Dr. Greene ’s Guide to Holiday Toy Selection

Here is my guide to toy selection. I hope it helps you with your shopping.  Categories of Healthy Toys Before making your toy selection, let’s discuss healthy categories of toys. Especially in this digital age, it is important to remember the value of play without the use of media or devices. In 2019, the journal Pediatrics published a report on how to select appropriate and safe toys in this digital era.  The report discussed the concern that electronic toys were replacing more traditional children’s toys. Although we know there is a place for healthy use of electronics, in this guide we will focus on the traditional categories of children’s toys.   The Council on Early Childhood Development cites a number of different traditional toy categories. In each of these categories, there are a range of options for toys that are fun and appropriate for different ages of children. These include:   Symbolic or pretend play (dolls, costumes, play kitchen with food, cars, airplanes)  Fine motor/manipulative play (legos, blocks, shapes, puzzles) Art (crayons, paints, clay)  Language based toys (card games, board games, toy letters)  Gross motor (bikes, jump ropes, pull or push toys).    Toy Selection Safety Tips One important safety practice when purchasing a toy is to check the label for the minimum age that a child should be in order to safely use the toy. Here is a guide published by the National Association ...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Play Toys Source Type: blogs