We all want our children to blossom. Creating an inviting environment where they can safely indulge their curious nature is one of the key aspects of quality parenting. You see, kids learn the most through play so it is no wonder why the toy industry is wringing in billions of dollars per year. 

Clearly, there are many fun solutions to engage a child’s mind but this brings a question to mind: Amid all those choices, which toy gifts will really work their imagination to full capacity? If you have been asking yourself this question, too, we have made a selection of the best toy gifts for your little ones.

The World of Fairy Tales

Another excellent way to immerse children in literature, ethos, imagination, and creativity is via fairy tales. In this technological age, where we have all sorts of works of art on offer, you can surprise your child with conceptual gifts, such as interactive mermaid books, popular costumes, movies, and more. If you have ever asked yourself why Disney and other similarly produced films are so well received and widespread is because they:

• Promote early literacy development (even Einstein said that children’s intelligence can be stimulated with fairy tales)
• Develop emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills (kids learn from archetypical characters and translate their findings into real-life situations).
• Build resilience (the world can be a stressful place and heroic triumphs push us to overcome our own)
• Promote cultural literacy (they emphasize various cross-cultural values and behavior sets)
• Teach about story development and conflict resolution (heroes and villains simply serve to broaden our perception by stimulating our imagination and empathy)

Video Games

Whether some parents like them or not, video games are known to engage children in a multitude of ways. They will absorb the English language, solve problems, develop their spatial, verbal, cognitive, and logical capabilities, learn history, pop culture, and a myriad of other facts that they will surely use in the future. Additionally, countless studies have been made concerning the benefits of gaming consoles, which state that a multi-media approach to fun can:

Ballet Philippines Presents Edna Vida’s The Nutcracker

• Produce surgeons with better reflexes (people who regularly play video games are known to make fewer errors than surgeons who don’t)
• Help overcome dyslexia (improvement in reading capabilities are common in action or fast-paced video games)
• Improve vision (sitting in front of a screen while playing video games can actually treat the “lazy” eye and assist in discerning gray shades)
• Create career-boosting qualities (the leadership traits required in games can be translated to real-world career goals)
• Ease pain (sense of reward produces analgesic responses in our cortical systems, so it is no wonder why video games are prescribed by doctors as a post-injury treatment)
• Establish social connections (online multiplayer experiences are a new way of socializing, which can boost their interpersonal skills)
• Reduce stress (contrary to popular belief, adrenaline and stress reaction are mitigated with frequent play)
• Promote faster decision making (sometimes all it takes is a split second to defeat the CPU or multiplayer opponent)

Lego Bricks

The Danish have created this flawless one-of-a-kind block toy that has been stimulating our creative, engineering, and story-telling capabilities for decades now. Not only are Legos timeless because every generation has had an experience with them but you can even use pieces created in the ’50s with a set freshly purchased in 2019! It goes without saying, this toy is a must in every family-friendly household. Benefits include:

• Refined motor skills (kids practice their dexterity by combining pieces of all shapes and sizes)
• Enhanced teamwork skills (taking turns, searching the pile, and sharing is an essential quality of Lego’s, whether you are making a submarine, spaceship, or just playing house)
• Finding creative solutions (playing with can foster a multi-dimensional creative approach that has no limitations)
• Mathematical thinking (Ideas of shapes, sizes, symmetry, fractions, and colors can engage multiple parts of the brain all at once)
• Lateral thinking and planning skills (thinking outside of the box is a quality that will expand the imaginary world of Lego’s and be carried forward into the real world)
• Persistence (Lego’s teach children the importance of tenacity in order to make a vision into a reality)

And let’s not forget that every child needs lots of fresh air. Getting down and dirty in the playground is essential for them to grow, hands down. Keep them out of the glass box and into the fires of self-discovery and wonder.

Published: 2019-02-09 08:56:05