Finding the Best Toys
December 21st 2006 05:54
What is the best possible toy for a child? It depends on the child. Toy buying has been made so fully convenient and commercial that we rarely have to think about it.
Kids see something on TV and say, “I want,” parents go and by it. Kids are happy with the toys for the few days they play with it, and the corporations are happy. Some advertisements even target the parents and we get toys based on what the parent's inter-child would like to play with if a 32-year-old office manager wouldn’t feel silly making vroom noises while flying an airplane around (by himself.) But, did we really get a good toy?
The key toy questions:
1) What are the child’s interests?
Let’s go ahead and exclude TV shows from the list as a total decider of interest, because today’s kid show characters are intended to be fully marketable toys. The key question is what actually interests the child. What will spark his/her imagination. That’s the million dollar question.
TV shows may show you where the kid’s true interest lie. If he enjoys science fiction TV shows, than a nice telescope could help him see the real stars. Or if he’s interested in bears, toy animals or books about real animals may be up his alley. Know your child’s at-heart interest, not just the superficial things they do.
2) What will you put up with?
This is the nine hundred thousand dollar question. If you’ve got a son who likes playing with toy trucks, but you have a low tolerance for loud noise, buy a quiet truck, not the one with all the (noisy) bells and whistles.
If you’re not willing to be patient teaching responsibility, don’t buy a live pet.
Again, know what you can handle. You don’t want Christmas to turn into a source of conflict.
3) What is practical?
Buy a present that the child will be able to use. Sometimes, parents will buy presents because several years back they’d wanted to buy a present, but hadn’t had the money. Don’t buy a present to make up for something. Odds are that after a couple years, you’ll pass the age where the toy will be fully enjoyed.
If you observe that a young child tears up toys dolls, etc. don’t buy expensive new toys. Many parents get angry when a child rips apart a $20 doll, but a $2 or $5 doll is different.
Also, buy things that are practical. I lived in a school bus-turned-motor-home growing up, and we stayed in Trailer parks a lot. One year my dad got us kids a croquet set and a volleyball net. So, this was not a practical present.
If you’re going to get the child something they’ll have to learn like a musical instrument or roller blades, you’d better be prepared to teach them or find someone else to teach them. Kids don’t self-teach well, but require some type of guidance.
Following these guidelines, you can find the right toy for your child without busting your budget.
Kids see something on TV and say, “I want,” parents go and by it. Kids are happy with the toys for the few days they play with it, and the corporations are happy. Some advertisements even target the parents and we get toys based on what the parent's inter-child would like to play with if a 32-year-old office manager wouldn’t feel silly making vroom noises while flying an airplane around (by himself.) But, did we really get a good toy?
The key toy questions:
1) What are the child’s interests?
Let’s go ahead and exclude TV shows from the list as a total decider of interest, because today’s kid show characters are intended to be fully marketable toys. The key question is what actually interests the child. What will spark his/her imagination. That’s the million dollar question.
TV shows may show you where the kid’s true interest lie. If he enjoys science fiction TV shows, than a nice telescope could help him see the real stars. Or if he’s interested in bears, toy animals or books about real animals may be up his alley. Know your child’s at-heart interest, not just the superficial things they do.
2) What will you put up with?
This is the nine hundred thousand dollar question. If you’ve got a son who likes playing with toy trucks, but you have a low tolerance for loud noise, buy a quiet truck, not the one with all the (noisy) bells and whistles.
If you’re not willing to be patient teaching responsibility, don’t buy a live pet.
Again, know what you can handle. You don’t want Christmas to turn into a source of conflict.
3) What is practical?
Buy a present that the child will be able to use. Sometimes, parents will buy presents because several years back they’d wanted to buy a present, but hadn’t had the money. Don’t buy a present to make up for something. Odds are that after a couple years, you’ll pass the age where the toy will be fully enjoyed.
If you observe that a young child tears up toys dolls, etc. don’t buy expensive new toys. Many parents get angry when a child rips apart a $20 doll, but a $2 or $5 doll is different.
Also, buy things that are practical. I lived in a school bus-turned-motor-home growing up, and we stayed in Trailer parks a lot. One year my dad got us kids a croquet set and a volleyball net. So, this was not a practical present.
If you’re going to get the child something they’ll have to learn like a musical instrument or roller blades, you’d better be prepared to teach them or find someone else to teach them. Kids don’t self-teach well, but require some type of guidance.
Following these guidelines, you can find the right toy for your child without busting your budget.
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