Educational Toy Ideas for the Holidays

As the Holidays approach, the most often asked question we get is: what toy is best to get for my child, grandchild, etc.

We all want what's best for our children and what's better than providing them with toys that not only entertain, but teach as well? And that's what makes the Classic Toys, “classic” - they are time tested and outlast all the fad electronic “learning” toys for kids that often end up at the bottom of the toybox or the back of the closet soon after the Holidays.

So what makes the classic toys “educational”? In truth, most any toy for young children have educational value (so long as it's safe and age appropriate), but we'll be touching on two categories of educational toys: Manipulatives and Pretend Play.

Manipulatives: Rattles, Shape Sorters, Blocks, & Puzzles

What's more a more basic toy than baby's first rattle? Rattles & other noise-maker infant toys provide baby's first experience in cause and effect: they move the toy and it rewards them with a noise. It's also builds dexterity as they learn to grasp it and pass it from hand to hand.

Shape Sorters, Blocks, and Stacking Toys are great for older infants starting at about 18 months. Shape sorters work on identifying shape and manual dexterity to get them to fit the rights slot. Blocks can introduce pictures and the alphabet and teach cause & effect (build it & knock it down). Stacking toys introduce order.

The most popular manipulatives are puzzles. There are puzzles that are age appropriate from 12 months to 12 years and up. It doesn’t really matter how many pieces or what the picture, puzzles can teach many skills kids need to succeed.

First, and most obviously, puzzles teach subject matter. A child can learn something about the pictures that he is creating. Extensive vocabulary can help a child read at higher levels, especially in the middle school years and beyond.

Puzzles teach other language skills as well. When a parent and child do a puzzle together, the parent may help the child by suggesting: “turn it around” or “put it next to…” These are great directional words.

Children can also learn adjectives such as straight, curvy, round, red, blue, etc. Another language skill is categorizing. This means sorting objects or ideas in to groups that have a common theme.

Try this idea with familiar peg puzzles: Take 2 or more puzzles with different topics and scramble the pieces. Have the child sort the puzzle pieces into piles. You can provide (or ask the child to provide) a heading for each pile. This is a foundation skill for organizing facts for paragraph writing and constructing essays.

Puzzles also help children develop visual skills needed for reading. Simple infant and toddler puzzles can teach a child visual matching skills that can be transferred to reading tasks. Simple puzzles teach children to match one picture to its mate. Sometimes the pictures can be identical and other times the child must match a picture to its outline. Jigsaw puzzles also require visual closure skills. Children need to use clues from the surrounding pieces to choose the piece that fits. This teaches our brains to “size up” the whole picture- important for being able to "fill in the blanks" for reading difficult text and for life.

Finally, puzzles can teach good study skills. They require the child to get organized before starting a task, such as turning pieces picture-side up or sorting out straight edges. Children learn to develop a strategy: should I start by completing a focus object and working my way to others or should I do the edges first?

Puzzles teach perseverance, as a child has to try piece after piece in a particular spot, possibly many different ways. If the missing piece is not found, the child needs to decide to try another area. Lastly, puzzles teach older children how to manage long-term projects. Working on a puzzle a little bit each night can lead to a great accomplishment.

When selecting puzzles for young children, consider many things. Puzzles with pictures that interest the child are motivating. Also consider if the child has the visual skills and dexterity to complete the puzzle. Or maybe this puzzle will be one that he does with his family. There are many different kinds of puzzles so every age can be challenged and successful.

Pretend Play:

Make-believe play is more than just fun, it helps kids:

-Explore imagination

-Think in the abstract

-Acquire language skills

-Build social skills

-Problem solve

-Understand someone else’s perspective

-Learn essential life skills from adults

-Discover leadership skills

-Safely explore the world beyond

-Acquire confidence and a sense of self

The more open-ended the toy, the better. For example, a Dora Doll will likely be used only in associate with Dora story-lines. Which is fine, but a generic doll can be used for a lot more and requires more thought from the child to come up with stories.

There are several types of pretend play, and all should be encouraged:

Imitating mom & dad: taking care of the kids, shopping, going to work, playing with make-up, etc, help them learn the roles they will fill later in life. Provide your child with props that will let them pretend to be you: baby doll, shopping cart, kitchen, purse/wallet and the like.

Playing dress-up: Get the most out of your Halloween costumes and choose dress-ups that your child can play with all year. Grown-up clothes are also great dress-ups- just be sure they know what's available to them and what's not.

Acting out real-life stories & make-believe stories: School, doctor, bank, and favorite stories from books, tv, & movies encourage cooperative play with others, taking turns, and vocabulary.

Creating make-believe spaces such as sofa forts & box houses may encourage the budding architect in your little one and performing for an audience by singing, acting in skits, and directing puppet theater will build your child's imagination and confidence.

At Enkore Kids, we have plenty of toys to choose from in both categories discussed here: Manipulatives & Pretend Play. Ask to see our Melissa & Doug catalog or checkout our selection in the store and on-line at www.enkorekids.com today.

How to Shop Resale & Save Big!

Raising kids is expensive. The Consumer Expenditure Survey by the U.S. Department of Labor figures that households with incomes above $39k/year will spend between $170k and $250k to raise a child from birth to age 18. Of that, $1320-$1720 is for clothing in the first 8 years. Another $3000-$5000 will be spent in those same years for "miscellaneous" expenses that includes toys, equipment, etc. Housing, food, health, daycare, & education are not in that category.

This article is meant to help you cut your clothing and "miscellaneous" expenses in half or more for a potential savings of $2160-$3355 over 8 years.

But money isn't the only thing we need more of when raising a family. Especially, for two-income families, or single parents, time is a very scarce commodity as well. Tips on saving money that cost you time, wouldn't be very helpful.

We'll show you several methods of cutting expenses, in order of time-savings (least to most). You decide which method(s) best suit you and your needs.

Gifts: Whether new or used, from family or friends, gifts obviously are the cheapest way to clothe and equip your child. Unfortunately, we don't have control over the generosity or timing of others. A couple tips, however, to maximize this method:

1. Register for what you need for your baby shower, and ask your shower's hostess to let guests know where you are registered. Also let them know, that second-hand gifts in good condition would be welcome. Your guests can afford to be much more generous and instead of getting the 10th set of "take-me home" clothes, you'll get something that is actually useful.

2. After your child arrives, there will be many more occasions for gifts: birthdays and Christmas. Before these holidays, be sure to let potential gift-givers (most notably the grandparents) know what your child most needs and that second-hand items in good condition are fine. After all, will your two-year old really care?

3. Be sure to send out the "thank-yous". As soon as your child can hold a crayon, include their scribble on the note. It'll be something Grandma will cherish for years.

Yard Sales: These can yield feast or famine, but some prior planning can help you make the most of yard sale season.

1. Always have your best tools with you before you leave: the newspaper and your map. Read the paper the night before and map out your route. If any yard sales have phone numbers, call them. You can be sure the best items will be gone before the sale even starts.

2. Go to the most promising sale first. If you go there second, what you wanted will be gone.

3. Don't be afraid to negotiate, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

4. Look at rain as being a friend. Unless the ad specified a rain date, chances are it'll still be held. After all they paid for the ad and you're more likely to have less competition and get a better price.

Ebay: There are whole books (and courses) written for Ebay, but here are a few tips:

1. Always know the retail value of what you're bidding on. And know the condition of the item. Don't be afraid to ask questions and request additional pictures.

2. Know exactly what the shipping & handling & insurance costs will be. Understand the seller's return policy and if S&H is covered, most do not.

3. Only bid if the seller has an established (and good) reputation.

4. Search for items with common typos or misspellings. Most people search by keyword rather than by category so the $200 "brest pump" starting at $10 may go unnoticed unless you search harder.

5. Check out “Buy It Now” items, you won't have to wait for the auction to end before you know if you get it.

Second-Hand Stores: There are several types: thrift, which are run by non-profits and receive their items by donations; consignment, for-profit and receive items from consignors with whom they split the sale after the fact; and resale, also for-profit and buy their items outright from the previous owner. To get the most out of second-hand, keep the following in mind:

1. Organization: It won't save you any time having everything in one place if you can't find it. However, even in the best organized shop, you should always check neighboring sizes for misplaced treasures. Also, different manufacturers may size differently.

2. Lighting: That great deal on the Osh Kosh overalls won't seem so great if you could see the yellow stain dim lighting might hide.

3. Return Policies: If there isn't a place for you to have your child try on the clothes, think twice if there is any possibility it might be too small unless you can return it.

4. Wish List: Second-hand stores are constantly changing. If you don't see what you need today, it may be in tomorrow and sold the next day before you visit again next week. Ask if the shop maintains a wish list, so they can notify you if your item come in.

5. E-Mail/Direct Mail List: Many second-hand stores also keep customers informed of sales and inventory by e-mail, direct mail, or on their website. Make use of them to save you time and money.

6. Play Area: Is there something to keep your child occupied while you shop? A bored child will make it hard to find bargains.

7. Lay Away: In these tough times, it's helpful to avoid the credit card whenever possible - ask about Lay Away policies for larger purchases and plan ahead for the holidays.

Final Thoughts: The different methods of shopping second hand were, as I said, in order of time savings, least to most. Not in order of money saved. I've seen yard sale prices and Ebay auctions higher than items in second-hand stores and vice-versa.

The best way to ensure you save money is to be familiar with the prevailing retail price. You should never pay more than 50% of the retail value for something second hand, including S&H (if using Ebay). And be open to what you may need in the coming year, not just the current season as great deals don't always come around when you need them.