IQkidz Blog

ten steps to fun and safe play

too — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:28:51 +0000

1. When shopping for toys, keep in mind the child’s age, interests and abilities.

2. Read toy of packaging labels for age ranges and safety warnings.

3. Be especially careful when choosing toys for children under three. Select toys that are free of small pieces (or pieces that separate or can be broken off), are lightweight, have no sharp edges or points and are non-toxic.

4. At home, read instructions for assemble and use. Keep product Iiterature in case of future questions and complete warranty cards.

5. Remove and discard all packaging from a toy before giving it to a baby or small child.

6. Consider the home environment in which a child will play with a toy and younger children who may be there. A toy intended for an older child may be dangerous in the hands of a younger one.

7. Supervise children when they play and set good examples of safe play.

8. Remind caregivers, including grandparents, of play-related safety concerns.

9. Choose a safe storage place for toys.

10. Check toys at least every three months to determine their safety. Make any repairs immediately or throw away damaged toys.

Children are inspired to realize their full potential through play. Thank you for caring enough to help make playtime a safe, rewarding, joyful expertence.

age by age guide to buying toys for your children

too — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:57:11 +0000

Based on child development research, the following guide will help in your selection of toys for various age groups. Some playthings are recommended for more than one age category, as children of different ages often enjoy the same toy, each playing with it at his or her own level.

Birth to 6 moths
Abilities and Interests

Experts agree that even babies benefit from toys. Infants use their senses to learn about their world. For the first few months of life, babies are unable to grasp objects with their hands, but enjoy exploring with their ears and eyes. Therefore, toys that make noise or feature high-contrast, black-and-white or brightly colored images are especially appealing to newborns and young infants. Once infants can reach for objects, they enjoy toys that are textured and safe for mouthing. Remember, to avoid dangerous entanglement, toys never should be hung or attached to a crib, playpen, stroller, infant seat or around a child’s neck with elastic, string or ribbon.

Toy Suggestions
·  - Crib gyms*
·  - Floor gyms
·  - Activity quilts
·  - Mobiles*
·  - Safety mirrors
·  - Teething toys
·  - Large, interlocking rings or keys
·  - Cloth toys
·  - Soft dolls
·  - Stuffed animals (with short pile fabric)
·  - Musical and chime toys
·  - Rattles

*Remove when baby is five months old or is able to push up on hands and knees.

6 Months to 1 Year
Abilities and Interests

In the second half of the first year, infants master the motor skills that enable them to play with toys in new and exciting ways. When babies can sit up, they enjoy playthings they can manipulate – to bang, drop,stack, put in and take out and open and shut. Once they can crawl. “cruise�? (walk while holdings onto furniture) and walk, they enjoy things that move along with them. Toys that show cause and effect are also thrilling this age.

Toy Suggestions
· - Balls (1 ¾ inches and larger)
· - Push-pull toys
· - Busy boxes
· - Nesting and stacking toys
· - Simple shape sorters
· - Pop-up toys
· - Soft blocks
· - Bath toys
· - Teething toys
· - Large, interlocking rings or keys
· - Soft dolls
· - Stuffed animals (With short pile fabric)
· - Simple musical instruments
· - Rattles
· - Squeeze/squeak toys
· - Cloth and cardboard picture books

1 to 2 Years
Abilities and Interests

In the second year of life, children are explorers. Fueled by curiosity and wonder, toddlers also possess the physical skills that make it easy for them to play and learn. A busy toddler needs toys for physical play-walking, climbing, pushing and riding-and ones that encourage experimentation and manipulation. At this age, children imitate adults and enjoy props that help them master life skills.

Toy Suggestions
·- Balls (1 ¾ inches and larger)
·- Push-pull toys
·- Ride-on toys (feet-propelled)
·- Wagons
·- Backyard gym equipment (infant swing, small slide, small climbing apparatus)
·- Nesting and stacking toys
·- Simple shape sorters
·- Pop-up toys
·- Puzzles with knobs (whole-object pieces)
·- Blocks
·- Sandbox/sand toys
·- Wading pool/water toys
·- Bath toys
·- Stuffed animals (with short pile fabric)
·- Dolls
·- Play vehicles
·- Kitchen equipment and gadgets
·- Play household items (telephone, lawn mower, workbench, shopping cart)
·- Playhouse
·- Child-sized table and chairs
·- Non-toxic art supplies (large crayons and coloring books, clay, finger-paints)
·- Musical instruments
·- Cardboard picture books, pop-up books

2 to 3 Years
Abilities and Interests

Older toddlers love testing their physical skills—jumping, climbing, and throwing, — and enjoy toys for active play. This age group also possesses good hand and finger coordination and enjoys putting these skills to work with basic arts and crafts, puppets, blocks and simple puzzles. Imaginative play also begins in the third year.

Toy Suggestions
·- Balls (1 ¾ inches and larger)
·- Backyard gym equipment (swing, small slide, small climbing apparatus)
·- Building blocks and building systems
·- Blocks with letters and numbers
·- Wading pool/water toys
·- Puzzles with knobs (whole-object pieces that fit into simple scenes)
·- Dolls that can be bathed, fed and diapered
·- Dress-up clothes and accessories
·- Hand/finger puppets
·- Play household items (telephone, lawn mower, workbench, shopping cart, kitchen equipment and gadgets)
·- Non-toxic art supplies (crayons and coloring books, clay, finger-paints, sidewalk Chalk)
·- Child-sized table and chairs
·- Play scenes (e.g, farm, airport) with figures accessories
·- Sandbox/sand toys
·- Tricycle and helmet
·- Play vehicles
·- Wagon
·- Shape sorters
·- Playhouse
·- Storybooks
·- Stuffed animals

3 to 6 Years
Abilities and Interests

After the age of three, children begin to play actively with each other. Preschoolers and kindergartners are masters of make-believe. They like to act out grown-up roles and enjoy costumes and props to help them bring their imaginations to life. It is quite common for children this age to develop strong attachments to favorite toys, expressing feelings to a special doll or teddy bear. Materials for arts and crafts are also popular with this age group, which enjoys creating things with their hands.

Toy Suggestions
·- Tricycle and helmet
·- Bicycle and helmet
·- Backyard gym equipment
·- Construction toys
·- Lacing and threading sets
·- Puzzles (10-20 Pieces)
·- Stuffed animals
·- Dolls and doll clothes
·- Dress-up clothes and accessories
·- Props for make-believe play
·- Play vehicles
·- Hand/finger puppets
·- Play scenes with figures and accessories
·- Cassette/CD player
·- Non-toxic art supplies (safety scissors, construction paper, crayons)
·- Simple board games; word and matching games
·- Storybooks

6 to 9 Years
Abilities and Interests

School-age children enjoy play that requires strategy and skill. Board games, tabletop, tabletop sports and classic toys like marbles and kites are favorites. Grade-schoolers also enjoy exploring different kinds of grown-up worlds and like fashion and career dolls and action figures. Children this age seek out new information and experiences through play and enjoy science, craft and magic kits. In addition, this age group possesses the physical skills and coordination to enjoy junior versions of adult sporting equipment.

Toy Suggestions
·- Complex gym equipment
·- Bicycle and helmet
·- Sporting equipment (baseball glove, hockey stick, tennis racket) and protective gear
·- Simple swimming equipment
·- Stilts
·- Ice or roller skate/in-line skates and protective gear
·- Construction toys
·- Pogo sticks
·- Jump ropes
·- Action figures
·- Paper dolls
·- Model kits
·- Craft kits
·- Magic sets
·- Science sets
·- Art supplies
·- Tabletop sports
·- Electronic games
·- Jigsaw puzzles, including three-dimensional puzzles
·- Fashion-career dolls
·- Puppets, marionettes and theaters
·- Doll houses and furnishings
·- Video games
·- Board games
·- Cassette/CD player
·- Books (children’s classics, fairytales)

9 to 12 Years
Abilities and Interests

Preteenagers begin to develop hobbies and life-long interests and enjoy crafts, model kits, magic sets, advanced construction sets, science kits and sophisticated jigsaw puzzles. Active play finds its expression in team sports. Painting, sculpting, ceramics and other art projects continue to be of interest.

Toy Suggestions
·- Sports equipment and protective gear
·- Bicycle and helmet
·- Ice or roller skates/in-line skates and protective gear
·- Advanced construction sets
·- Jigsaw puzzles, including three-dimensional puzzles
·- Puppets, marionettes and theaters
·- Remote control vehicles
·- Model kits
·- Science kits
·- Magic sets
·- Craft and handiwork kits
·- Art supplies
·- Playing cards
·- Board games
·- Chess, checkers dominoes and other strategy games
·- Tabletop sports
·- Video games
·- Electronic games
·- Electric trains
·- Musical instruments
·- Books (biography, mystery, adventure, science fiction)

the importance of play

too — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:36:56 +0000

Play has an undeniable influence on every aspect of a child’s development, laying the foundation for reading, writing, mathermatical reasoning and creativity. Through play, children develop:

* Physical (groos-motor) skills, as a child at play learns to reach, crawl, walk, run, climb, jump, throw, catch and balance.

* Fine-motor skills (the use of hands and fingers) as he or she handles playthings.

* Mental skills, through play that encourages problem solving and demonstrates cause cause and effect.

* Language skills, which blossom as a child interacts with others and uses words for favorite playthings and activities.

* Social skills, which are mastered by learning to follow directions, cooperate, take turns, abide the rules and share.

* Emotional skills, as children experience pleasure, bond with others, and work through feelings during the role-play.

*Self-esteem, so crucial to one’s long-term happiness and success, enhanced when chidren archives goals through play.

* Creativity and imagination, when a child pretends to be a doctor, a teacher, a parent, or a fire-fighter, he or she learns that life is full of possibilities and opportunities.

Perhaps most important of all, play is fun. Years later, when we recall our childhood, it is the happy times spent playing with special people that we remember most fondly.

Source: Toy Industry Association, USA

the joy of play

too — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:09:53 +0000

Here is the good article from Toy Industry Association in the U.S. which we’d like to share with you:Play is universal. Children of every culture engage in play; anthropologists have found evidence of toys dating as far back as there is record of human life. Though play differs from culture to culture, generation to generation, it is clearly an instinctual, essential part of growing up.

While play has existed since ancient times, only recently have we come to appreciate its importance to a child’s development. Too often, we dismiss playtime as simply entertainment for our children. Yet, experts consider play to be a child’s work. Truly, there is no more constructive pastime for a child. While play is the essential joy of youth, it is also the primary way in which children learn about themselves, others and their world. Through play, children develop the physical, mental, social, emotional and creative skills needed for life.

Given the many benefits of play, parent and caregivers naturally want to make the most of it for their children – to choose appropriate toys, encourage positive play experiences and, above all, ensure safe play. This booklet will help you do that.