Toys

By midnitrondavu on Aug 25, 2007 | Reply

No small pieces to choke on and no lead paint. Must stimulate the mind.

By .vato. on Aug 26, 2007 | Reply

Simple yet effective. I want to be able to figure it out.

Something that’s FUN and doesn’t put an emphasis on learning but you really are.

Something that teaches multiple things.

I love toys that are more fun then ‘work.’ Sometimes it’s just a pain in the rear. I swear my son learns more while he is playing then he does when I sit down to teach him. For example–he has a giraffe. You put the ball in the small hole working on coordination. The balls have numbers on it so I’ll say that’s ball number one. It plays music [ABC song] which handles rhythm. Then the ball drops into one of four slots that are different colors. We say “Ohh, it’s in the blue one.” It’s so much fun but it’s not apparent we are learning. That’s the kind of toy we like.

By ghetto_princess283 on Aug 28, 2007 | Reply

I would either have them identifying letters, numbers, or small words (cat, dog, tree, house) If it was more for younger kids (2-4) I would look for something that helps them develop their motor skills. Like putting shapes in the same shape holes. Hope this helped

By momof4 on Aug 29, 2007 | Reply

When I buy toys, I’m looking for something that can be used in multiple ways by kids of different ability levels, and engages a child’s creativity. I’m wary of anything that claims to be “educational” just because it has letters and numbers printed on it somewhere. Anything that talks, ties in with a tv show, or otherwise limits play options from the start, I absolutely refuse to buy. Anything that doesn’t lend itself for being used for multiple purposes is not what I’m looking for. Simple is good — I think blocks are really the ultimate learning toy for little kids, though I have lots of other toys that are a little more sophisticated that I also think are good (Wedgits, for example, or gear sets). No batteries required (and no sound emitted) is good. Anything purporting to teach numbers and the alphabet I meet with great suspicion (I’d say books — and conversation — are the appropriate “toys” to teach that, though something kind of abacus-like, or dominos, or something, might have some value in teaching numbers). Building toys, creative play toys, puzzles, shape sorters, etc. strike me as the toys my kids are really learning from.

If you’re really trying to design a “learning” toy for children of a particular age group, do a little child development research for that age before you start to see the skills kids are picking up at those ages.

Oh yeah — and please no lead paint, choking hazards, or other safety issues, especially if 2-year-olds are in your age range….

By christina37isfree on Aug 30, 2007 | Reply

When I was looking for toys for our 13 month old child I made sure that no parts came off of the toy ( she would put everything in her mouth) so I did not want her to pull something off and choke on it, I also looked for colors that would catch her attention, as well as sounds. Good luck

By Robert K on Sep 2, 2007 | Reply

Anything that captures their attention longer than 60 seconds.