Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Top Three Things to Consider When Choosing an Educational Toy For Your Toddler

Author: Rachel Nunez

Toddlerhood is the best time to start building your child's fundamental skills. During this stage, which typically lasts during the ages of 1-3 years old, your toddler has a heightened sense of curiosity towards the world around him. He will begin to explore new objects and sensations with more than just a passing interest.



This is also the time when your child starts learning how to speak. As he advances further into the later stages of toddlerhood, he will be able to add new words to an ever-expanding vocabulary and use those words to form simple phrases and sentences.



You can maximize your toddler's rapid brain development by giving him educational toys to play with. These toys stimulate your child's inquisitive mind and hasten the learning process. At the same time, your toddler can have loads of fun!



Here are some helpful tips to consider when selecting an educational toy for your child:



* Choose Eye-catching Toys


Guidecraft Toddler Kitchen Island

With so many new stimuli bombarding your toddler's senses and vying for attention, it is important to pick out a toy that will hold your toddler's attention for more than just a moment. Bright, gay colors will help capture and hold your child's attention. Your highly inquisitive toddler will also be drawn to toys that come in different shapes and sizes.



When picking out any toy, educational or not, looks play an important role so choose carefully. Educational toys are only educational if your toddler plays with them. Moreover, it is economically wasteful to buy a toy that will only be relegated to a recluse corner in the nursery to gather dust.



* Select Multi-purpose Toys



There are so many educational toys to choose from that selecting one for your toddler can be quite a headache. With a limited budget, you can make the most out an educational toy by choosing one with a variety of uses. Some toys, like flash cards, only allow your toddler to practice their alphabet or numbers. While playing and learning one thing is great, playing and learning multiple things is better!



One very useful toy that develops multiple skills is a building block set. You can get your toddler to sort out the blocks according to color and shape. They will also introduce your toddler to patterns and dimensions -- concepts that he will be able to appreciate more when he matures into childhood.



* Make Safety a Priority



Lastly, but most important of all, choose toys that are safe for your child's age. Toddlers perceive objects through all the senses: sight, taste, touch, smell and sound. Primary among these senses is that of taste. If you give a toy or any object to a toddler, he will automatically put that object in his mouth. It is therefore very important not to give toddlers toys that contain small parts or toys that are prone to breaking. Your toddler may choke on the small pieces.


Toddler Painting Brush Set by Alex Toys

With these tips to guide you, you will be able to choose a safe, educational toy that will engage your toddler for countless hours on end!

About the Author:
For more tips and information about educational toys, check out http://www.thekidstoystore.com/science-kits.html.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/top-three-things-to-consider-when-choosing-an-educational-toy-for-your-toddler-765796.html

Thursday, February 5, 2009

A Trip to Toy Stores - Insight on How to Locate it Wisely

Articulated Dump Truck by Little Little Little Toy Company

A Trip to Toy Stores - Insight on How to Locate it Wisely

Author: Rachel Nunez

The last time I went to a kids store was a couple of years ago the occasion that I visited the store was for the reason of birthdays, christening and during graduation of my friends and niece and nephew. Up until now that we have a baby in the household of my brother I find the idea of searching the entire toy stores, finding for a perfect gift horrifying in the sense that there are some bargains stores that you have to fight tooth and nail just to look for it.



What inspires me though in making this article is a segment in a local television were in they showed that toddlers or children can actually handle, touch and play with the different toys, clothes they would like to buy out from the store, the store is called Pocketful of kids. In addition they have puppetry and different games sponsored by the kid's stores so kids will be able to enjoy their trip with gusto. This kind I like visiting for it brings out the child in you that would like to have a trip.



This catapult to a trip and wherever this trip goes I just have to brave it out, after all isn't it the challenge of the unknown that make us want to walk the unknown and found out exactly what it in it that cajoled us and give us the adrenaline rush to look and found out the token of surprises that I got out of it.



So this is the culmination of my many trips in the different outskirts of the city as well as the things I learned in locating it wisely.



• Bargain Stores or Tiangge - The ever present store in the city's outskirt the challenge is will you be able to survived the hardship of getting your goods and you unscratched after a sale. These bargains are usually located in Chinese grounds. They sometimes promote these sales or bargains in the newspapers.



• There are toy stores that provides catalogue to customers which provide a previews or whole selection of what they have in their inventory. This would enable you to choose beforehand things you like to buy. This can be asked thru email or mail.



• Getting endorsement or asking friends in which they found their kids stores is also a good way in finding this stores that may give you the store which offered a variety of item you have in mind. Have a time out with friends and get information for their latest news on their buys for their kids.



• Window Shopping for a toy or clothes will be a lot easier if you check first the Mall Directory, this will shorten your walk and give you precise direction on which outlet to check.



• For those people who are into Online shopping and the grand scale that you can buy from it. The easiest and savviest ways of buying gifts without the hassle of going of the house or office or your location at the exact time you decided to buy a goods.



• Television commercials or segments are one of the most powerful medium in locating if we just find time in watching it. We can go looking for their outlets in the internet or phone directories pages, after locating it.



• Tradeshows or Exhibits most especially During Christmas season they provide customers a cheaper value of the good their selling. They are usually held in tradeshow centre or lobby of hotels or offices.



• I have learned that even conventional or traditional in outlook a phone directories where in an address and phone number of kid's stores comes in handy. If you want to check there outlets. This also gives you the idea that you're in the right track in buying a certified goods.



In my trip to kids stores there a lot of path that I was able to discover along the way, what makes me more curious is the doors opened to a lot of avenue sometime leading me to a wrong door for my gift others are just there ready to be discovered given time and efforts.



The tianges and bargain stores that used to irritate me given another chance are like a magic lamp providing me the things I wanted to give. I never knew that kid's stores are also considered as tiange or bargain or if things ever existed I just find out because of this trip.



That it is easier or wiser for that matter to get the catalogue we get from people who is providing it for this will give us enough time to see or ask the person involved. This also lessens the time for us to think and walk through the stores deciding.


Quack-a-long by Little Little Little Toy Company

I saw familiar faces of friends, relatives and siblings having the same problem and I was able to suggest the things I get familiar with so they will not be able to have the same problem or if not choose a different route that is wise economical and will give them wise use of their time.

About the Author:
For more tips and information about toy stores, check out http://www.kids-educational-toys.com/.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/a-trip-to-toy-stores-insight-on-how-to-locate-it-wisely-758345.html


Battery Engine & Caboose by Little Little Little Toy Company