Shopping for Toys

Shopping for Toys

What are some tips you can give in shopping for toys for my child? I want to make sure they are educational toys but want them to enjoy them too. Any advice?

Shopping for

kids learning toys

can be a bit overwhelming. Sometimes you think you are getting a great toy that will really last and that your child will love and they never end up playing with it. While that is always a risk you take when buying any kind of gift, here are some tips to make sure you are getting what you paid for.

Make sure that the toy speaks to your child. A good toy and an age appropriate toy will be one that doesn't take much explanation. So make sure it is something that your child will be able to figure out on their own. That is a good sign it is age appropriate. Remember too that a good

kids learning toy

can last through a few seasons of play. While a young child may pick up blocks and chew them. An older child can take those same blocks and stack them. An even older child can take those blocks and create an imaginary place.

Try to get a toy that is not a "fad" toy. Fad toys are toys that are popular because of a particular movie or TV show. They are popular for a few months or even a bit longer but they are not toys that will last. Try to find toys that will last, ones that are not attached to a particular fad. Those toys are fun for awhile but they will soon not be popular any more.

Also it is a good idea to find a toy that will teach your child something. Children are given this innate ability to play. They love to do it and they do a great job at it. The amazing thing is that they learn while they are playing. So find toys that will take advantage of that time and teach them something while they are doing it. Find toys that encourage imaginary play, fine motor skills, creativity, cutting and lacing. Find toys too that encourage recognition of letters and numbers. For older kids find

kids learning toys

that promote problem solving, sequencing and summarizing. They exist and when you deliberately find them, you will be surprised how they encourage growth in your child.

Enjoy your toys and put some time in to getting them and you will get the more than what you paid for!

School Age Children and Blocks

School Age Children and Blocks

Blocks seem like a "boring" toy or even a waste of space. They are actually a great developmental toy for your young child and

school age children and blocks

can promote great learning opportunities as well. The process of holding the blocks and actually placing them on top of one another is a great development skill. It takes pinching of the fingers, developing muscles. It takes placing the blocks on one another which is eye-hand coordination. It also is a problem solving skill that enables your child to build and create which also promotes imagination.

Blocks can come in all different types. You can have small wooden blocks. You can have special kind of blocks or even construction toys that fit together in particular ways, making the thinking even more advanced. You can also have large blocks that children can build a house or castle out of where they can feel like it is life size. You can even have electronic blocks that do a certain motion or movement when placed together for your little scientist!

All of these types of toys are great for children of all ages. The younger children will play and stack and do that over and over again.

School age children and blocks

may seem like a weird combination but it is great for school age children to have the chance to build. You can also give them the finer block sets that require a little more skill when placing the blocks or straws together.

Blocks may not seem like a real exciting toy but when taken out here and there, they will foster some great learning opportunities both physically and mentally in your child. Give it a try and enjoy!

Kid Toys for Thinking

Kids Toys for Thinking

Do children really need to have toys that make them think? I have always been told let a child be a child.

Yes children need to be able to just be kids. Let them play and run and imagine! The amazing thing about children though is that that is how they learn. Young children learn through play. So, as a parent or teacher who wants to make sure to utilize their "kid time" we want to make sure to provide

kid toys for thinking.

These are not hard to find and if you provide good quality

kid toys for thinking

, you will find that your child is learning while they are playing. You do not have to take away that "kid time" and force them to learn. They are learning through engaging their minds and developing their muscles to name just a few.

You may be surprised to find out that you do not have to have ABC's or 123's workbooks to promote learning and development. Find some toys that are not just fads, things that are popular for a few months. Make sure to invest in some great imagination toys like play food, puppets or kitchens. Find some good building toys to develop their muscles in their hands and their brains as well as they build and problem solve. Give them a chance to create while developing muscles in their hands that they will need when they are in school with play dough or easels or even glue and scissors. Provide an opportunity to explore the world around them by providing toys that encourage play outside. These are just a few ways that children can utilize good

kid toys for thinking

at a young age. Try it. You will be amazed and you will find that a good toy will be useful at many different stages of growth.

Kids Learning Toys and Development

Kids Learning Toys and Development

My child is having trouble in preschool holding his pencil or crayon. He seems to be holding it as a fist is that a big deal and do you have any toys you can recommend to help him in this area?

That is a great question. Children need to work on developing the muscles in their hands so that they can write without frustration later on in school. It is important as soon as you see a child dominating with one hand to get them to hold their pencils correctly. Make sure that they are pinching the pencil with their first finger and thumb, middle finger can be pinching too. But make sure the ring finger and the pinky are left free. A way to train your child to do that is to make them hold a cotton ball with their pinky and their ring finger and then hold their pencil. It is a way to force the child to hold the pencil correctly. You may not think that is important but it is critical to successful writing in school. You want them to have a good grip so that they are able to write without getting tired. Lets face it, there are a lot of new things your child will learn in school, so let a hurting hand not be an issue.

A way to develop and build those muscles in their hands is to provide good pinching

kids learning toys

. I have a "squeeze box" in my classroom where kids just squeeze and pinch balls and toys. The kids love it and it is a great easy way to develop their hand muscles. Also provide your child with some toys that force them to pinch their fingers. Any kind of clothes pin type toy is great. You can also get blocks that force children to pinch a small straw in a hole to build something. If you can find something they have to pinch or squeeze those are great toys! Play dough is awesome and the play dough scissors and tools. Get to searching for great pinching

kids learning toys

and your child will be on their way to a strong hand and a strong start to writing in school!

Kids Learning Toys

Kids Learning Toys

Christmas is coming up soon and I have to admit I get a little frightened to get a "good educational toy" for my child when there are so many toys out there that my child requests. Honestly none of them are educational that I can tell and isn't Christmas about getting things you want?

I think this is a great point. How horrible would it be to get your child some great

kids learning toys

but nothing they asked for and then have a horrible Christmas morning? I think that would be frustrating for everyone. I have made it a practice to show them how cool toys are - even ones that are not fad toys for this season. I always point out blocks and games that are fun to see at

Walmart

or online. You will be surprised how your child will find those toys interesting too. Remember that most toy companies are advertising their hearts out to little ones. So the reason why your child wants that toy is because they think it is cool and they have seen it a ton. So, help them see other types of toys too. Then you can give one fad toy and a few other

kids learning toys

and both the parent and the child are happy. Give it a try, you will be surprised and you will find too that your child really does like well made

kids learning toys

. Mainly because kids learning toys are made to last and are made for children to interact with. They can't help but be pulled in. It will not be the first toy they choose to play with on Christams morning but it will come and if you have done a little prep work, it may even be the toy of choice Christmas day.

Kids Magnetic Easel

Kids Magnetic Easel

Kids magnetic easels seem to take up a lot of room and I wonder if it is a good idea to even get one. Do they really have any sort of educational value or physical value for younger children?

This question is very valid. Yes

kids magnetic easels

are a good investment. They do take up a lot of room, but we do carry table top easels as well as standing easels and many fold up if you need to get them out of the way.

Kids can use easels for many areas of development. Physically these easels are very important. It is important to get your child to write up and down on a standing surface. Having to hold their hands up and use their arms and fingers to accomplish this goal helps with the muscle development needed to write in school. It is important too to not get them to write with dry erase markers but with chalk. The chalk provides a resistance and a "feel" for the child as they are working on writing letters, drawing shapes, and even just scribbling. So be sure your

kids magnetic easel

has a chalk board side for them to use.

Kids magnetic easels

are also good educationally because they give the child a chance to use kids magnets. Magnets seem like a waste of money too, because we as adults wonder, what can you do with magnets. They are excellent toys for children to pattern and sort. They provide a catalyst for imaginative play. They can used to copy and try to draw on the easel as well.

It is important to provide your child with great toys and remember, we here at Inspire Bright Minds feel a toy can be used to its full potential when you choose educational toys and even put them away for a season and pull them out again. A

kids magnetic easel

is a good kids learning toy because it will provide different opportunities in different seasons and will last for a long time.

Numbers for Kids: Wooden Abacus

Numbers for Kids: Wooden Abacus

An abacus is also called a math counting frame. It is used for basic counting and more advanced counting with wires and beads.

Numbers for kids

can be a little clearer when using an abacus. You do not have to know how to do mathematical problems when using one you can do many things to make

numbers for kids

fun.

One simple thing you can do with an abacus is make a shape. Have the child try to make simple shapes using beads on multiple wires - a square, triange, rectanlge, diamond, or a straight or diagonal line.

You can also have younger children try matching. Move any number of beads to one side of the frame and ask the child to match your move on the wire below yours. This can also be done with patterns: arrange the 10 beads in different grouplings and the child can mimic on the line below.

Numbers for kids

can be learned with counting games. They are good for giving numbers for kids familiarity. Move a certain number of beads to one side and ask the child to count how may beads you moved and how many remain on the other side. Or have the child count from one to one hundred as they move that number of beads on each of the ten wires.

With older children, especially those who are tactile or kinesthetic learners, try creating larger

numbers for kids

by assigning different numbers to the colors. Blue is ones, red is tens, wood is hundred's, green is 1000's and yellow is 10,000. A great tool for visually showing place value. Or you can be more simple and have the five colors be five different numbers 1-5 and add the totals together.

For more complex mathematical problems. Do addition, subtraction, and even simple multiplication and division problems by using the first wire for the first number and the second wire for the second number and have the children answer on the third.

You can even use the abacus for things other than

numbers for kids

. Draw or say a captial letter and have the child create its shape on the abacus. A I E L are good starters. This tool is also good for developing their muscles in their hands and arms so that their pincher fingers are developed enough to write.

More Kids Learning Toys

Kids Learning Toys

A current trend these days in homes is to have a "play room". I am not sure if this is because we have acquired too much stuff or if we as adults see the value in play.

Kids learning toys

should fill a play room and be the dominate choice for children to play with. You will be surprised at how good

kids learning toys

can give children great and engaging play options.

What makes

kids learning toys

different from regular toys is that they provide a chance for children to engage in various learning opportunities through play. Children will not even realize that they are learning and it is important that if they do realize they are learning that learning can be fun. Some examples of

kids learning toys

are imaginary toys, children's crafts, lacing toys, building toys, abc toys, number toys, puzzles and much more. You will find that classic toys are just good kids learning toys.

Don't give in to the current fads for toys. They are fun for a while but good

kids learning toys

have a life that can last longer than fads. Children may not play with them everyday but when you put them away and pull them out again, they can learn from them in new ways that they haven't before.

Fill your play rooms with

kids learning toys

, they are a necessity and will enable your child's school year to not have as many surprises. Give them learning confidence when they enter school. Provide good

kids learning toys

.