7 Smart Gifting Tips for Children

Smart Gifting Tips – Wonderfully Fun Educational Toys and Books for Children

Has anyone else noticed a growing trend of kids sitting around (both at home and when out and about) with their faces glued to a smartphone or tablet? Does anyone else get a little tiny shudder at the sight? Are we being rampant technophobes, or is this genuinely detrimental to small children’s development? 

Studies indicate that our fears may be well founded. Just like us, children need to moderate their screen time to ensure that it remains beneficial to learning and play, without becoming addictive. While there are a plethora of apps that can help children with their vocabulary, maths and creative expression, overexposure to smart devices can be detrimental to both health and development. Little ones raised as screen junkies can suffer from impaired sleep, struggle with attention, concentration and social interaction and are at greater risk of weight gain.[1]  Here we’ll look at some of the many benefits of using smart toys to raise smart kids. Take a look at the video above for smart gifting tips or read about wonderful educational toys for gifting below. 

1. Jigsaw Puzzles

Who needs iPads when there are plenty of great educational toys for all ages on the shelves? Plus, you won’t need to panic if they’re dropped! There are all kinds of kids’ learning toys on the market from maze games and puzzle cubes to Orchard Toys jigsaw puzzles. Jigsaws are amazing tools for little hands developing fine motor skills, as they improve dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Try chunky jigsaws for toddlers like this chunky dinosaur puzzle or a Quercetti shape sorter puzzle. Practice counting to 20 with Orchard Toys jigsaw puzzles such as Big Numbers.   

2. Wilberry Toys and Hand Puppets for Kids

The world wasn’t meant to be experienced through a screen. It was meant to be interacted with physically through touch. By handling educational toys, children learn better hand-eye coordination, develop stronger fine motor skills and are able to better navigate the world around them through touch. Snuggly toys and puppets for kids encourage creativity and imaginative story-telling. Not only this, children can better their communication skills as they act out scenes using puppets. Moreover, finger puppets help to strengthen the hand muscles and bring characters to life. Check out cute finger puppets like this gingerbread man and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Alternatively, hand puppets for kids such as this colourful scarlet macaw and large organutan monkey can provide hours of entertainment. Don’t forget snuggly Wilberry toys too! Wilberry toys are ideal cosy companions for playtime.  

3. Eco Toys for Kids

The nature of smartphones and tablets lends them pretty much exclusively to single use. Children’s learning toys, however, are designed to invite sharing and collaboration whether kids are solving problems or weaving narratives through the magic of their imagination. You can also make playtime greener with a selection of ethical and eco toys. Early years resources such as Pick-A-Berry and Counting Dragon are made from sustainable materials and manufactured in eco-friendly factories. More eco toys include Fairtrade skipping ropes, bamboo construction kits and TickiT beechwood rainbow stacking blocks.   

4. Pretend Play Toys 

Effective communications skills are incredibly important in all aspects of play and study as children mature. When they can articulate and express themselves effectively, this gives children a real inside track in education. Pretend play learning toys encourage children to communicate both verbally and non-verbally in order to express themselves and often require social interaction, making them great for raising friendly and socially confident children. Why not try a Cook & Serve set and layered birthday cake that looks good enough to eat for kids who like to help out in the kitchen. If it is construction toys you are searching for, kids will love this workbench and tools. Browse a wide range of pretend play toys here.  

5. Science Toys and Coding Toys

Every day we use our logical problem solving skills to navigate the challenges that life throws at us. We’ve become so accustomed to it that we barely notice. However, it is a vitally important skill to learn, and one that educational toys – such as science and coding toys – greatly encourage in children. They also teach kids about focus, concentration and patience. Take a look at these STEM toys, which make ideal science gifts for kids. Get busy experimenting with Galt Science Lab and Galt Rainbow Lab; compatible with the National Curriculum, these primary resources science toys promote scientific thinking and are excellent value for money. Additionally, coding toys like Artie and Botley the coding robots help children to develop left and right brain thinking skills and early programming skills. Early years resources consist of coding toys like Coding Critters, which contain screen-free coding activities for kids.  

6. Activity Books – Kids Learning Toys

Educational toys and games afford parents a wonderful opportunity to play an active role in their children’s education. There’s a wealth of free early years resources including primary resources maths which can help create fun opportunities for learning experiences shared between parents and children. While a little screen time is perfectly fine as part of a balanced diet of activities, there’s no substitute for the myriad benefits of kids learning toys. Activity books are brilliant from at home learning, classroom education or traveling. Kids can get crafty with fingerprinting activity books and 100 Paper Dragons to Fold and Fly. For those traveling over the holidays, travel activity pads are absolutely perfect! They will keep the whole family entertained and make journeys pass by in a flash.  

7. Sensory Toys for Kids

Children are sensitive to sound and there are some excellent sensory toys for kids to motivate exploration of sound and rhythm that can help with recalling information. This musical elephant can be mounted onto the wall and promotes fine motor skills, finger control and hand-eye coordination. Practice matching sounds with a TickiT prism block set or this Soundtracks listening game. Similarly, kids can make a noise with this fantastic drum kit and guitar.  Toddler and aby sensory toys include rattles, tactile popping silicone bubbles, TickiT sensory blocks and TickiT reflective sensory balls.  

Explore more kids learning toys and smart gifts for kids at wordunited.com! 

[1] Source https://commercialfreechildhood.org