Too Much Awesome

We have mentioned how kids love to be part of the team, doing chores and adding their work to the household.  This is an aspect of child psychology that is often overlooked and misunderstood.  People seem to have fantasy that childhood is “care-free” and that children should never have real responsibilities. Of course, parents know [...]

The toy wagon is a wonderful toy that has been popular for over a century – and perhaps longer.  These toys are more than a throw-back to simpler times.  In truth, a toy wagon is a practical device that will remain useful as children grow and completely change their interests. Toy wagons are perfect for [...]

Play-Doh is ubiquitous in nurseries and preschools, and for good reason.  This safe, non-toxic molding clay is the ultimate toy for building children’s imaginations. Molding clay is often a child’s first exposure to creating material goods.  To do so, they have to visualize what they want to create, and then use their hands to make [...]

On the topic of imagination, consider the newest craze for talking dolls and action figures. These expensive toys do all the talking and that can limit children’s creativity. In the not-so-distant past, dolls and action figures were the bread and butter of kids’ imaginative play. There are no script or rules, only hours of absorptive [...]

A century ago, there was no great debate about what kinds of toys were best for children.  All toys were handmade, simply designed, and constructed from natural materials.   The last thing that all these old-fashioned toys had in common: a welcoming of kids’ imagination. Imagination is precisely the missing ingredient today for many toys on [...]

We have established that toys function by modeling what adults say is acceptable behavior for children. Wartime games are a negative reinforcement for children if parents are otherwise trying to raise law-abiding and thoughtful kids. But how can we model positive behavior with toys? It’s actually very easy. Kids love to do what their parents [...]

Are all toys good toys? These next couple posts will explore why some types of toys may be better for children than others. To begin, let’s take a virtual tour on the memories of yesteryear’s favorite toys. In 1920, what was the top selling toy for boys? Answer: the Daisy air rifle. In 1950: the [...]

What are the best kinds of toys – electronic or traditional?  Last time we discussed toy experts who argue that electronic toys are the most effective for learning. The other strong-minded camp of toy experts are the toy traditionalists.  These experts argue that the best toys are the ones that stimulate a child’s creativity and [...]

Toys are usually the first things that children have that are really their own.  So it should not come as a surprise that these first possessions leave an important mark on child psychology.  As such, parents should not think of toys simply as things that distract and entertain their children, but also as things that [...]

Despite the warnings you may have heard that recommended ages listed on toys can be inaccurate, it is still possible to find the right toy as a gift if all you know is the child’s age. In particular, age categories are more consistent with younger children, from babies up to four or five years old.