Don’t you just love toys!!

Remember your first toy which brought a big smile on your face? Your favorite toy with which you could spend hours together without interruption? Or that special toy which you so badly wanted, that you didn’t mind adjusting with other kids so that they let you play with it? I bet most of our most playful childhood memories include toys in them, and we all remember what out favorites were.

Toys have been an integral part of every human’s childhood right from prehistoric times. Some of them were gifted to us, and some of them were made by our imagination and any everyday item which we could lay on hands on.

What kids don’t know is that toys are not just a plaything; they are also a fun way to learn. Toys help us be creative, they teach us social skills, but more importantly they teach us so much more about ourselves!

Not just kids, toys are very helpful with adults too, they help us exercise our brain and brawn, learn more about people around us and our relationships, and they also give us a chance to relive our innocent childhood days.

Toys categories

If we have to categorize the toys, then these would be some of the broad categories made:

• Creative toys: These are the ones which stimulate us to think and imagine something which we might not see every day. The toys in this category help in developing our cognitive thinking.
• Construction toys: For all those who like to engineer and build, these are the kind of toys they love. Lego toys are one of the world’s biggest toy manufacturing company.
• Food-related toys: Such kinds of toys help us learn more about food items and their nutritional value. Such toys are especially helpful in making the kids learn the value of nutrition and balanced diet.
• Games: The ones which we all love to sit together, and play along. Such games are mostly enjoyed with a group of friends.
• Action Figures: Who doesn’t like to have a superhero action figurine do as they want? These action figures help us be those superheroes in our own way!
• Puzzles/ Assembly: These are the ones which guide us to develop reasoning and rational thinking.
• Stuffed Animals: One of the favorites amongst kids, there are some stuffed toys in particular which kids like to carry them everywhere they go!

Tips on how to buy an effective toy

Every toy has a special trick to teach, a meaningful life lesson to impart. It depends on us, what we want the kids to learn, which helps us decide what kind of toys we want to surround them with. Toys don’t always have to be flashy or expensive, a simple block of wood, or a piece of clay can be as entertaining to kids as a very expensive train set. What matters is how much they are able to put their imagination into playing with that toy. Especially for toddlers, who learn the concept of colors and textures from these toys.

Toys also help us learn the important life principles like sharing, neatness of our environment and de-cluttering. We can use toys as a medium to teach our kids how to organize things, how to pack and unpack, not to leave a mess behind and the joys of sharing.

With changing times, toys also evolve. These days there are a lot of online and video options also available, which can be used to entertain and teach kids in a fun way.

Elmo Cookie Monster!

Elmo Cookie Monster is the beloved Muppet who, as the name suggests, loves to eat Cookies. Children these days love to watch him and hear what he says. Lately, the cookie monster has been promoting healthy eating habits, to discourage obesity in children, and is garnering a very positive response from its favorite audience; kids! Now just the cookie monster, its various merchandise like, toys, icons and cookie jars are a hit among children too.

Not only fun, toys open a whole new world of learning and social interaction for kids, and no matter how subtle the message is, it is never forgotten.