Newspaper Page Text
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
" Children On Your Holiday U^gfll
Here are some suggestions to
help you make the right toy se
lection for your child.
Babies (0-18 months)
• Amazing Animals®
• Sing & Go Choo-Choo®
Encourages developing
motor skills, enhances
language skills, enhances
learning through discovery
• Baby Gymtastics® Bounce &
Spin Zebra®
Encourages developing
motor skills, enhances
learning through discovery
stimulates senses
Toddlers (18-36 months)
• Little People® Animal
Sounds Farm®
Discovering how things
work, imitating, imagining a
pretend world; Interacting
with others, early role play
• Dora’s Talking Kitchen®
Social play, discovering how
things work, role play,
imagination, developing
language skills
Preschool (3 years+)
• Kid-Tough® Digital Camera
Fun and sharing,
accomplishment, creativity
• I Can Play Piano®
Game play to encourage
early love for music
• Dora’s Talking Cash Register
Role-play, imagination
Did You Know? WKHtKtM
one-size-fits-all, there’s little chance that someone will need J| IT iC h I:
■j£g/7Ttf to exchange or return a gift card. Gift cards are now available jm rM |l I jkg
j^ rom most retailers and are even available for purchase at / f g ™ M
f\ if \ area malls, to be used at many of the stores in that shopping / |j| g 1
/f / \ center. Not sure how much to give? According to Thomas Net. ( I# 1 /
'wp / * n et Industrial Market Trends, the most popular denomina- Jf'- ■ I /
(MS) - Sometimes the perfect holiday
gift for your children doesn’t come all
wrapped up in pretty paper.
Long after the children have put away
their new toys, the real gift your children
will continue to cherish for years will be
the memory of the time spent with fam
ily and friends, says Dr. Kathleen Alfano,
Director of Child Research at the Fisher-
Price. It’s important to balance the pres
ents from Santa or the Three Kings with
activities that help children understand
the true emphasis of the season should be
on giving 3nd not receiving.
To help your children understand the
meaning of the season, treat your holiday
activities like games. Let them make paper
ornaments in the kitchen as you prepare
the traditional holiday meals. Ask
your children to help Grandma
set up the nativity scene. Give Jjraf
them the best gift of all: your s fMr
time and your love. y-w #■
When you do go shopping to
find the right gift for the little 1
ones, Dr. Alfano reminds you
to keep three important factors gWf j
in mind: age-appropriateness, l|j|
interests and play needs.
AGE-APPROPRIATE
NESS fe. 1
Children need toys that HH
are matched to their de- f
velopmental abilities
so they can achieve fT gs '
success. When children * Ip
have an age-appropriate toy t * i
- both safety and enjoyment Jgjj* & m.
increases! Be K
sure to pay f, MkJm
attention ~
to the age ’ > ||fy
ranges -
age a push-a-long, and put one block on
|L top of another as well as enjoy playing
111 with simple playsets about familiar
||P themes such as a home or a farm.
A By 3, introduce toys that help refine
i eye-hand coordination, grow-with-me
ride-on toys, construction and build
ing playsets and toys that encourage
learning things such as numbers, let
ters, colors and shapes.
Toy dinosaurs, action hero fig-
J|gLsgrj& ures and playsets encourage
older children (4-5) to com-
Ey#§fl jl bine their imaginative and
problem-solving skills in
* " “What-if?” play.
“Choosing the right toys
at the right time will enrich
your child’s play experience
j/ and provide the foundation for
v m learning,” Dr. Alfano says.
« > otn
INTERESTS
| Children are more en
gaged, curious, enter
tained and iTv.
willing to keep play
ing when they are interested in some
thing. Observe your child playing alone
and with other children to see where his
or her interests lie. If your child stays with
Grandma or another caregiver during the
day, or goes to a day care center, ask what
toys the child is playing with when he or
she is away from home. The answer may
help guide your buying decision.
PLAY NEEDS
Provide your children with a variety of
toys that serve various play needs: toys
for playing with alone; ones that promote
sharing and interaction; those that encour
age imaginative play or promote physical
activity or constructive play. Think about
the kinds of toys your children already
have and look for items that fill any of the
areas that are lacking.
For more gift-giving suggestions and fun
ideas for holiday activities you can share
with your children, visit Fisher-Price’s
Web site at www.fisher-price.com.
NOVEMBER 2007