Newswise — Even before the holiday tree is taken down, the child in your life begins to lose interest in the expensive electronic toys that set you back a big chunk of money and hours in long lines. Maybe you made a vow not to repeat this same gift-giving mistake again this year. So, how do you choose toys that have staying power?
Shop with Purpose – the BEST wayIn a tight economy, gift giving doesn’t have to be about high-tech shopping. Before heading out, consider the age, interests and aptitude of the child and reflect on what brings out a smile and encourages sustained play.
Try applying the BEST approach to gifting and look for toys that:• Build physical or intellectual skills • Entertain• Stimulate the imagination• Teach team-centered play and socialization
According to Dale Grubb, creator of the BEST approach and Baldwin-Wallace College professor of psychology, “Most people have experienced the heartbreak of gift failure. Often, it is because the item is too highly structured. When a toy is overly limited in its function, it fails to sustain a child’s interest. To help prevent this scenario, ask yourself, ‘what could the child do with this?’
Variety, Creativity and Strategy = Fun“Variety is also an important consideration,” Grubb continues. “While purchasing a gift that lies outside a child’s established interests poses some risk of ‘gift failure,’ so does buying yet another set of colored pencils for the budding artist, or yet another baseball for the aspiring shortstop. ”
Baldwin-Wallace College Physics Professor Dr. Edwin Meyer, who teaches a popular problem-solving class, also encourages gifts that employ creativity and strategy. “Any game or toy where you see a child sitting there trying to figure out the best move is a good one.” Meyer also endorses art supplies, “Crayons, paints, modeling clay, among other materials, offer wonderful learning opportunities and foster dexterity.”
Participate Don’t IsolateAccording to Grubb, gift-givers shouldn’t assume their role is complete once the colorful wrap is discarded. “It’s important for a child to be in an environment where creativity and learning are valued. Parents, family members, friends and caregivers need to be participants, too.” He says engaging with a child in play tells the child that creativity and learning are important, encourages socialization skills and strengthens bonding.
Grubb cautions adults not to become over-zealous in coordinating activities. “Make sure the child is directing the play,” he recommends. “When you ‘play house’ with a child, the child should be allowed to steer the creative play in any direction. Simply go along for the ride, even if that means spending time squeezed into a box from a long-forgotten toy,” he says with a smile.
Or, in the case of an age-old favorite like Play Dough, be sure to buy plenty… enough for you and your budding artist to create masterpieces over and over again.
BEST Gift List• Build physical and/or intellectual skills: sporting goods, games of skill, puzzles and trivia games • Entertain: MP3 music players, puzzles, interactive video games• Stimulate imagination: Art supplies, dolls, action figures, kitchen/workbenches and musical instruments • Teach socialization and teamwork: Board games, playhouses and recreational games
Sidebar:Ed Meyer – “the Problem Solving Prof” - Favorite Games
• Rush Hour – This single-player game involves freeing a red car from a traffic jam by moving other cars and trucks back and forth. It develops mental stamina and is a great introduction to the field of operations research.
• Guess Who – An old game with many spin-offs (Amazon.com lists at least five versions). It develops creativity and problem solving ability. By asking creative yes/no questions yourself, you can spark the child's thinking skills. For example, “Does your person’s name have an odd number of letters?"
• Set – This card game is easy to learn and the whole family can play. It develops pattern recognition.
• SOMA Blocks or SOMA Cubes – Introduced in 1936, SOMA blocks are seven blocks that can be arranged into a cube or an unending number of other shapes. Your child can spend hours completing a checklist of shapes.
All of these games can be found on the Internet. Several of them have online versions that allow a gift giver to test the game before purchasing.
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