Toys with impact!
I must admit that writing a blog about holiday toy suggestions is difficult for me. Toys for children are as individualized as clothing or household décor is to adults. Often the temperament of the adult also comes into play as I learned many years ago when I repeatedly offered talking books or puzzles to children turning one. Those noisy toys were the perfect pick for a child that age, but didn’t always suit the parent who just longed for a little bit of peace and quiet. Household space, cost, interests, and a myriad of other factors make it hard to offer a one size fits all approach to this topic. In light of the holiday season fast approaching, I am going to tackle some toy suggestions in a slightly different way.
Last month’s blog focused on the value block play, and I would still rate a quality set of wooden blocks as my very favorite toy for both boys and girls, but this school year’s theme of “character counts’ had me wondering whether specific toys could promote qualities like kindness, caring or perseverance, while still being fun and exciting for children to receive. Below are a few suggestions for toys that pack a one-two punch; they provide plenty of holiday joy, but also bring others joy, or deliver an important message. This seems the perfect combination for the holiday season!
A quote on the company’s home page: “It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless." -L.R. Knost The company creates products called The Doll Kind or Good Deed Fairies, which are intended to spread love. I so applaud the idea that for every toy purchased, one is given to a child in need. The dolls and fairies are beautiful, and the kindness tokens will be fun for your children to give to others.
Art supplies like gel pens, sidewalk chalk, paint pens, stencils, and cute carrying cases are all part of this company’s appeal. There are tons of adorable stocking stuffers or small gifts like ice cream shaped pens or unicorn pencil organizer. But, best of all Yoobi gives classroom supply packs to schools in need!
If you are looking for a very cute and snuggle worthy creature this site is for you! Each animal creature is paired with a book and intentionally targets a specific emotion or value. For example, the fox snuggle creature deals with family change while the honey bear bundle explores gratitude. The mission of the company is to promote emotional learning and valuable early life skills.
