Most children find holidays and birthdays as very special. They look forward to these special occasions because they expect to receive gifts especially brand new toys. For parents, the toddler phase among children is the most enjoyable to observe. When babies reach the toddler stage, they come to understand how fun it is to celebrate holidays and birthdays, and other special occasions. They long for these opportunities where they can give and receive gifts. Kids love gifts, whatever kind of gift it is. But, of course, the best gifts for toddlers are toys.

The task of finding the best toddler toys can be cool and simple. This is due to the fact that there is a wide variety of a toy for toddlers that are available. Toddlers are known to be excited to almost any kind of gift. But this does not imply that it is not necessary to choose the perfect toy for your little ones. At their very young age, the best toys to give them are those toys that induce learning and mental development.

Since the toddler phase is considered as among the notable period of mental growth and development. This is the phase where children are encouraged to think and learn. That's why the best toys for kids at this stage are educational toys. These toys can help them gain knowledge of the world they live in. Educational toys also help kids develop some vital skills such as the basic motor skills.

However, not all toys are suitable for all children. There are toys that are especially designed for toddlers. For that reason, it is important to consider the age of your child before buying a toy for him or her. There are certain ages which can play a specific type of toy.

Toddlers have the tendency to choke small parts of the toys that's why most children toys have choking hazard sign. In this regard, it would be better if you choose toys that are specifically made for those children who are in the toddler stage. The fines toddler toys have been scientifically tested to ensure that they would be safe for your kids.

In addition, the perfect toddler toy must be fun and exciting to your kids. When choosing a toy, opt for the toy that is colorful and promotes child development. Obviously, this does not imply that the best toddler toys should be state-of-the-art electronic devices. If you still have no idea on what toy to buy for your toddler, just think of your childhood years. Try to remember the toys that you play with when you are still young. This may help you in finding the right toy for your child.

Thus, there are numerous toys for toddlers that are at hand. But educational toys are still the most appropriate toy to buy for your kids. They do not only promote learning but they are also safe to play with. Most of all, do not forget that the toy should be fun and exciting. It is of the essence that your kids get pleasure from playing with their toys. If your kid is enjoying the toy that you buy, that only means that you did a good job in your toy shopping.

Toddler toys, like childhood itself, mean different things to different people. To the average European or American parent, a toy serves to keep the young amused and distracted. Now more than ever, with the belief that multiple intelligences can be stimulated in the early years, toy manufacturers are gearing their products towards those than can keep children beguiled, occupied and instructed. For instance, toys should help the child develop his motor skills, and engage him in fantasy and investigative play.

Many toy companies have continuously strived to make products which not only stimulate physical development but also nurture emotional and intellectual advancement. Despite this, the sad fact remains that not all toy bought stores come up to the specifications for toys that stimulate holistic growth. Thus, it is up to the parents, especially the mother, to make sensible decisions when purchasing toys.

Claudia Jones, in her book "Parents are Teachers, Too," cited how important that responsibility is, and how to implement it by outlining the 2 Stages of Learning, and suggested appropriate toys for each stage:

The Sensorimotor Stage

This is the period from birth to 1 ½ -2 years, which includes the stage where, if an object is hidden, it no longer exists. Toward the end of the first year, the toddler begins to realize that just because an object can't be seen, it doesn't mean it's no longer there. When he begins to put words together with objects (word association), and grasp the concept of representation, he is thus prepared to pass into the second period.

Toys to look for:

Shape-sorting toys, animal puzzle toys, knobbed and squeezable toys, touch and stack toys, stack and sort toys, and others of the same kind make wonderful toys for toddlers at this stage.

What these toys do:

Most of these toys stimulate the toddler's imagination, boost his language development and build up his dexterity.

The Preoperational Period

This stage follows the sensorimotor period and lasts up until 6 ½ to 7 years of age.(Ms. Jones reminds parents that the passage from one stage into the other is not abrupt or definite.)This second stage is one in which the child judges entirely by appearance. During the preoperational period, a child is aware only of his own point of view.

Toys to look for:

Washable poster paint toys (ie: Melissa and Doug wooden deluxe standing easel set), room set toys (ie: bedroom set, living room set, kitchen set, etc.), mini-scooters, card game directional toys (ie: Right Turn, Left Turn), catch and shoot basketball toys, activity books , memory games, airplane kits, stick 'em toys, piggy bank toys (ie: Money Savvy Pig), etc.

What these toys do:

These toys stimulate creativity, allow children to make their own decisions, give them a sense of control that leads to a sense of security, develop strategy skills, encourage group play, and most importantly, encourage parental participation.

The Period of Concrete Operations

At about the age of 7, a child understands the concepts of conservation and the relationship between a whole and its parts. His thinking seems fairly logical to adults, but he has a difficult time dealing with abstract ideas.

The Period of Formal Operations

At about 11 years of age, the child enters this period, which lasts until he is 14 or 15. The child learns to see beyond reality. He can visualize the potential of things and deal with ideas. These all lead him to adult reasoning.

The Bottom Line

The parent's decision to purchase toddler toys involves seeing those toys through the eyes of a child, and going beyond that viewpoint to see how it would develop the child in all aspects. The decision to buy a toy is apart from actually buying it. That window, then, should be one that looks through what the toy can do in developing a child's multiple intelligences while providing the child with genuine joy and satisfaction.

Varieties of toys are available in the market to entertain and educate kids according to their age-groups. Find toy manufacturers and b2b portal. Craze of toys among children make toys an inseparable part of their life. Children up to a particular age feel toys as their friends or closer ones. They want to do each activity of their daily life with their favorite toy and also make their toy to do the activities same as they do or observe doing others. We often see many toys scattered in the house of a kid and see that kid talking, sleeping, eating and doing many such activities with his toys.

Many of the toys make an essential job of educating kids. This toy industry has widened its circumference and became one of the largest industries. This industry includes variety of toys in it everyday. Alike other industries many new launches are being done in this industry too. Many national-international toy fairs are being arranged and organized in various countries, where many new varieties of toys are being introduced to the masses.

Toys are also being categorized into various categories such as traditional toys, electronic toys, digital toys as well as educational toys and the toys those are most extensively loved by elders too are soft toys. This industry of ‘products for small’ is seeing larger heights day by day. Toy industry is influenced by fashion and hence that of brands too. Many kinds of toys are facing in & outs in the toy market due the impact of fashion. Toys of different brands are also being seen in the market.

Choice of toys is different for each child and it also varies according to its sex as we come to see that a boy child go for various electronic & noise making sort of toys while simple, soft & decent toys are the choice of girls. Here while talking about the girl children’s choice for toys we must not forget about DOLLS. It’s a kind of toy without which not any girl child can spend her childhood. This special kind of ‘Toy for girls’ has formed a specific and the significant segment in the whole toy industry. In this segment of dolls, one stylish and the most favorite doll has brought glamour into the whole toy industry, she is Barbie. Barbie has given different shades and styles to the whole toy industry. This is the doll that has been going through many special versions.

This famous and glamorous doll has recently celebrated her silver-jubilee. Such a long journey of a toy shows its influence on us. 50th birthday of Barbie was the remarkable event, which has been celebrated with passion all over the world where a fashion week inspired of Barbie’s collection and her signature hot pink color had been organized. In spite of this, many other fashion shows have been arranged using Barbie theme since years. This toy has got fame and widely been considered as the style icon as this doll has many of fashion looks, styles and apparels. This ‘Toy Fashion Model’ annually employs near about 50 professionals to create her hair-style, make-up as well as fashionable & unique tailoring. Despite of this all, her newest signature line is going to get released in coming September.

This kind of popularity of a toy reveals its impact on us, which has not only influenced our childhood but our teenage as well as adulthood to the considerable extent. Many companies are having powerful toy business and are stepping ahead by bringing varieties and brands in this industry. And even this industry is holding b2b marketplace through internet just like others.

There seems to be a constant battle on how video games are affecting the children that are playing them, but the fact is that video games can teach children too. In fact, video games can help to enhance the reading skills of a child, not to mention help build their coordination and visual skills.

In several video games, your child get to become the main character who travels throughout the game purchasing different items needed to complete the video game successfully, while reading special instructions given throughout the video game. Since the child is simply interested in playing the video game they become unaware that they are actually reading and often times the reading is above their regular grade level. You may often hear your child say they do not like to read, but if you will take the time to watch them play particular video games and tell them you can not see the writing that well, then hopefully they will read it to you and you will become fairly surprised.

Video games can even inspire children to new interests as well. In fact, when a child plays a video game that they do not know much about, then you may see your child bringing books home from the school library that are similar to their new video game. When a child is participating in a video game, then children can see history come alive. Each video game that your child plays must be viewed as having a positive side instead of listening to all the hubba of others, because video games can teach your child different skills.

Some video games are designed to teach the skills necessary for making a living as they give the gamer a variety of different choices. Video games also confront gamers with issues such as moral dilemmas, solving challenging problems, and developing social relationships as well. Children who play video games often have the pick up from a cluttered area than those that do not. In fact, studies are now showing that when learning is added into video game playing children begin being faster at the other activities they participate in.

Some where in the future of time teachers may begin incorporating the playing of video games into the assignments of their students. Several government agencies will use computerized video games to assist in stimulating certain types of situations for their employees. In fact, even the military and NASA train with computerized video games, which is due to the changes in computer technology. By looking more at the positive side of video games parents and teacher could really bring themselves closer to children.

Often times children are playing their video games on-line, which makes playing video games much more of a social activity. Children and adults can learn more from each other if they take the time to learn how to play these video games with each other, which will also open up the lines of communication and understanding. Hopefully, more individuals will see video games in a more positive light instead of in a negative way most of the time.

Conventional toy makers may be in the minority today yet many parents feel the cost of traditional wooden toys are well worth it: delivering permanence as well as safety and imaginative play and so have witnessed resurgence in popularity.

While some wooden toys can cost significantly more than their plastic counterparts, many parents feel wooden toys still remain the best play options for their children, regardless of cost. In a 'cost conscious' consumer market, with many budget-wholesale-discount outlets, why do so many parents go the 'extra mile' in time and expense? The answer can be found in the advantages of the 'Classic Wooden Toy' for their children.

The Wooden Toy Advantage...

Wooden toys, in particular, are bright and safe toys for your child, especially when purchased from reputable manufacturers in the U.S.A. Wooden toys from manufacturers such as 'D and Me' , 'BEKA', and 'THE PUZZLE-MAN TOYS' are made in the United States and meet all current standards for toy safety. These manufacturers specialize in wooden toys for children. For them, it is their 'bread and butter' ... so quality and safety are tops in their design and manufacturing process. Today, while it is certainly true that most aisles of toy stores are dedicated to plastic toys, there are more than a few toy makers making a go of it by producing high quality crafted wooden toys. I especially like the manufacturers mentioned above as I am familiar with their dedication to safety and quality. Because of this, ATLPlaytime, an online toy retailer (www.atlplaytime.com) can unconditionally stand behind products from those manufacturers.

Wooden toys allow children to use their imaginations. These toys don't 'play with themselves' and, being relatively simplistic, there are few to no 'bells and whistles' to distract a child from the thought and imagination that goes with quality play. Though it certainly cannot be explained by anything scientific, wooden toys just seem to have the magic touch when it comes to encouraging imaginative play through exploration and contact.

Wooden Toys 'Feel Good'. Let's face it, there is something inherent to wood that makes it speak quality. Kids are more likely to learn how to use their sense of touch and feel when they use wooden toys. Toys made of clear wood, especially hardwoods, with good grain that ages gracefully with play soon takes on that heirloom quality. Indeed, the cost of many of these toys is directly due to the choice of quality, select hardwoods that are becoming increasingly rare.

Wooden Toys are Durable. Just ask any pre-school, kindergarten, or grade school teacher. Wooden toys have staying power and can take the daily abuse that real kids and real play imposes. Those educators who most commonly purchase wooden toys for their students are Kindergarten and first grade teachers and those who teach children with special needs. Occupational Therapists especially use wooden toys and puzzles frequently and with great success to help the 'developmentally slowed'.

Wooden toys are one of the products which have lasted centuries and while we tend not to think in those terms we may very well think of our grandchildren and perhaps even our Great Grand Children. In this context, modern plastic toys can commonly and simply be destroyed. Wooden toys are designed to withstand damage much easier and can even take on character. My Granddaughters play with wooden toys that have MY teething marks on them! Wooden toys can be an investment that can be handed down generation to generation.

Wooden Toys Will Never be Obsolete...

Toys have certainly changed during the last one hundred years but one thing that has not changed is the fascination of both old and young alike with classic wooden toys.

Look in almost any cut rate store this coming Holiday season and notice the many current toymakers that continue to bedazzle the world with their seemingly endless supply of computerized and electronic toys. Despite this, there should be little doubt that wooden toys will remain beloved favorites for many more generations to come.

Wooden Toys Will Always be Popular...

The truth is that the latest gadget on the latest toy has not made traditional children's wooden toys any less desirable to children, or even to adults for that matter. The latest plastic toy has not made wooden toys become obsolete. In addition, while wooden toys may not have all of the bells and whistles of modern toys they still allow children to engage in meaningful play, developing cognitive and problem-solving skills that will carry throughout the rest of their lives.

Kids have been enjoying their playtime with wooden toys for centuries... and as long as there are trees, it will continue to be so.

It's a sad fact that many of the most dangerous toys are favourites. Thousands of cheap, unsafe toys are finding their way onto the market place with little being done to stop them. How many unsafe toys are there on the shelves that we just don't know about? Potentially dangerous toys are a serious issue, but the scale of the problem is not yet big enough to spark an exodus of U. Despite industry standards and ongoing improvements, dangerous toys are still widely available and sold. Dangerous toys can be classed as toys with parts that young children can choke on, stick up their nose, or otherwise hurt themselves with: sharp corners, fast-moving, massive projectiles, etc. Children's toys can become dangerous if they are misused or if they fall into the hands of children who are not old enough to play with them. Just looking around car boot and garage sales will show you where most of the older and dangerous toys are bought and sold. People think they are getting a bargain but what is the real cost?

Millions of dangerous toys which are for sale on shelves are being recalled every day because of various reasons. There are several different factors that can make a toy dangerous. Toys with magnets are high on the list due to the lead content, and the fact that young children can swallow, or push the small detachable parts in the toys where they shouldn't go. Many toys that are recalled have high levels of lead in the surface paint; lead being dangerous because it is poisonous. Any kinds of magnets in your toys should put the toy high on the dangerous toys list. The majority of dangerous toys have little parts which can be removed and swallowed by a young child. Toy parts that can easily become lodged in a child's throat have led to many incidents of death and brain damage yet can still be found in newly designed toys. You should check all toys for loose or small parts which you feel may be dangerous to your kids. It is also dangerous for your kids to play with toys which are meant for older children. From time to time, inspect your kids' toys for any wear and tear which can make them dangerous. .

Toys and games represent a thirty (30) billion-dollar-a-year industry. Toys caused an estimated 150,000 visits to the emergency room last year. Toys should be solid, strong and well made. Toys should have lasting interest and not just be the latest on the market. You can visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC website. They publish a list of toy recalls. Parents and children alike have a right to expect that the toys they select and play with are designed with the child's safety in mind. The first line of defence for toy safety must be safe design and manufacture. The current state is that many parents will never know when a product has been recalled.

Protecting our children from unsafe toys will always remain the majority of parent's number one concern, but when will it become the number one priority within toy industry and the government regulatory bodies. The toy companies, retailers and the Government must listen and act when dangerous toys are brought to their attention so that we don t see the same hazards and the same injuries reappearing year after year. Dangerous toys are not as common as they used to be, but they are still out there. Parents, guardians and carers still must continue to check that the toys they are buying are correctly labelled with the CE mark confirming the toy is safe. Where, for example, dangerous toys are being sold that could cause serious injury to unsuspecting children, the Office of Fair Trading must be able to remove those toys from outlets.