Toys

There is more and more talk amongst parents about spending quality time with their kids. However, some parents believe that an hour of quality time is sufficient and that nothing more needs to be done. If the hour was a productive one such as going out to eat, watching TV. together, or going to the movies, parents seem to be satisfied with that. However, quality time involves more than just an hour a day because an hour is a relatively short period of time and doesn’t allow for in depth bonding.

It is that bonding that makes spending quality time with the kids important. It is a time where the parent can show their child things, do fun activities together, and even teach their children values. When a child is not getting to spend time with their parents, they are constantly getting mixed signals regarding right and wrong. What the babysitter may consider to be right might be considered wrong by mom and dad, so the child may feel like they are constantly getting in trouble with their parents when they are all together.

However, quality time isn’t just to do things such as going to the park or going to the movies. Sure, that is a lot of fun and kids will love you for it, but quality time is comprised of so much more than impressing the kids with fun things to do. It is an unfortunate fact that some parents are so into making up the time that is lost throughout the week by doing huge fun things like going to an amusement park, that they forget about things such as school work and other important things. A dad that brags about spending quality time with his kids by taking them to Disney World one day may not know how the kids are doing in school. That is why quality time should also consist of helping the kids with their school work.

By setting aside a time in which you can be available while the kids do homework can mean so much to them. If they have a question and you can be proactive in helping them find the answer, they will feel so great when they see the answer before their eyes. It is such a great feeling to be struggling and mom and dad help find the solution rather than give the answer. This teaches problem-solving skills which are skills that parents should instill in their children.

Something else that parents should avoid is being peers instead of parents. Many parents are concerned with being their children’s best friend. Sure, that can be a great feeling when your child feels like you’re the greatest thing in the world, but it is important to maintain that parenting role even when hanging out with the kids. It keeps that degree of respect that needs to be there.

As for parents looking for a way to spend time with the kids, there are creative ways in which it can be done. First of all, write down your schedule and see if there is any way to make modifications to it. If there is, try to set aside the same times every single week in order to create a routine with the family. This is a great way to make sure no one else in the family schedules other activities during these times. If one of the children’s friends asks, “want to come over Thursday after school?” Your child can let them know they can’t because it is family night. There are many ways in which a parent can spend time with their kids. All it takes is a few modifications and some great ideas.

When searching for a new toy for your child, you may experience a bit of sensory overload when walking through the toy department. There are all kinds of colors screaming at you with huge numbers and letters to accompany them. However, there are more than just colors and numbers getting your attention. There are also lights, sounds, and talking toys. If the kids are with you, they are really excited and decide it is time to turn on every single toy that makes noise so that they can hear them chiming, ringing, singing, and beeping all at the same time. Obviously the kids know how to operate these toys, which means they have been introduced to them at one time or another. So what is the right time to introduce a child to electronic educational toys?

We see them everywhere for all ages. We see them for babies, toddlers, and school age kids. For babies, these toys will have very colorful buttons on them that may make animal sounds and say what the animal is or play music for them. For toddlers, the toys will say the name of an animal when the little one pushes the button or will even start teaching numbers and letters. For school age kids, they can improve their spelling and math skills in order to do better in school. The possibilities are endless, but that still brings up the debate of when a child is too young for electronic education toys. Or are they too young?

The consensus seems to be that children who are of school age should be the ones introduced to electronic educational toys. The reason for this is because children of this age are more likely to understand the different functions of the toy instead of being constantly confused as to what all it can do. For children younger than that, it is believed that non-electronic toys require more imagination. Electronic toys do teach numbers, shapes, and the alphabet, but non-electronic toys encourage creative thinking.

Also, although electronic educational toys are interactive, the interaction of non-electronic toys ties in with the concept of creative thinking. Non-electronic toys also encourage children to interact with each other, whereas electronic educational toys are primarily made for individual play. Non-electronic toys also promote physical activity.

But the good news is that by the age of 5, a child has developed many of these skills and can be introduced to electronic educational toys to help them in their studies. However, it is still beneficial to incorporate non-electronic toys into a child’s life to allow them to continue using their imagination. Although the child may have an electronic educational toy, it is still beneficial to use old fashioned flash cards, alphabet blocks, refrigerator magnets, and other such toys to promote imagination and learning. One such way to promote imagination is through the use of building blocks that allow children to build things.

Yes, the electronic educational toy market is huge. There are actual consoles and so many games and educational programs that it can make a parent’s head spin when walking through the toy department. Even after leaving the store, the toys that come home continue to make a parent’s head spin with all of the beeping, music, and other various sounds that appeal to children. However, despite the constant noise these toys make when the kids are playing with them, when a parent hears the toy say, “Well done,” “correct,” or “good job,” a parent can’t help but have a smile on their face because they know they have a little genius on their hands.

Toy Shopping

I can’t wait to go toy shopping for the holidays this year. It’s always fun, and it’s something that I look forward to. There is nothing more relaxing than looking for the perfect toys, and I always know I am going to find the very toys that my daughter seems to want the most. I know that if I can’t find it in one store, I will most definitely find it in the next one that I go to. When my daughter gets older and doesn’t want toys to play with any more, I am going to miss toy shopping very much.

If you didn’t read the sarcasm in what I just wrote, you must not have young children. I never had a problem when I would go toy shopping for a relative or a friend’s child, but now that I have my own I have learned to loathe the very thought of it. Toy stores seem to bring out the worst in people. I am often surprised at how rude people can be when toy shopping. It never fails either, that I find out the very toy my little girl wants the most is nowhere to be found.

Last year when we went toy shopping we were looking for the Dora Talking House. I thought Toys R Us would certainly have it, but I was wrong. We looked everywhere we could think and no one had one. I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t even one of the most wanted toys that year. We panicked when we couldn’t find it, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I don’t get her everything she wants, but I do try to get her the one thing that she wants the most, and last year it was the Dora house she wanted. In the end my dad went toy shopping and found it the day before Christmas. I was in tears when he told me he had found it for her.

If you loathe toy shopping like I do, you should try to get it done early, and if you can find something online, that might be the best way to buy it. If you go toy shopping on the day before Christmas, you are just asking for trouble. For me though, that is the best time. I have thought ahead this year and have gotten some of her presents early, but I will have to brave the crowds again this year at the last minute to get the rest of her gifts. Perhaps next year I will be able to get it all done early so I don’t have to be tempted to hurt someone.