4 Ways to Find Engaging Toys For Kids

Have you ever spent hours trying to pick out a toy for your kid, have them look at it for a minute then go play with the pots and pans? So much time is spent scouring amazon reviews looking for the perfect gift. So much money is spent on buying these gifts and so many homes are cluttered with unnecessary toys.

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Why did your children not respond toys the way we anticipate?  What can you get your child for birthdays and holidays that they will not disregard and in a matter of minutes? I've got a few suggestions and toys that will change your life forever. The key to finding a good toy is how well it engages the children's imaginations. Plain and simple as that, if the child can play with the toy in multiple ways, they will.  If they can only play with it one way they will grow bored with it.

How can we find these toys?  Here are 4 guidelines to examine when buying a toy.

1. Find generic toys.  We bought this kitchen for our kiddos this summer, toys are usually cheaper in the summer.  We  loved the colors because we have a girl and a boy. We wanted both of them to feel like it was their kitchen. The pots came from from Ikea. They are simple and plain, but can be used in many different ways.  My kids have spent countless hours fixing food with friends, having picnics, and cooking soups in the pots. It is one of our friends favorite spots when they visit. My son loves to use the kitchen to play with his cars.  He also cooks food for us. The kitchen also contains storage room for their food so they can pull it out when they want it and put it away when they are done.

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2. Avoid talking and complicated toys. We have a lot of talking toys at our house.  Do my kids play with them?  Not really.  The problem with these toys is they only allow the child to play with them one way, they are not using their imagination. The toy is telling the kids how to play with it.  The kids are not engaging their imaginations and become bored.  We bought a hot wheels raceway for our son and gave it to him a month ago.  He plays with it sometimes, but he found the track didn't work very well, the cars sometimes fall off.  Most of the time he ends up just stacking his cars on the raceway instead of turning it on.  I am glad we did not pay full price for it. We are getting him a train set for Christmas and I have a feeling he will like it so much better.  He can move the trains anywhere he wants and there is not a wrong way to play with the toy.

3. Coloring is for girls and boys. My kids love to color, both of my kids do.  I have often heard moms say their boys just do not like to color.  What do they color most of the time, coloring books? No, they color on blank pages.  They LOVE blank pages.  They can created anything they want on these pages.  My five year old now carries around a blank notebook and is writing letters because she wants to, not because the page is telling her to write letters.  My boy loves to color with his markers and makes some of the funnest designs on his pages.

My son's art
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4. Blocks, Legos, Haba toys and Melissa and Doug toys, are your friends.  What are so good about these type of toys?  They engage their imagination, have I said this already?  They can sort them by size and color.  They can create whatever they want to. The list goes on an on. When my son turned two he instantly gravitated to Duplo blocks.  He spends hours arranging them. My kids love creating airplanes with Legos.  My daughter and son use pattern blocks to create fun unique patterns. There are endless possibilities with these toys.

Now that you know how what to look for in toys, get rid of some of those non engaging toys in your house and find the perfect fun, engaging and imaginative toy for your little one. Your house, kids and pocketbook will thank you.