In the last few years, parents started getting more and more interested in choosing all sorts of educational toys for their children. Because a parent wishes the best for his child, a toy that is labeled as educational is very likely to be bought easier than others. But what is an child educational toy?

Well, there is no definition of the term �educational toy� from what I know. However, what I do know is that an educational toy is a toy that helps a child learn something good, something that will help in the future. Play is the most important activity of any child.

Learning thru play is a reality; it can and it is done unknowingly every time your child plays. The parent must however control the play so that it remains on an educational course. There are also toys that aren�t exactly educational for children � Toy guns and other such toys that somehow tend to violence and other bad behaviors are not recommended. You must avoid such toys. Although these toys may be a good source of fun for youngsters, on the long term they will only do harm.

How do child educational toys and games work?

A I said above, play is a child�s main activity. During the play, a child learns many new things. Toys and games must be integrated into the play to make their job. This is not hard, because play consists of several games that require using toys.

Any toy can be educational, as long as it does not develop a bad behavior, and it is used in your child�s play. A toy must be used in order to be educational for a child.

To be clearer about how child educational toys and games work, I will take one example: Hide and seek.

Let�s take a look at Hide and Seek. You do remember this game, right? Can you remember the rules? Ok, I will still list them here, and comment on them and explain its educational side.

• The first rule is that every player must obey the rules. I know, I know it's obvious, but if players would not respect the rules, would there be any point for the rules to exist? Every child must learn and obey them, or else they are not allowed to play the game. The educational part of this is that the child learns to accept the fact that he cannot do everything he wants, that there are some limits and he must not pass them in order to keep his privileges.
• One of the children in the group is chosen to count to 100 at the home tree (this helps young children learn the numbers in a pleasurable way, not like in school), without peeking (this educated the child to use fair play in all areas of the life). Meanwhile, the others must find a good hiding place, one that is both hard to discover and close to the home tree. This stimulates the child to think fast to the best solution to a given task.
• After he finished counting to 100, the child says �Ready or not, here I come� and then he must search for the other players. He must be very careful. Once he finds a player hiding, he must run back to the home tree and shout his name. He must be vigilant so that he can hear any sound that might indicate the position of the other players.
• The players who are already spotted must not tell where the others are hiding. This too educates children to use fair play.
• The first player spotted is the next one to count to 100.

You�d never think that hide and seek, one of the most common games in childhood, could be so educational, right? Yes, it is a very educational game. And it�s not the only one. Pick any game you liked playing when you were a child, and analyze its rules, as I did above. You�ll be amazed. Hide and Seek is oriented mainly towards developing fair play and physical skills. Here�s another example of child educational game that helps developing more advanced skills: Monopoly.

I won�t bore you with its rules. This game introduces your child into the basics of modern business life. Acquiring high value properties, negotiation, taxes. Yup! This game educates your child to become the biggest businessperson on the Wall Street. Monopoly has rules that are more complex and it requires greater concentration.

Specific jargon and names that mean much to the entrepreneurs get your child closer the world of business. Toys are amongst the first objects a child gets in contact. Understanding how things work is a direct result of solving problems with toys like "Why this fits there?", "Does that fit here?", "How big is that?".

Educational toys help your child learn to grab, pull, push, synchronize the movement of the head with that of the hand. Toys are indispensable when playing. Playing with a great variety of child educational toys helps your child develop his imagination, understand that different objects have different properties, and learn how to combine them to create other interesting objects.

Read the whole article on choosing child educational toys.

Eugen Lisov is the creator of http://www.Child-Toys-Guide.com, a site that helps parents worldwide to choose the best toys for their children. Please feel free to browse my site; it will only help you when choosing toys for your child.

Take advantage of shopping online to help you save time. Instead of trekking out into the shopping malls to stand in lines, you can elect to do some or all of your gift shopping online and save the gasoline and the frustration. There are plenty of children’s gifts and toys available online that you can use for:

· Birthdays
· Graduations
· Christmas presents
· Religious occasions such as christenings, baptisms, dedications, confirmations, communions, bah mitzvahs
· Other occasions.

The Internet opens a wealth of opportunities to shop online. Take advantage of online reviews to read about what children’s gifts and toys are popular to help you decide on what to buy. Children can even create their own gift registry so that you can find out exactly what they want and are in need of. Here are some popular children’s gift and toy options that are a hit with the kids and are also readily available online:

1) NFL lockers
2) Floam
3) TV dance mat
4) Pool shark

When shopping for children’s gifts and toys, look for something with a good return policy incase the child on your list receives a duplicate. NFL lockers are a great gift for any boy’s bedroom or playroom. They feature the logo of the favorite team and a nameplate in a locker that can be a great tool to help organize the football fan’s bedroom. He’s going to love being able to look at his name on the official looking locker name plate and have a place to hang his things, store his football and other items as well as put things away in the compartment. This is a great gift!

Floam is a fantastic item for a crafty kid. This stuff is made of small micro beads that you can shape and play with. You can wrap Floam over other things, create shapes and animals and easily express artistic talent. It is removable, colorful and best of all, non-toxic. This is great children’s gift and toy for girls, especially.

The TV Dance Mat is a hit for kids and adults. It connects to your television set and lets everyone play the popular dancing arcade game right in their living room or playroom. There are several games and songs and you can get really competitive while doing a great cardio workout! Many parents complain that video games keep their children sedentary but this game encourages calorie burning for anyone who plays it.

The Pool Shark is another popular children’s gift and toy that can create a laugh at the pool or beach when the shark chases all the swimmers out of the water.

Children’s Gifts and toys are everywhere. They’re not hard to find but you do want to find an age appropriate gift that that child on your list will like you can do a little bit of online research to find the perfect gift. If you are aiming to surprise someone with a gift and don’t know what to get, speak to other kids that age for some hints and tips.

This article was written by Aiden Bigeon, to talk about how to choose the right gift or toy for a child. With this said, I would highly recommend visiting Taylor Gifts to find out more about a wide variety of toys and gifts for children.

A classic sitcom may show an expectant father bringing home an enormous plush teddy bear, an electric-train set, or even, a computer. We chuckle at the screen, because we realize babies that do not require highly complicated toys during their first few months.

We have to remember that newborns are getting acquainted with their bodies, themselves, the people around them, the shapes of things, and the motions they may produce. Inside the baby's brain, everything is new knowledge and a lot of filing, classifying, and cataloging goes on.

During the first months, baby's basic five senses develop; therefore, opting for toys with varied shapes, textures, and colors that the baby can later reach out and explore safely is sound practice. Babies may be equally stimulated with household objects and multicolored, bright toys. One of my children loved to watch me turn a mechanical egg-beater, and at the same time, he enjoyed his colorful hanging music mobile.

Parents may spend a lot of money on toys with the baby's arrival, thinking more toys will help develop their baby's mind. This may be true, but new babies do not require too many toys.

Having toys in the nursery, however, even before the baby is brought home will help him develop his skills earlier and will give him a head start in his adaptation to daily life. Newborns and infants of 3-8 months old enjoy toys they can feel with their hands or put in their mouths to suck, they can listen to, and they can watch.

Toys with simple shapes are the best, and all toys should conform to safety standards. Although baby's first toys can be bought very cheaply second hand, I would not recommend doing that unless the toys are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Used or new, all toys the baby may handle have to be washable.

First toys can be small stuffed toys without removable parts and with hygienic components like plastic colored keys on key rings, rattles, cloth toys, soft dolls, unbreakable mirrors and plastic spoons, hanging toys, teethers, play gyms, and plastic squeeze toys. Babies also like to watch everyday items, kitchen utensils, and lots of other things around the house.

If a parent feels that the baby is getting frustrated or overwhelmed by too many toys around him, it may be a wise idea to limit the count to a few toys at a time to keep the baby interested without scattering his attention.

The fastest way a baby will develop his skills still depends more on parent participation than the amount of toys. A parent's face provides a great curiosity for a two or three-month old. Many babies reach out for noses, thinking they are oddities to be explored.

Audio lullaby CD's played by the mother or hand puppets that move with the father's hand engage and refine a baby's senses and help make him eager to learn, happy, and satisfied. In addition, when parents play with the baby, the bonding inside the family unit will be stronger. The main thing to remember is that everything fascinates a baby and parents do not have to spend all their savings to keep him interested.

If you want your child smart like Newton, this is an article that maybe useful for your family

Sir Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727) was an English scientist who made great contributions to physics, optics, math and astronomy. Among elementary and middle-school students, he is best known for his Three Laws of Motions and the Universal Law of Gravitation. Have you heard the story about an apple dropping on Newton's head? Learn more at the following sites.

NASA: Newton's Three Laws of Motion

"The motion of an aircraft through the air can be explained and described by physical principals discovered over 300 years ago by Sir Isaac Newton." This illustrated, hyperlinked lesson created by NASA introduces Newton's Laws of Motion and how they apply to aviation. The grade-level buttons (labeled 6-8, 9-12, and 11-12) link to related worksheets, activities, and quizzes. Stay on the Newton Guided Tour by navigating with the Next and Previous buttons, or jump to a new section by visiting the colored buttons (such as Kite Index or Model Rocket Index.)

The Physics Classroom: Newton's Laws of Motion

The Physics Classroom is an illustrated, animated tutorial for high-school students written by high-school science teacher Tom Henderson. These four lessons explain Newton's Laws of Motion with multimedia demonstrations and quizzes. My favorite clicks are the interactive activities listed in the Shockwave Physics Studio and the animations found in Multimedia.

PBS: Newton's Dark Secrets

"He was the greatest scientist of his day, perhaps of all time. But while Isaac Newton was busy discovering the universal law of gravitation, he was also searching out hidden meanings in the Bible and pursuing the covert art of alchemy. In this program, NOVA explores the strange and complex mind of Isaac Newton." Although few classrooms probably explore this side of Newton's fascinating character, I include it for variety. Best clicks are His Legacy, and Einstein on Newton.

For more on Isaac Newton and links to the sites reviewed here, visit Isaac Newton at "Surfing the Net with Kids".

by : Gabriel J Adams

Choosing quality toys for your children should be a priority. With so many to choose from, the consumer has the opportunity to demand excellence from toy manufacturers. Over time, the sturdy dollhouses made from real wood and the tough Tonka trucks made of metal have been replaced with plastic replicas that aren’t very durable.

You should also look for toys that offer your child the chance to use their imagination. This can include blocks, Legos, Play Doh, art supplies, and crafts. These toys offer your child the chance to be creative rather than just following the directions of other toys on the market. Creativity is very important to develop from an early age.

Safety is very important with children’s toys. You should always take a look at the recalls of toys. You can do this quickly and easily on the internet. You can even get email alerts as toys are added to the list. Watch for small parts that can break off of toys and be swallowed. Be aware of sharp edges or other possible injuries.

Make sure the toys you choose for your children are age and skill appropriate. Don’t go just with the age guidelines on the side. Some children catch on to particular skills easier than others. It is a good idea to purchase toys that introduce new skills for your child to learn. While you shouldn’t only buy educational toys, it is great when you can find toys that teach your child something but they are great fun as well.

You can find excellent reviews about the various children’s toys out there in parenting magazines and on the internet. Take sometime to find out how well particular toys are holding up as your child plays with them. Find out if they operate properly and any safety issues parents have experienced. This will help you find quality toys for your children that are educational, safe, and fun to play with.

This the articles that maybe useful to smart child

By Chok Leong Chai

Music boxes exist for just about any person and can cover almost any occasion. Most of all, a music box will celebrate a wedding, the birth of a child, or just a birthday in general. Many different brands sell music boxes and each has something good about it that would allow someone to choose that brand over anything else. Some brands make music boxes are designed just for children, whether it be a toy music box that the child can physically touch and play with or one that merely celebrates the child’s birth or his/her birthday much like a “Baby’s First Christmas” ornament would. Listed below are the two different ways of explaining a toy music box and how each would be beneficial to the child and the family.

The Different Types Of Toy Music Boxes

Just about any parent has heard of the brands Mattel and Fisher-Price. They are manufacturers of small children’s toys and at some point a parent will own a lot of these. Something that will keep a child occupied and enthralled for hours is the toy music box. When hearing that a child can be kept quiet and occupied for hours, it has to be music to a parent’s ears. These toys have some sort of button to push or lever to pull and the music starts playing. The music box has pictures of animals or cartoon characters and children have always seemed to like it as one can find toy music boxes for children from 30 or 40 years ago online.

Another type of toy music box is not one that a small child can play with. This type of music box is one celebrating a child’s memorable birthday or the actual birth of the child. The collectible music box will have toys on it and resemble something a child would actually play with, but it merely exists to commemorate a birthday or event. There are hundreds of different kinds out there that will have the child’s favorite cartoon characters on it or a television show liked by him/her. Some families share collectibles and perhaps each family member would have a music box depicting something the person likes. A toy music box is geared towards the child and will demonstrate to people what the child is interested in.

A toy music box can act as a wonderful toy for a child for years or as something celebrating his/her birth or first birthday. Whatever type of music box it is, it will be a great memory and keepsake of a child’s first few years.