Toys As Tools Play Is a Super Skill Builder – And An Easy Sell For Kids
By Ellen Metrick
P
arents are busy, and parents of children with special needs often feel like they have even more to juggle in their lives than other parents do. One of the things that tends to get little priority in the parental juggle is play, and that is unfortunate because it holds such incredible potential to improve the lives of all kids. Research has verified this, and educational and academic scholars and health organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics are promoting the play experience as an essential element of childhood. So parents, rejoice! Unlike other things that are good for your children – green vegetables, dental hygiene and early bedtimes – this one is an easy sell. The innovative, imaginative and entertaining new toys available now make play as appealing to children as a spoonful of sugar, only this fuel is really, really good for them! Toys are the tools children use to improve their skills and to push them into new levels of accomplishment. Children with special needs should be connected to toys that they can access and be successful with, and that can help them work on skills they need to develop. Having just come back from Toy Fair 2013, we were amazed at what creative offerings toy manufacturers have to offer kids of all abilities. Here are some highlights:
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Your Child With Special Needs | 2013
My Horse Scooter
Toys That Develop Physical Skills ■ My Horse Scooter ($259.99-$499.99, www.myhorsescooter.com) by Magic Prince Toy Company is appropriately named because kids straddle the saddle and use their muscles to scoot around and get as close to a real horseback riding experience as a toy can give. Scooters are a great way to encourage physical activity and build core strength while galloping into the sunset. Giddy up! ■ Beamz (from $149.95, www.thebeamz.com) has re-invented music making with lasers and hand movements. The many ways to play this device coupled with the many modes of music it offers make this a true 21st century instrument. The beauty of this experience is that any way the laser beams are interrupted – with any body part – creates music. No presBeamz sure, no grasp, no refined movements necessary. ■ Augmented reality products like the Fisher Price Little People Apptivity Barnyard (www.fisher-price.com), where your own iPad becomes the farm complete with mud puddles for pigs and tire tracks from tractors; and WowWee’s ArtSee Studio ($39.99, www.artseestudio.com),