What Makes a Good Toy?

Children’s toys and games have evolved in line with modern technology. Indeed, it is becoming rare these days to find toys for children that do not require some source of power – be it batteries or electricity. Even traditional toys seem to have been modernised to appeal to the technology hungry youth of today, with flashing lights added to skipping ropes, books that can read themselves and board games that can count your moves for you.

However, in spite of all their bells, whistles, gimmicks and flashing lights – to be a ‘good toy’, a modern toy still needs to provide hours of play. Of course, from a parent’s point of view it helps if the toy provides value for money, stimulates imagination, encourages creative thinking, develops hand to eye coordination, helps the child to learn through play and does not end up being a very expensive dust collector. Of course keeping the child quiet may be an additional bonus.

For children, a ‘good toy’ is one that all their friends want, one that incorporates the latest technology, one that has really cool features, one that integrates well with the virtual world (everything has to have its own website these days, don’t you know!).

Moreover, much like beauty lying in the eyes of the beholder, the true measure of a ‘good toy’, lies with the person who will be playing with it. Therefore, getting the right toy for a particular child can be more important than purchasing something that is merely popularly thought of as a ‘good toy’. So, perhaps the most important tip or piece of advice you can offer anyone looking for a ‘good toy’ is to buy very much with a particular child in mind. For instance, heed age recommendations.

Yes, you may think that your child (nephew, cousin etc.) is super advanced and could easily play with something designed for ‘older children’. However, be aware that whilst this is sometimes the case, toys go through rigorous testing and one of the quickest ways in which to guarantee a child will become bored with a toy is if they are frustrated and cannot play it or use it.

If you are shopping for babies or toddlers do also be aware that anything you buy them will inevitably go straight into their mouth – hence the age labelling and an emphasis on the choking hazard presented by small parts. Also, bear in mind that top brands and traditional toys (even those without extra gadgets) are successful for a reason. For example, Lego has been around for years, is still a best seller, is available tailored to all age categories and abilities, has adapted well to market changes and does indeed keep children entertained for hours.

Another thing to consider when shopping for toys is that there is a lot of emphasis these days on ‘learning through play’ both at home and in school and that there are some excellent learning toys available on the market.

Brands such as VTech create toys which encourage children to develop their thinking, incorporating core essentials such as English and maths into the games and managing to make learning fun (often without the child realising that is what they are doing) by creating a natural, colourful, engaging activity with characters that children recognise and love.

An example of learning toys that are specifically designed to cater to different aged children’s abilities whilst incorporating modern technology (and providing hours of fun) from VTech include:

VTech Kidizoom Multimedia Digital Camera – an excellent toy, which allows children to experiment with photography as well as including an editing package that is simple to use on the camera and on the PC.

VTech V.Smile TV Learning System and VTech V.Smile Motion Active Learning System – ideal for children who want a games console but are too young (the original is much like a toddler equivalent to a PlayStation or Xbox and motion active is more like a Wii). Easy for little hands to control, comes with loads of accessories such as pen and joy pad and games including favourite characters.

VTech V.Smile Pocket Learning System – if your child is too young for a Nintendo DS consider this. It is packed with learning games and great for little minds.

VTech Write and Learn Desk – fantastic for little ones who love drawing and practising letters and writing.

The final tip is to use the internet to seek out reviews of toys, you will generally find solutions to your baby question and answer’s are out there, if you look in the right place.

This article is brought to you by VTech Toys – for the best in educational toys, games, vtech laptop range and more visit our secure online shop today.

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