and word skills.
Don't buy toys that glorify violence. They teach a child to be
violent and to fear others. They become anti-social and love to
fight and quarrel.
Buy toys that are durable and lasting . It can last a life time
and can be handed down to the next generation. They can be
considered as heirloom and may be fetch high value due to its
rarity.