New Product Offerings Update

Well, as the year began I was searching, as I always am, for new and exciting products to add to our inventory at The Tiny Toy Shop. I reported earlier that The Tiny Toy Shop would be offering products from Orchard Toys, Guidecraft, and Dantoy. The process of loading those products is virtually complete and excited is rising as we know that you will love the new products. Safety is first and foremost in searching for unique, afforadable, educational toys. There is no question that the new toy offerings fit nicely in those three categories. A new post will be made available when the new product lines are officially launched...stay tuned!

My Kids Toys

Author: Rachel Nunez

Toys, like childhood itself, mean different things to different people. To the average European or American parent, a toy serves to keep the young amused and distracted. Now more than ever, with the belief that multiple intelligences can be stimulated in the early years, toy manufacturers are gearing their products towards those than can keep children beguiled, occupied and instructed. For instance, toys should help the child develop his motor skills, and engage him in fantasy and investigative play.

For the child, an ornate piece that to adult eyes is essentially decorative and fixed, or a mechanized object kept as a curiosity can count as a plaything. As a result, experts have classified many objects as being on the borderline between toy and decorative object, between puerile replica and collector's item. Such overlapping cannot be sidestepped nowadays, especially since toy collecting by adults in the United States and some European countries has emerged as a popular form of expertise.

Despite such borderline cases, there is wide consensus among toy historians and collectors on what truly makes a toy, a toy in the strictest sense. Boys have played with foot soldiers and horse soldiers. Girls have always had their precious dolls. Although the earliest of these toys have not survived, these remain true and had been so since the third millennium B.C.

The earliest known dolls were made of various materials such as wood, terra-cotta and fabric. The period after World War II brought novelties in design and an entire new range of plastics.

Mechanical toys became popular as class alignments changed. This fact, coupled with more ingenious manufacturing techniques evolved into fantastic musical automata, animals, and images that utilized clockwork to mimic human movement. The aim for toy makers has been towards movement and the many different methods of inducing it in toys. It has assumed great importance and had become a subject dealt with fully in specialized reference works.

Because of new production techniques, an overwhelming quantity of toys, games and amusements for children had been available by the mid 19th century. German inventiveness pioneered novel and intriguing designs, ranging from simple knickknacks in tin or the softwoods, which were known in Britain as "penny toys", to constructional and educational games that reflected the growing vogue of science in the nursery.

English girls during the reign of reign of Queen Victoria, began to follow the customs of their German and Austrian counterparts by learning about housecraft and baby care. By the turn of the 20th century, it was not unusual to find inexpensive dolls, dolls' houses, and "German kitchens" in middle-class family homes.

Today, the spread of modern production techniques has made additional millions of persons more conscious of toys in respect to their function, design and usefulness, and their many cultural aspects as well. And although refinements in the application of radio, electronics, magnetism, dry-cell batteries, and so on, have revolutionized certain toys, the folktoy has come into its own again in India, China, Central Europe, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Scandinavia, thus balancing mechanized trends with the addition of less complex technical artistry and beauty.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/my-kids-toys-765691.html

Educational Wooden Toys - Why Children Will Love Them

All parents want their children to play and learn in safety, but sitting in front of a television is not the alternative most parents seek. Rather than simply watching a screen and being "spoon-fed" a constant stream of input, children benefit from the use and manipulation of real, tangible educational wooden toys.

Numerous studies have shown viewing excessive television to be deleterious to children's development and many pediatricians suggest minimal TV exposure for toddlers. Physically tangible toys, as opposed to television or computer screens, establish the sense of touch and stimulate neural growth. Further, the child's ability to manipulate his toy as he wishes builds creativity and decision-making skills, as the child is not simply absorbing what is being broadcast over the airwaves.

The dexterity required to play with and manipulate educational toys also stimulates the imagination and builds hand eye coordination. Different educational wooden toys are suitable for different developmental stages; for tots, large, brightly colored objects may suffice, while a five-year old might benefit from the alphabet and numbers painted on wooden blocks.

Another benefit of wooden toys is their relative durability and safety. Plastics can become brittle with age and have a tendency to break into sharp shards, whereas educational wooden toys rarely break up beyond a splinter. Still older children have delighted themselves for years with the ever-popular "Lincoln-Logs" that allows the child to build a variety of miniature log buildings. Many educational toys aimed at teens and preteens build critical lateral thinking and problem solving skills.

The benefit of wooden toys does not lie solely in the use, however. Crafting educational wooden toys is a hobby enjoyed by parent and child alike, while encouraging intrapersonal cooperation and development of basic skills. Wood, a few tools and an imagination are all that is required to make educational wooden toys. They can range from little more than whittled doodads to elaborately carved and painted heirlooms.

Schoolchildren everywhere learn basic woodworking techniques in shop class and, frequently, the object built with these skills is a simple wooden pegboard or similar educational wooden toy. Successful creation of a real object builds confidence in children who are all too often used to success in terms of advancing to the next level of a video game.

In the age of Toys-R-Us, Madison Avenue and high-dollar advertising, companies bombard children with ads proclaiming their toy to be the best. However, no mass-produced plastic figure can compare with a custom, handmade educational wooden toy, nor will the plastic toy likely be passed down from one generation to the next.

Summary:

Although not as prevalent as in the past, educational wooden toys are an important tool in children's development. Many educational toys aimed at teens and preteens build critical lateral thinking and problem solving skills and building educational wooden toys is a hobby enjoyed by parent and child alike, while encouraging intrapersonal cooperation and development of basic skills.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ - Free Articles Directory

About the Author
Brooke Hayles Check Out More Helpful Information About Educational Wooden Toy For FREE! Visit http://www.educationalwoodentoyonline.com/resources/educational-wooden-toys-time-has-not-diminished-their-popularity.html Now!

New Product Offerings

As the new year gets underway we begin to see new products arrive in stores. Well, ours is no different! We will be adding a large new selection of toys and furniture over the next few weeks. One of our product lines are all new and are based and manufactured in England. The products contain no phthalates or PVC and are produced using environmentally friendly processes. Orchard Toys and Dantoy toys will be offered very soon! We will also be adding Fiesta Crafts, also based in the UK, hign quality fabric puppets to our large selection of children's toys. In addition to these great assortment of new product lines, we will also be adding the full line of GuideCraft children's toys and furniture. Look for these new offerings on our site in the coming weeks!

Quality, Educational Toys

Often the question is asked, what is an educational toy? I have seen a large number of toys on the market, and even purchased some, that claim to be educational. I bring them home to my child who plays with it for a few minutes and then discards it to play with his train set or his building blocks. What is an educational toy? It is an object that provides fun, laughter and enjoyment, all while teaching much needed skills and abilities. Yes, a train set can offer all of these things! This holiday season, do not get caught in the trap of purchasing, sometimes very expensive, "learning toys" only to have them pushed aside by your child for the really cool doll house or train set. Realize that the toy does not need to sing the alphabet to be a learning toy. Most importantly, do not purchase the toy as a replacement of your own involvement in your child's development!
I recently read an article that stated high quality, educational toys can take the place of a parent; that while traditional toys are great, they require a tremendous amount of parents' time and that can take away from work and other areas the parent needs to focus. I could not believe my eyes! Do we as parents truly believe that a toy was designed to take our place? I understand that many families have both parents working, that there are a number of single parent families and so on. But, the idea that electronic toys can replace parent interaction is just absurd. I see this growing problem in the classroom, children cannot focus for long periods of time, they require technology to be stimulated to learn, and they have delays in learning. I feel that many of these problems could be avoided if time in front of the television and the electronic games were limited and research supports this view. Children need time to be creative, to stimulate portions of their mind that lay silent while watching TV and playing electronic games. I believe the intent of electronic toys should be to foster learning with parental reinforcement, and that children should have an equal opportunity to experience the joys of playing with toys that spark imagination and creativity.

Balanced Fun-Electronic Toys vs. Classic Toys

By The Tiny Toy Shop
Parents are faced with such abundant obstacles when beginning the journey of raising a child. In the beginning, the mother carries the burden, making sure to eat the right foods, drinking enough water, taking her vitamins, and staying away from those things that can cause a threat to the unborn child. After the baby is born, the burden hopefully becomes a shared duty and now it is making sure the baby is safe in the home, feed and bathed.
As babies grow, toys become an integral part of their daily life. The types of toys parents have to choose from today are endless, and making the right choice can be confusing. So many toys on the market today claim to be educational…which ones do we choose? Do we choose the ones that light up and sing songs? Do we choose the ones that teach colors and letters and numbers and shapes? Or, wait….maybe that is our job!
Toys are so very important to children and their development, but equally important to a child’s development is the emotional bonds they form in their early years. The most important relationship children form is the one that children have with their parents. When looking for toys for children to play with, it is important to remember that while the toy is important, it is also important that a parent is part of the package. Take the opportunity when it arises to play with your child, it will be good for both of you!
Children learn valuable skills through play and therefore toys should be chosen carefully. Children need toys that encourage them to solve problems, toys that teach sorting and shape recognition, cause and effect, textures, and inspire imagination. Electronic toys are fun and have their place, but just remember your child’s teacher is not going to light up and sing the lessons. Make sure your child has a balanced toy selection and a balanced expectation for learning.

Child Development Ages Birth to One

By The Tiny Toy Shop
During this stage of a baby's life, a tremendous amount of brain development is occurring. Their cognitive development, that is, the development of language, thinking and reasoning, and memory, is rapidly developing. Talking to your baby, and singing will help your baby begin to recognize the sound of your voice. Keep in mind that language development encompasses more than just the development of words and sounds; listening and processing an understanding for the names of people and objects are also critical parts of language development. Below are some activities that you can do to encourage language development:

• Talk and sing to your baby
• Read to your baby - this does help with cognitive development and its fun!
• Play music - there is research that shows classical music is not only soothing, but encourages interest in math and improves concentration
• At the earlier stages, these tasks should be done in very short intervals. As your baby grows and develops you can increase the length of time spent on these activities. Take cues from your baby.

Some great books to read to your baby are listed below:

• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Maybe, My Baby by Marilyn Janovitz
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam Mcbratney
• The Very Hungry Catepillar by Eric Carle
• Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle
• Time For Bed by Mem Fox and Jane Dyer
• Moo, Baa, La, La, La by Sandra Boynton
• Touch and Feel books are great for baby too!