If you have found this article then you either already know that choosing a toy for a child is something that should be considered very carefully, that it's not an easy task or your own little ones had some presents they love and some they never seem to touch, and you want to know why.
These tops ten tips are based on my experience of toys, the elements that make up great toys and the careful thought about the intended use of the toy and the setting it will be used in. Follow these tips and not only will the child love the gift, the parents of the child will love you!
1) Think about the child the toy is for - This may seem obvious, but I would urge you to go a bit further than normal, don't just consider their age, consider what they like, what have their parents talked to you about, what other toys have you seen at their house, what toys has the child played with when they have been at your house?
2) Choose the toy with siblings in mind - Does the child have many siblings, if only one, not too far apart in age then a simple game with two players can be ideal. These can be engrossing for both children and can help the children develop good bond. For children with more than one sibling an open sided toy like a Noah's ark, a pirate ship or toy garage is ideal as it allows many children to gather around the toy and play together, this is a great tip for avoiding arguments and fights!
3) Does the toy have more than one element to play with - This is around ensuring that the toy does not get played with once then abandoned, instead of buying a simple wooden car, try Automoblox, they are wooden cars and construction kits in one, they also have a registration number and an owners club, ensuring that the gift keeps giving.
4) Consider what the parents want - This is one to score some points with the parents, are they trying to introduce language, reading, writing, potty training, there are gifts, games and books around all these topics which can result in a very thoughtful gift.
5) Consider where the gift will be stored - By carefully thinking about how much space the parents have you will ensure that your gift won't be met with raised eyebrows. A 100 piece train set may be a great gift for the child but if the childs toybox is already full a puzzle which does not take up too much room maybe more appreciated.
6) How long will the toy last - I may be a little biased here, if you want the toy to last; buy wood, plastic shatters, breaks, splinters, cracks and falls apart, wooden toys appreciate character with a few knocks and scrapes, they don't fall apart and last a lot longer.
7) Educational - This can be the traditional educational aspect such as counting, learning the alphabet with magnetic letter sets, learning to tell the time with counting clocks or learning colours and shapes with shape sorter and stackers. But this can also be buying toys to help children who are not particularly good at certain elements, a cargo pick up trike is a great gift for the toddler or young child who doesn't like tidying up, he will soon begin when it becomes a game. Play food, shops and wooden high tea sets can be great for encouraging difficult eaters, they can role play feeding their own toys and dolls and will be more comfortable feeding themselves.
8) Exercise - All parents want their children to exercise and make sure they are fit and healthy. A toy such as a wooden ride on toy or a simple push along toy which will encourage children to run around and use up some of that surplus energy will be well loved by children and their parents.
9) Toys that teach children a story - The Noah's Ark must be the classic for this, but there are others, this is good to help develop a bond between child and parent or older sibling, purchasing a toy that allows a story to be told is a toy that will generate lots of fond memories for the child and the story teller.
10) Value - to me this means not only value for money and that the toy is not too expensive, and doesn't need batteries replacing every other week (another plus for wooden toys) but it should also deliver on play value. Will the toy really stimulate the child does the toy really have the potential to be part of an in depth role playing game, like a pirate ship or a fire station, or if its an activity centre, does it real contain enough activities.
I hope that you find these tips useful and they give you something to think about when next selecting that special gift fo the special child in your life.