Rachael’s Corner : 5 ways to select Age Appropriate Toys.
Christmas is over! I do love this season, but not all the commercialism. The kids all have new toys and if you are like me there are a few things you were hoping your child(ren) would play with, but they are not interested. Before you think your child(ren) ungrateful, rethink the age appropriateness of the toy.
1. Check the front of the packaging for age numbers. Many times I have purchased a toy for my kids because I liked it and thought it would be fun for them to play with…sure 5 years from then.
2. Set aside your own wants in toys. We all want certain things for our kids and have principles we follow of things we won’t buy. I am not talking about these kinds of wants. It is our own childhood wants and desires, the things we want to play with :).
3. Some thing to play with. You can’t go wrong with that. My mother always got us some cheep toy. Do you know it is what we enjoyed the most? Talk about feeling bad for buying a $50 toy when a kid plays with the $0.50 toy more. It is hard to grasp and the commercial industry doesn’t want us to believe it, BUT children are happy with little things. They just want to be thought of and PLAYED WITH. They just want you!
4. Girls and boys are different AND each boy and girl has their own personality. Some girls like trucks and some boys like dolls. Don’t sweat it!
5. What if my child is brilliant? Yes some kids are so smart and some behind. You still can not go wrong with the age numbers on the box. If you still think your child advanced and capable of playing with some thing labeled older, see if you can find a friend who has the same toy. You can observe your child playing with that item, their interest in it, and ability. For example, I gave a 4 year old a toy labeled 6-12 year old. I had observed him playing with my sons LEGOs* and saw that he was quite capable to have his own.
TOYS I LIKE, BOY/GIRL OVER THE AGE OF 3
Magnetix*, LEGOs*, giant floor puzzles, crayons and coloring books, TY* soft dolls. These are just a few things I have that the kids love.
1. Look for toys that are easy to share. Even if you have only one child, if s/he ever has a friend over they can play together.
2. Look for toys that are easy to store even when the original packaging is gone.
3. Avoid ‘kids meal’ type toys. They are one time use toys. Children get bored with them, so they end up at the bottom of the toy box as space wasters.
4. Shop true dollar stores if you are wanting something for cheep. Our local ‘5 and dime’ shop had a large selection of cheep toys that the kids love and I don’t mind if they get torn up…I’ll just go buy them another one for a dollar. 
These toys keep my children entertained for hours. The only problem is when they fight over them. I get to play as well and these toys are not “boring” to me. We also make a lot of our own toys. I like making things for them to play with out of old card board boxes. With your imagination in hand the sky is the limit.
