Toy buying made easy for kids of all abilities
If you are of a certain age you probably remember patiently awaiting the arrival of the gigantic Sears Wish Book. Every page was filled with the most popular toys and newest gadgets. Children spent hours flipping through page after page imagining the possibilities of which toys might magically find their way under the tree on Christmas morning. It was as if Santa himself had dropped it on the door step for all the good little boys and girls.
Parents loved it too. Children circled the toys they wanted and it became the holiday gift list for parents, grandparents and other family gift givers. It was really a one-stop-shopping list that guaranteed a smile on Christmas morning.
If you will be shopping for a young child with special needs this holiday season, there is a toy guide that can offer suggestions on selecting that perfect magical toy for your special someone. It is the Toys "R" Us Toy Guide for Differently Abled Kids. It has 64 pages of toys that have been selected especially for children with physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities. Toys are displayed in big, bright, bold colors making it perfect for young children to browse through. It also features real children with disabilities as the models playing with the toys.
What makes this guide an ideal resource for gift givers is the research that goes into the selection of each and every toy. For years now, Toys "R" Us has collaborated with the National Lekotek Center to identify toys that can assist in the growth and development of a child with disabilities. The partnership between Toys "R" Us and the National Lekotek Center is a natural. The National Lekotek Center, and its network of affiliates, assists families in purposeful play sessions so they can help their children reach key developmental milestones. (The name comes from the Swedish word for play; the first Lekotek was founded in Sweden in 1963.)
The toys selected to be in the guide are typical play items suitable for children of varying skills and abilities so they are appropriate for children with special needs as well as typically developing children. The guide has everything from Grip N Roll Balls and a Learn & Discover Driver for the little ones to a Power Rider 360 and Spot It Party Game for older children.
"Over 300 toys were researched for this year's guide," says Ahren Hoffman, manager of industry relations & partnerships for the National Lekotek Center. "We worked with the Toys "R" Us concept lab, researched at the New York Toy Fair and evaluated potential toys with our Lekotek families. The final list was paired down to 100 highly recommended toys with a mix of tried-n-true traditional ones as well as trendy new ones."
Parents and other gift givers can choose toys that will not only engage but also help children focus on key developmental areas. So while your child is laughing and smiling with the Elefun Busy Ball Popper she is also be working on developing her fine and gross motor skills, social skills and visual skills. This is the purposeful play part.
Each toy has been evaluated for the skill set it can help develop. The guide highlights those 10 skills sets so gift givers can choose based on the interest or the skill set. "These symbols are iconic to the guide and are really key to helping gift givers narrow down their selection while honing ages and stages of development," says Hoffman. If you have a budding chef at home the Flip & Serve Pancake Set may be ideal based on interest. If you have someone who needs to focus on fine motor, language and social skills, it still may be the right gift.
The guide also includes 10 tips for selecting toys for children with special needs in general. Gift givers can learn how to evaluate toys for themselves in terms of skill sets. Does the toy engage multiple senses: are there lights, sounds or movement? This promotes auditory and visual development. Is there opportunity for success: is the play open ended so the child can be successful? Creativity and thinking are key here. Is it interactive: can the child actively participate and can others participate with the child? These toys can help develop social skills and self-esteem.
According to Hoffman, "Families are thrilled when the guide comes out in September. They hold onto this guide for the year as a tool to spark ideas for gift purchases. Toys are circled and pages are dog-eared. The No. 1 use is to help other gift-givers know what to buy."
If toy buying for that special needs child in your life is overwhelming or you are just not sure what to get, the Toys "R" Us Guide for Differently Abled Kids might make a good place to start. It might just be the key to Christmas morning smiles for everyone! So….ready….set….shop!
English and Spanish versions of the Toys "R" Us Toy Guide for Differently Abled Kids can be found at www.toysrus.com. Information about purposeful play with the National Lekotek Center can be found at www.lekotek.org.
• Sherry Manschot is the marketing/public relations manager at Western DuPage Special Recreation Association. She leads a parent network of special needs families at WDSRA. Manschot can be contacted at sherrym@wdsra.com. More information about WDSRA can be found at wdsra.com.