How to Select the Right Toys for Your Child

By Matthew S. Robinson








Toy Resources
  • Age-appropriate Toys

  • Choosing Safe Toys

  • Toys For Tiny Investigators

  • Hi-tech Toys For Tots?

  • How To Keep Toys Interesting

  • More Resources

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    Whether you’re a toy manufacturer, a parent or a child-development researcher, there’s no question that play is serious business. Every year, hundreds of new toys and games come on the market competing for shelf space, advertising budgets and, most important, consumers’ attention.

    So how can you tell which toys are appropriate for your child?


    “Almost any play material can present opportunities for being creative, imaginative and constructive,” says W. George Scarlett, Ph.D., assistant professor of child development at Tufts University and author of the forthcoming book Children’s Play. Parents should not ask what toys or play materials are “educational” and “creative,” Scarlett advises, but rather how the child’s interests can create opportunities for learning and creating with a particular toy.


    Child-development and play experts offer these tips and considerations to keep in mind when filling your own child’s toy box:


    Look for toys that are related to your child’s interests. Toy use can be subjective and each child has different needs and interests.


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