Surprising suggestions for Santa and you.

With Thanksgiving just ahead, Christmas isn’t far behind. If you have kids, you would probably want to get a headstart on shopping for holiday toys. I try to get this out of the way by December to ease up on last-minute holiday stress. The toy stores get pretty busy, and I don’t like getting caught in a Christmas stampede.

A doctor and professor has some good advice on what you should be getting those tots and toddlers on your list. If you’re shopping for your own preschoolers, now is the time to set the trend for a taste in quality toys that make them play, imagine and think. Read more for our good-toy guide.

The latest, pricey “it” toy is often not the wisest choice. Dr. Paula Kramer, chair and professor of occupational therapy at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia says, “these toys may be unique and novel, but they’re not always the best choice for the child, or the toy with the longest life. If a toy is static and doesn’t promote creativity, imagination, and change, it will probably end up in the corner.”

Children below age 5 tend to enjoy simple, open-ended toys. I have seen this myself. When my son was around 3, he had gotten a Transformer robot as a gift. He was interested… for about a minute. He really couldn’t transform it from robot to vehicle. It was too advanced. What really engaged our then 3-year-old? The box it came in, which he turned into a multitude of other things.

It’s as if kids are wired to use their imagination. And we should encourage this with open-ended toys. These include building toys like MegaBlocks,  Dado cubes, pickets and classic wooden blocks. A recent good buy that my daughter and son love to “work” with for hours is the Imginarium Deluxe Building Block Set. The blocks look like multi-colored bricks. They have used these inexpensive cardboard bricks to build castles and forts that were the setting for hours of dramatic play.

“Traditional toys, such as Legos, are also great because they help build skills such as fine motor manipulation and creativity,” said Dr. Kramer. “While they come with instructions on how to build certain things, kids can choose to build anything they want.”

A simple guideline would be, if it makes them imagine different outcomes and possibilities, then it’s a good open-ended toy.

Dr. Kramer points to a new development in toy trends that is good for kids – movement-oriented toys. One example is the Fisher-Price Smart Cycle where kids have to pedal through learning discoveries, games and races. It was designed to encourage physical activity while strengthening reading and motor skills.

Like we tackled in a previous post, active kids are not just fit – they are happy and do better in school. So don’t overlook these other classic gifts: tricycles, bicycles and sports equipment. For toddlers, pretend play golf, tennis or basketball can be fun.

Another reminder from Dr. Kramer is to choose toys based on your child’s developmental stage. It should be at his current ability or slightly more challenging. Not too difficult though, or else they’ll just ignore the toy – or worse, get overly frustrated.

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