Natural Wooden Toys Are Classic and Fun to Play With

Why you should consider purchasing wooden toys? First, wood makes for very sturdy toys that don't break, they last for years and children love them. Second is the finish: Most are made to be biodegradable and are safely painted with non-toxic paint which is lead free. Many are hand painted, inked or oiled by craftsman. Dyes used should be child-safe, paints should be water-based and natural oil finishes look beautiful. Most wood toys are hand-crafted with love with special attention give to the smallest detail. They last for years and years and can be passed down from one generation to the next. Many are considered a classic, timeless work of art that provide children with hours and hours of imaginative play.

Beauty of wood: Whether is make from mixed hardwoods or maple or oak the natural beauty and appearance of real wood is pleasing to see, resulting high quality toys that will hold up. They last for years and years and can be passed down from one generation to the next. Many are considered a classic, timeless work of arts that provide children with hours and hours of fun playtime with there imagination in full swing.

On of my favorite manufacturers is D and Me, they are a husband and wife working together. There lines features colored pieces that are water-base, with enamel applied by a factory in the United States. All of the wood is from the USA, from sustainable forests and not imported. Each piece is hand sanded, finished, and nicely detailed. The handcrafted wood toys, which have a classic look are meant to be used and played with. Toys in this category include trains, trucks, doll furniture, pull and push toys plus many more. There Klacker toy is a reproduction of a push toy made by Mary's (she is the Me part of the company name) grandpa as a gift for her first Christmas. The klacker is pushed, it makes a unique "klickity klack" sound. (referred to as quiet noise.) The colorful, non-toxic dowels are made from wood. This means as the child uses the toy, you hear a natural noise (wood against wood), rather than the artificial sound.

Another fantastic line is Melissa & Doug, they (Melissa and Doug) started there business in 1988 in the garage of Doug's parents home. They have almost 1000 products and are well know in the industry for quality wood toys, wooden puzzles and games. Melissa and Doug line of puzzles is extensive and has always been one of the company staples for years. Our line includes puzzles with interesting textures, entertaining sounds, and even magnets. They feature fantastic pictures from realistic pictures to hand illustrations. Children absolutely love there wooden puzzles.

Jennifer Boris is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Wood Activity Toys, visit Best Price Toys.

Educational Toys Can Be Fun Too

The best educational toys are ones where the child learn entirely through play without realizing that the toy is teaching them. Games that are fun to play will be seen as just games! There are some toys that do this better than others! Sometimes the enthusiasm of a parent playing with a toy will make a more educational toy seem much more fun!

Always take the time to read all the instructions that come with your children's toys. You'll find out hints for games and can impress the children with your knowledge of the game. Check the age the toy is intended for as well! Well meaning relatives might buy a toy without checking the age, but a parent should never assume anything - check and read any possible hazards to watch out for! Some items come with tutorials for the parents - like the Baby Einstein range of DVDs and CDs. These tutorials show you how you can help your child get more benefit from the products. They've been designed specifically with education in mind.

Basic toys like plastic fruit and vegetables can be a great learning tool. As well as being a fun part of imagination play, they can also be used for other games like counting, sorting and helping children learn more about food. They will be a toy children love playing with on their own and a parent can join in with the play and then encourage some additional games. Suggestions of simple activities like making fruit salad, can help the child go through the process of sorting without making it sound like a chore. Using their own knowledge and perhaps some guesswork most children will enjoy sorting out the fruit. They can also then be asked what they would put in a vegetable soup! This allows them to go from free play to thinking play!

Some toys seem more educational but can still be lots of fun. Magnetic letters are great for them to learn how to spell their own name! You can spell out other family members names too and this helps them start to learn their letters and sounds. The child could then draw round the letters on some paper and colour it in - and this is a great introduction for them for writing as well as being lots of fun.

By interacting with your child whilst they play you can encourage them to learn more without realizing it! They can have lots of fun playing with parents and it can be very satisfying to spend some quality time with your kids inventing new games to play!

http://www.top10toysfor.co.uk/ Top 10 Toys for... has a range of great toys available for your kids to enjoy!

Fischer Price Early Learning Toys

With regards to Fisher Price toys and games for learning the options are wide and varied. You can find playthings for infant, pre-schooler, active learning as well as computer learning. Therefore, if you would like playthings for the children which motivate understanding whilst maintaining your importance upon fun, then Fisher Price toys are generally the ones you will want.

Through infants to six months old toddlers, the perfect Fisher Price toys are the ones that the child can easily focus on at distances of around 8-10 inches. Mobiles, Baby's crib music boxes, Soft toys as well as dolls and Child safe magnifying mirrors would be the appropriate types with regard to your own infant during this period.

When your own infant gets to 7 months, it is possible to provide him/her several fantastic Fisher Price playthings such as music toys, entertainment centers which motivate standing as well as walking, organizing and also constructing playthings, Toys using knobs, levers and switches, Simple-to-activate pop up toys and games and so forth.

Around 12 months to 18months, the majority of the infants start to walk, however, many still tumble over whenever they loose impetus. You can test Fisher Price products such as Push and pull items, slow electric ride-on toys, of which inspire early learning, Dollhouse play pieces, Music devices, Play blocks, Puzzles that have pulls or perhaps a couple of big items, a small and safe climbing frame etc.

As they get to 2-3 yrs, the little one will get rather proficient with hand-eye dexterity and may construct elaborately, or even dress in simple outfits. You need to now provide him/her, Fisher Price toys such as the ones that promote role playing, toys they can ride on, ones that involve sports such as roller skates, music making toys, Fischer price toys that are controlled by a remote handset etc. You may also try out Fisher Price game titles just like Mini sports sets pertaining to basketball, golfing, as well as T-ball.

For kids who're 5 years old and upwards, the perfect Fisher Price playthings are the type in which imaginative expression is addressed. Look into games like picking-up or perhaps games where balancing is the goal, straightforward card games along with picture bingo, items for example magnets, binoculars, magnification device., bicycles together with trainer wheels and of course headgear etc.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that almost all youngsters develop at various paces and achieve developing goals at differing times. The actual phases listed here are intended as approx. suggestions only.

Try out purchasing your toys and games on the Internet in order to get excellent offers as well as wide variety. The majority of the on-line toys and games retailers also provide fantastic navigation tools that may assist in evaluating and studying on a specific item.

You can grab some great bargains at Early Learning Toys. If you have older kids why not get them a Kids Sofas to relax in.

The Magical World of Harry Potter Toys

The world of Harry Potter goes far beyond the gates of Hogwarts Castle. After following Harry and his friends adventures, you can continue them with Harry Potter toys and games. The movies and books have generated a huge line of items. The sales volume of this brand well exceeds thirty billion dollars. Through toys, games, apparel and other items, the Harry Potter brand is huge.

No matter which is your favorite book or movie, there are plenty of branded items for sale for everyone who loves the characters. The games and toys are suitable for most age groups. As your child grows older, you can be sure to find toys appropriate for their age. There are many of the characters from the books and movies available as action figures. These are great to collect or just play with.

The Lego Company has produced a Harry Potter Lego series. For those who love to build, the Lego sets are necessary. They are based on the movies and you can buy the Lego Final Challenge, with sixty building pieces, the Flying Lesson for the Quidditch lover, and the Sorting Hat is a fun set as well. The prices of these sets depend on the amount of pieces and can run from $39 to $89. The ultimate Lego set is Hogwarts Castle. This set has over 943 pieces and many of the characters. You can add on to the set with other packages. The Castle can be bought for over $500. To complete the scene, you can also purchase the Hogwarts Express train.

There are many games based on the Harry Potter theme. Video games for the computer and for all of the gaming systems, will lead you to a whole other world of wizards. Board games are a great way for family fun. You can buy a Clue type game, a Trivia and Mystery at Hogwarts game - all have been enjoyed by the many that have played them. In addition to the action figures, you can buy other toys as well. There are trading cards, jigsaw puzzles for different age groups and those soft plush toys.

No event is complete without a Harry Potter costume. You can get Harry, Hermione, or Dumbledore costumes complete with wands, robes, and glasses. These are great for Halloween or a Potter party. You can also buy wizard robes, wands, and Harry Potter glasses that are sold separately.

There are many different clothing items available. You can buy t-shirts, robes, pajamas and other items based on the Houses of Hogwarts. You can sport a Gryffindor tie, a Slytherin Robe, or a Hufflepuff scarf. Do not forget your Quidditch broom and robe so you can play the high-speed game like Harry.

The most important item to have is of course the wizard wand. These are great collector items and there are many to choose from. Most of the wands are based on the actual wands seen in the movies. You can buy Ron's, Harry's and other character wands for around $29. You can also find great wands to play with. Most will light as you wave the wand to perform your magic.

The world of Harry Potter is right at your fingertips. You can relive your favorite movies and part of the books through the toys, games, and costumes.

Chloe Alice Wilson is the founder of Son Time Now - a boys toys blog that reviews popular toys including Harry Potter Cluedo and Ben 10 Lego.

Pedal Fire Trucks Are Back

Many adults remember having a pedal powered car or pedal fire truck when they were children. This is an experience you can now bring to your own children. In the past these toys have been pushed to the side in favor of battery operated toy vehicles. Now they are back in the limelight. Classic pedal cars can now be found in many toy stores. Not only have these gone back to pedal power, but they are also made out of metal instead of plastic, like toys from your childhood used to be.

There are many benefits to these toys. Playing in a pedal truck can help young children improve their dexterity and coordination. It also is a good way to encourage children to get some exercise. These toys are good for the environment as well, lacking any harmful items such as batteries or motors. With no motor, the toy doesn't make much noise either, although the children playing in it probably will.

Having this toy become popular again is just one sign of a change in our culture. There has been a rising belief in the importance of things being healthy, natural, and simple. The pedal cars follow these rules. They help children be healthy by encouraging them to exercise, and they are mostly made from natural materials, so they don't create harmful waste.

in the past decade our society has been moving towards a automatic and artificial existence. Many children spend all of their free time playing video games or on the computer. Most modern toys are made from plastic and require batteries to work. Even toys for toddlers and younger need to make noise or have flashing lights to get attention.

Since we have reached an extreme, the only direction now to go is back. The obesity epidemic among children is just one symptom of the problem, but it has highlighted it for parents. Children are not as active as they should be. It isn't healthy to sit down all day, so now people are interested in toys that make children want to move around and be active.

It is this movement that has brought older toys back into popularity. Toys that require active children help those children become healthier. Toys that are made of natural materials are also better for the environment. It is hard to safely dispose of batteries, so now children have to become the batteries for their toys. Knowing the importance of a healthy natural lifestyle will stick with a child forever.

Don't think that you can get a toy like this without paying for it. Things moved away from using natural materials because natural materials are more expensive. A toy car that is made from metal and won't break after being played with can cost more. The cheapest of this toy I can find with a quick Internet search is sixty dollars. For a Pedal Fire Truck of good quality it can be more. The price could easily rise to a couple hundred dollars. But what is your child's health and enjoyment worth?

Get a full review and the best price on the hottest Pedal Fire Truck of the year.

Playing Together (Toys For Parents to Play With Children, Puppets, Etc)

These days, parents are finding it more and more difficult to find time to spend with their children. More and more families are finding that they need both parents working to make ends meet, and family time has to take second priority.

This puts a lot of imperative on making sure that, what free time you do have to spend with your children, you'd better not waste it.

It's a good idea to stock up on some toys, games and other items that allow you to play with your children. If you can find common interests between yourself and your kids, that can be a big boost to spending more family time together.

To list a few examples...

Puppets

When you picture yourself playing with puppets, you might think "Well that's fine if I've got a two year old..." but really, puppets can be a lot of fun for kids of all ages. Just put one on, hand one to each of your kids, try out a goofy voice and have fun developing goofy stories and characters together.

Games

Monopoly is great, but it bores the heck out of some kids. Be on the lookout for games that are more to your kid's tastes. If your kids love riddles and puzzles, Mindtrap is a classic for brain teasers. RISK might be a little complex for younger kids, but around the age where a child begins reading 'chapter' books, RISK is a great, in-depth game. Then there are more action-intensive games, like mini-table hockey.

Shared Hobbies

No matter what they might tell themselves, dads never stop liking remote control cars. Getting a couple RC cars and racing them across the living room can be a great bonding experience. Getting some child sized instruments like an electric organ for kids, a harmonica, or a drum kit, and then getting together to bang out some music (even if you're just goofing off and making a ruckus), is just as much fun as it sounds, and might develop into a real appreciation for music, as well.

Shared Interests

And then there are things like Star Wars and Batman, which you can't not love, no matter how old you are. You're not, really, getting old, unless you think you're too grown up to hold swordfights in the backyard with toy light sabres.

Finding Time...

The main thing is really just finding time, knowing what your kids are into, and getting involved. It's a sad fact that these days parents are finding themselves with less and less free time to spend with their kids at the end of each day. If you don't have time, make time. Sure, easier said than done, but it's worth doing, no matter how tricky it may seem to arrange your schedule to find a little playtime.

Kids who spend time with their parents, obviously, grow up feeling closer to their parents than kids who spend most of their time alone. Even after kids move out on their own, the lessons they've learned spending time with their parents stay with them for the rest of their lives. Be there for your kids, whatever it takes.

Yogee.com.au is a leading Australian online toy store. Visit yogee.com.au for a wide selection of Kids Toys at discounted prices. To save money on your next purchase, please visit Toys.

The Fisher Price Smart Cycle Review For This Holiday Season

First I would like to share with you the product features of the fisher price smart cycle.

The Fisher Price Smart Cycle is a Plug & Play (TV), Hardware/Software system. The child can customize his/her vehicle on screen (color/model etc.) and explore different themes (environments) that are sold separately. Games reinforce important preschool concepts like letters, numbers, shapes and colors. Child's favorite character friends offer help and encouragement during game play.

In Explore/ Encounter mode, the child pedals to drive through various environments, learning on the way. In Arcade Games mode, the child can take a pit stop into an arcade game that is played with the joystick. The toy comes with the Learning Journey software and other themes sold separately, which include Dora's Jungle Safari, Sponge Bob's ocean adventures, Hotwheels, Barbie, Space and Dinoland.

Just because it's raining, snowing or otherwise blustery outside, that doesn't mean that your child can't get the exercise he or she needs. The Fisher Price Smart Cycle combines the fun indoor activity of video game playing with the physical activity the great outdoors will give you. Designed for kids ages three to six, the Smart Cycle "physical learning arcade system" is an all-in-one stationary bike, video game console, and educational tool. Your little one will exercise their brains and their bodies -- and have loads of fun in the process.

I live in Cleveland Ohio and I bought one for my 4 year old daughter last Christmas, She has pedaled countless hours and with the brutal winters we have here in North East Ohio she has gotten plenty of much needed exercise all winter long. As your child pedals past Math Mountain teaching your child their numbers while getting great exercise, then they pedal their way around shape lake that teaches your child shapes, and best of all, several optional game cartridges that can be used with the Smart Cycle (sold separately) will keep your child continually entertained, including games that feature favorite characters such as Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Barbie, and Hot Wheels cars.

With its wide array of games and height-adjustable seat, the Smart Cycle is designed to grow with your child. So as your child grows both physically and intellectually, the Smart Cycle will grow with her.

My name is Bill Holton and I wanted to share with everyone just how much fun this toy has given my 4 year old daughter, and in case anyone is interested in learning more about where you can find one in time for the holidays, then I recommend this website:
http://www.squidoo.com/Fisher-Price-Smart-Cycle-3

Leaning and Educational Toys

Studies have shown that young children exposed to early stimulation of the learning process will gain an advantage throughout their school years with better cognition, learning ability and a joy for learning to last a lifetime. And with today's line of learning/educational toys, gaining a head start in brain power has never been easier or so much fun.

The Numerical Advantage.
Learning/educational toys that focus on numbers are a great learning tool to stimulate the child's ability to compute and reason, and better prepare them for the mathematical aspects of life. Toys such as clocks, bingo cards, and counting games prepare the child to calculate and gives them a running head start to tell time, exchange money and learn their math tables. When choosing a numerical-orientated toy, be sure the product is geared for the age of your child. Toddlers prefer large, colorful pieces and easy to master formulas, so be sure that you have not set the bar too high that might frustrate them. The child must gain a sense of masterly skill to make the learning time enjoyable and keep their interest level high.

Linguistic Skills.
Literacy is the window to the world with a lifetime of comprehension and understanding of language. However, it is essential for young children to grasp the use and recognition of their written language as early as possible to avoid stumbling blocks when they reach school age. Early understanding of language opens the door to better communication, reading and writing skills and enables the child to effectively express himself. Companies such as Leap Frog, Fat Brain Toys and The Land of Nod offer plenty of learning/educational toys that will take your child through rapid retention of the alphabet to the construction of sentences and phrases. Language is a vital element to a child's early development and should never be left to an educational institution alone. Interacted language toys will give your little one the verbal advantage he needs from home.

Science and Art Skills.
Not to be overlooked is the disciple of the arts and sciences, and no child is too young to gain early exposure. The arts and sciences open a child's mind to discovery, invention and personal creativity that will bring him a lifelong confidence in his ability to be innovated and think outside of the box. This skill is critical to problem solving, discipline and may even prompt a desire to learn a musical instrument or express himself through painting. When selecting the science and art related learning/educational toys, sample a few artistic outlets and let the child decide what he is most comfortable with. This may be puzzle boards, flash cards or an interactive art shop with clay or paint sets. And when your child develops an early interest in art, be sure to encourage him and realize that there is no right and wrong. Art is a unique form of self expression where a blue elephant is just as valid as a gray one.

Kindre Joseph is an amateur writer who enjoys learning and educating people on a range of topics including; kids toys, games, learning difficulties and solutions. If you have any feedback on this article please feel free to get in touch.

For more information on games, click here childrens toys.

The History of Toddler Toys

We know that Roman and Greek toddlers played with clay rattles, animal skin or animal bladder balls, clay rattles, hand carts, clay dolls, hobby horses, hoops and spinning tops. After toddlers reached the age of 3 they continued to play with these toys, but they where also gradually introduced to using tools and weapons. So from a very early age the toys they used where intended to prepare toddlers for their adult lives.

From the dark to the middle ages knucklebones, barrel hoops, wooden toys like tops, wooden horses and puppets where popular. In this period puritans tended to object to these toys for religious reasons. They felt kids should only play with toys that where based on scripture. A popular toy from the period that puritans liked was a wooden carved ark.

By the 18th century the mass production of toys took hold. Pictorial alphabet cards, books, dissected map puzzles and board games sold well.

By the 19th century the quality of the toys had gone up and the prices had come down. Technical toys like steam engines, building blocks, magic lanterns and optical toys like the kaleidoscope and zoetrope sold well. Many of our current day toy companies started out in the 1890s and 1900s. They produced toy soldiers, zoos, farmyards and later cowboys and Indians and railway figures. When World War 2 broke out toy making came to a standstill. All the toy factories where converted for making weapons. For a while home made toys became popular again.

The most notable thing about toys in the 20th century is the influence of radio TV and popular culture on toys. With prices dropping further toys based on TV heroes where bought all over the world. Buck Rogers, Thomas the Tank Engine and My Little Pony are some famous examples.

Battery powered toys in the 20th century has replaced clockwork toys. However different the toys down the ages may seem, many themes tend to repeat themselves. Toys are still there to develop important skills to comfort and entertain.

Some famous toys from history:

Barbie Dolls - Invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel). The toy was named after Ruth's daughter Barbara. The Ken doll was named after her son. Barbie has had some criticism over the years. If she was a real human her proportions would be 36-18-38 which is impossible.

Boomerang - There are 2 kinds of Boomerangs. The kind which just goes where you throw it and the kind that comes back. Heavier forms of these sticks where used in War and for hunting in the Australian outback.

LEGO - Lego is a Danish inventions from Ole Kirk Christiansen and his son Godtfred Kirk two Danish toy makers. They invented LEGO in 1949.

Video Games - The first video game was created by A.S. Douglas in 1952. At the time he held a PhD degree at the University of Cambridge on Human-Computer interaction. His first creation was a version of Tic-Tac-Toe.

Two of my other articles are: top 10 toys for toddlers and top toys for toddlers.

Educational Versus Edutainment Toys

Today's parents feel pressured to use technology to begin their child's education in utero. For example, the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System promises to "give your baby a headstart" by playing rhythmic patterns to help stimulate early learning. It is time, therefore, to step back and evaluate the true value of toys that incorporate technology to teach.

Toys that are formed from high-tech electronics embedded with semiconductor chips are generally known as edutainment toys. The quality and substance of their play may be limited by the number of buttons a child can push. Some promise to challenge a child by allowing him or her to interact with the educational content to learn it. For example, V.Smile offers a Baby Infant Development System aimed at introducing interactive learning to kids 9 months to 3 years. They can watch educational videos with this system or push buttons on a tray to influence what is happening on a television screen.

Some older toys are also adding electronic bells and whistles to appeal to the current technologically sophisticated generation of children. Dolls now interact with the Internet. Wooden Brio trains make electronic sounds and can be controlled by infrared remotes. The classic Fisher-Price Rock-A-Stack now also comes in a Dance Baby Dance version whose center rod lights up and plays songs when the rings are stacked on it.

Open vs. Closed-ended Toys

An open-ended toy encourages free play with an unlimited number of outcomes. For example, a building set can be used to construct a variety of different structures. A closed-ended toy, on the other hand, has a limited and often soon exhausted number of outcomes.

Not all closed-ended toys are bad. After all, a stacker is a classic closed-ended educational toy: it can only be put together correctly in one way. However, to solve a stacker, a child must develop and use logic and fine motor skills. The child benefits from the repetition of playing with the pieces of a stacker, manipulating them with his or her fingers over and over and thinking about how they fit together until the solution is mastered and then repeated for pleasure.

A closed-ended edutainment toy, on the other hand, may only require a child to press a few buttons. Eventually, it leads to a dead end and the child grows bored and tosses the toy aside. As Martha B. Bronson notes in The Right Stuff for Children Birth to Eight, although a child can have a rich play experience with any toy, basic, open-ended toys encourage this type of experience more than rigidly programmed toys with only one or two functions do. This sort of edutainment toy is not timeless. It is meant to be replaced sooner rather than later by the next big product in edutainment that uses the latest in technological innovations.

Often people assume that toys that use new technology are more innovative and educational than non-technological educational toys. In fact, childhood specialists such as Jane Roberts (president of Young Media Australia, a consumer advocacy group), question how educational and interactive high-tech edutainment toys really are, noting that "[p]ressing buttons and having items do things for you is fairly limiting in terms of how children learn." Furthermore, many traditional toys are themselves becoming more innovative about stimulating a child's imagination and creativity without having electronics in them. For example, the blocks in FoxMind's Cliko game can be used for a variety of games that are challenging to children and adults alike.

Negative Impacts of Edutainment Toys

Overall, parents might not want to encourage children, especially younger ones, to use too often edutainment toys that involve televisions and computer screens. The authors of "Effects of Preschool Television Watching on First-Grade Children," found that preschoolers who watched more television than their peers did worse in school and were not as well socialized when they entered first grade. Researchers Frederick Zimmerman and Dr. Dimitri Christakis found that babies watching Baby Einstein DVDs and videos scored lower on language skills than babies who had never watched them at all.

In addition, Allison Sloan notes in Shopper's Guide to Healthier, Greener Toys that computers and television sets emit EMFs, "invisible forcefields whose possible health effects, from headaches to sleep disruption to cancer, are the subject of heated debate." Children's developing brains are in the greatest danger from such outside influences.

A final caution about edutainment toys is that they can foster in children an acceptance of a disposable consumer culture. A timeless toy such as a set of wooden unit blocks will hold up under heavy use for generations and can be played with at the same time by children (and adults!) of a variety of ages. Edutainment toys, on the other hand, are usually played with by only one child at a time, and they generally have a shorter playtime and life span. Children quickly master and get bored of them, or their high-tech components break, rendering the toy useless, and then they are discarded, releasing toxic chemicals and metals into the environment.

What Parents Can Do

As technology and the Internet permeate society and people's lives more and more, it does make sense to introduce children to computers and other inventions that they will need to use as they grow older. A toy is not necessarily bad or useless because it incorporates technology. That said, smart parents should examine the stated purpose of an edutainment toy, evaluate how and what it teaches, and determine if their children could receive equal or greater value from a simpler, classic toy. Roberts warns against the dangers of a parent using high-tech toys as babysitters, substituting interaction with a machine such as a single-player computer game for what should be "the best learning for young children-real-life experience when they model, create, explore, and develop their own initiatives through play."

For more resources on quality educational toys visit Kids Toy Club.

Toys and Games For One and All

Toys and games that have been in our lives since long has evolved a great deal in recent years. Today, they are no longer used as playthings; they have become learning tools for the overall development of the child. In-fact, you can enhance mathematical skills, memory power, and problem-solving ability by choosing the right toys.

Toys and games must be picked with an eye on age of the child. There are various toys available today that makes the most of a child's learning potential. As a child grows, it needs a different set of challenges and so toys must be chosen with the child's abilities in mind.

Among these some toys for toddlers assists the child in hand to eye co-ordination and overall development e.g. building blocks, puzzles etc.

Red, white, and black are the shades that a baby easily recognizes. Toys in these color tones attract their attention, stimulating their sense of sight and therefore leading to the tendency to grab and grasp. The various educational toys for babies and infants must necessarily be handy so that it can be easily gripped and manipulated.

Girls are usually fond of dolls, Barbie dolls to be precise- and they try to re-enact the activities of their daily lives with these dolls. Dolls and teddies will be cuddled, given food and put to sleep. This way, they get to know about their surroundings and enhance their power of grasping things. Girls would also love to have the entire cooking range, toys with refrigerator, tables, chairs and brooms.

Similarly, boys are fond of robotic toys of their favorite cartoon characters or cars from Hot Wheels etc. Not only do young boys admire these sleek looking toys but also enjoy playing with and preserving them forever. Cycles, swings and slides enthrall them. So, choose the right toy and help your child develop natural skills, at an early age.

Apart from these, there are games like board games like pictionary, scrabble, chess, and business, which are popular with both children and grown ups as well. In-fact, every household, whether in urban or rural India has one board game or the other depending on individual interest.

It is said that these board games are apt to enhance knowledge and thinking ability.

Few indoor board games involve strategy and are appropriate for growing children and young adults. They improve concentration and planning abilities.

Shopping online is a good option. Though educational toys can be purchased from a physical store, the benefits of going online are immense. Here you can go for a little bit of research before narrowing down on the right choice. Most of the online toy stores have detailed description about their products and cater to a wide range of consumers regarding make, price, brand, color etc. for self or gifting purpose.