Choosing  the Best Christmas Gift for Your Child

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Gifts make a kid’s Christmas. And when it comes to that most want one kind: toys. Toys form the cornerstone of childhood. It is through play that a child develops his personality, acquires skills, and discovers the world.

Here is a guide to help parents choose a gift that’s stimulating, safe, and fun. Whether your child is a relentless builder or a budding scientist, there is a toy to spark his curiosity and stimulate his imagination.

Educational vs. Entertaining

This is one of the most frequent dilemmas parents face when buying toys.  You can help a child learn and play if you choose the gift carefully without being too pushy about skills. Toys that are loads of fun can be a part of a meaningful learning experience.

Expensive and elaborate do not mean better

Good toys need not be expensive or sophisticated. Some of the toys that stimulate the brain to  a great degree are the simplest. Basic wooden blocks and other building sets top manufacturers’ lists again and again as ideal toys. With them, children can build simple towers, elaborate kingdom, outer space worlds, underwater cities, and so much more. Get a toy that is well-made, durable, and safe for the age of your child.

What can you do with toys?

Before buying a toy, ask yourself whether it will appeal to your child or hold his attention. In general, the more things a child can do with a toy, the more likely he is to remain interested. And the more a child can do with a toy, the more likely it is to be educational.

Toy safety

A leading toy company specializing in safe toys, suggests parents use the four S’s of toy safety when shopping.

• Size: Small parts such as buttons, eyes, wheels, staples, or bells can easily come off and be swallowed. If a toy or one of its parts can fit into a 35 mm film canister, don’t buy it for a child under three.

• Shape: Buy toys with smooth surfaces. Watch out for toys with sharp edges and blunt ends as well as brittle, plastic, glass, or metal pieces that can bend and cut.

• Surfaces: Toys should be non-toxic and fire resistant. Avoid toys with beads made from seeds and any toy containing liquid that could leak.

• Strings: Strings on toys can end up around waists or necks of infants and toddlers, a potentially fatal situation. Toys like these are for older children.

Age and Stage

Toy makers follow the age grading guidelines of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They consist of four main criteria:

• The ability of a child to physically manipulate and play with the features of a toy.

• The ability of a child to understand how to use the toy.

• The child’s play needs and interest at different developmental levels, and

• The safety aspects of the toy itself.

Often we are tempted to buy our child a toy labeled for older children because we want something more stimulating. Don’t! Remember that age recommendations are based on extensive studies, including extensive research on safety. If you give a child  a toy that is too simple or too advanced, he or she may become frustrated or exposed to a safety hazard. Remember toys are for play and learning.

Read the labels

Labels on toy packages make it easy to choose safe, appropriate toys. Read the age levels carefully and use them as guide. Above all, use, use common sense. Nobody knows your child better than you do. No package label can tell you exactly which toys are right for your child, and not all toys are appropriate for every youngster.

Match toy to child

Each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace. Familiarize yourself with his level of maturity, skill, and interest. Watch him at play or play with him; doing so will enable you to choose appropriate toys and worthwhile activities. Just because a child asks for a particular toy doesn’t mean it will make the best gift for him. Like adults, children may have strong immediate reactions to what they see or hear. But a toy that looks good in commercial, may not be the right one for your child. In the same way, just an adult likes a particular toy doesn’t mean the child will, too.