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How to Choose the Right Presents for Your Kids?

NDFAuthors — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Every year parents are facing a tough task to successfully play the role of Santa and to choose the right presents.

Christmas is just around the corner, and kids have already sent their wish lists to North Pole. Every year they enjoy reading and listening the stories about Santa who brings presents and drops them in Christmas stockings, or under the Christmas tree. In the same time, their parents are facing a tough task to successfully play the role of Santa. Buying Christmas presents for kids has never been easy, having in mind so many things to think of: providing sufficient budget for Christmas shopping, taking care of toy quality and their safety, buying age-appropriate toys, trying to teach the little ones to be modest and grateful for what they get, and wishing that children have that look of sheer joy and excitement every time they open their Christmas toys. List of demands is pretty long, and the time is running out. Right?

Here are some tips to help parents feel less anxious at this time of the year:

1. First and foremost, you don’t have to buy expensive toys to your children.

Kids may not fully understand the value of these toys, and may crave for bigger, better and more expensive things every year. Instead, teach them to treasure every single toy they receive, regardless how much they cost. Keep in mind that some of the best toys are not necessarily the most expensive ones. Therefore, the parent shouldn’t spend a small fortune on the toy, only to watch the child discard the “must-have” after five minutes of play. Simple and high-quality engaging toys that truly celebrate the power of learning through play are ideal. In addition, their expectations are also essential. If you always give expensive gifts, they come to expect that, and will be dissatisfied with anything less. Thus, try to wrap some trendy gloves and a hat and give them these as a present. Teach them to be more grateful and happy with what they have.

2. Try not to overbuy.

As holidays are approaching, toy stores are full of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives searching for dolls, balls and similar stuff they think the kids will love. As a result, it often happens that there are too many presents for little ones under the Christmas tree. They are definitely more than happy and excited to see these tons of toys just for them. However, when there is more than one present, when there is a pile of presents, the kids don’t focus on the present they just opened. Instead, they just zoom right on to the next present, and the next, without appreciating what they got. Surely you don’t want this to happen. Therefore, try not to give them more than two presents in one day, even if they do get a bunch from different people. Spread out the opening of the presents over a few days.

3. Choose age-appropriate toys.

Children enjoy toys they can master and which are right for their particular stage of development. Here are some suggestions for the types of toys kids benefit from most, as they go through different stages:

0-6 months – Rattles, brightly coloured toys attached to the crib that rotate above the baby as soft lullaby music plays, or interactive play rugs.
6-12 months – Mobiles, brightly illustrated books made of cloth or stiff, floating toys for the bath tub, small train, toy cars for boys, soft dolls, or stuffed toys for girls.
1-2 years – Push/pull toys, blocks, ball, sandbox toys, puzzles, musical instruments, illustrated books, kitchen sets etc.
2-3 years – Chalk, ball, large Legos or wooden blocks, puzzles, tricycle, books, kitchen playsets and other housekeeping toys, xylophone etc.
3-5 years – Books, crayons, colouring books, play dough, bike, drawing and painting sets, or board games.

4. Choosing a toy that will brighten your child’s face can be so much fun, but it’s essential to keep safety in mind.

Don’t rely on expensive and well-known toy brands as there is still no guarantee that the toy you buy will be safe. If your child is at the stage of putting everything in mouth, the toys must not contain small parts that are a choking hazard. Smaller parts like eyes and buttons must be firmly attached to the toy. When a toy is attached to a string, the free length of the string should be shorter than 300 mm, so that the string is not a strangulation hazard. Check for sharp edges or points that could injure your child. In addition, toys should be made of sturdy nontoxic materials that will not break easily. The filling of stuffed toys should be clean and free of objects or substances that may be harmful to a child. The safest toys are those made of natural materials, such as increasingly popular wooden toys, especially suitable for smaller children.

5. Expensive, big or not, it is not about the gift, but it’s the thought that counts, says the old Chinese proverb.

Gift is a sign of affection and love, something to be appreciated. Furthermore, in most cases, it is more about the unwrapping than the actual gifts. Therefore, make your gifts memorable with special wrapping paper and ribbons. And don’t forget personalized Christmas cards. More importantly, help your children discover the true joy of giving. Finally, make sure the presents are not the only things that define Christmas for your kids. It is very difficult to keep the focus away from the consumer element when we are so surrounded by it. Families can still stick to their own values, as well as cherish and celebrate this holiday as a time to spend together with their children.

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What Toys for Kids You Should Avoid in Stores?

NDFAuthors — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Christmas is almost here and you may still be in need of a toy for your child.

We recently told you the best toys to give your little one (that are safe and will stimulate your child’s development). Now it is time to make yourself aware of the worst toys for your children.

The worst gift you can give

A toy can be bad in a number of ways. It could be inappropriate for the age of the child (for example, small parts on a toy would not be safe for an infant, who could choke) or it could be inappropriate no matter the age of the child (for example, a toy gun). Here are some of the worst types of toys you could give your child:

Toys that do it all… already: Imagination is key for a child’s creative development. Dolls or stuffed animals that talk or sing when a child presses a button take the imagination out of the play situation and are especially unsuitable for children over the age of 18 months. “When a toy is too specific, it’s limiting and it denies the child the ability to use her imagination,” says Vicki Panaccione, PhD, a child psychologist and founder of the Better Parenting Institute.¹
Video games: We live in an electronic age and are lucky enough that some manufacturers have been able to come up with video games that are suitable for a child’s development. But this is not the case for most. Research has suggested that electronic toys pose several possible dangers for a child’s health and development, including hearing loss (from loud games), weight gain (from being inactive), and language and developmental delays.² A study from Temple University showed that toys that do not require a child to take any action except watch promote a passive learning style, which can interfere with learning to think independently. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids under age 2 should not watch TV or play computer games at all and kids over age 2 should have their “screen time” limited to 1-2 hours per day. So if you want your gift to go a long way, a video game is not the gift for your child.

Toy Guns: The most inappropriate gift for a child is a toy gun. With the school shootings and gun violence in our society, the worst idea is for a child to receive a gun as a gift and think it is acceptable. It is important children can recognize the violence with guns in television shows and movies is fake and not imagine themselves doing the same actions with a toy gun.

How to recognize a toy is unsuitable for children

When you are shopping for a toy for your child, unsafe or unsuitable toys often have the following characteristics:³

Do not meet basic safety checks (toys should not chip or emit colors) and do not indicate “suitable for children.”
Promote violence, the practice of unhealthy habits, and discrimination of because of race, culture, gender, etc.
Are impractical and useless.
Are inadequate for the intended child and do not respond to their interests, age or tastes.

Be aware of dangerous toys

In 2010, an estimated 181,500 children were treated in an emergency room for a toy-related injury. Almost half of those injured were children age 4 and under.⁴

Some toys can be a choking hazard or can cause serious eye injuries and vision loss. Dr. Maurice Zadeh, president of the Georgia Optometric Association, says parents should be aware of these warnings:⁵

Avoid toys with sharp or rigid points.
Keep toys meant for older children away from younger children.
Avoid flying toys and projectile-firing toys

Your children will likely be gifted numerous toys this time of year. If they are lucky enough to receive ones that are good for their development, it is still important to only keep a few out at one time. Children given too many toys at one time have a hard time focusing on any one of them completely. Rotate the toys in and out of a toy box or your child’s room and let them fully explore one toy before introducing another.

Staying away from unsafe and inappropriate toys will help your child have a merrier Christmas (and a better future!).

References:

Photo credit: Kalexanderson / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

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Creative toys this Christmas

NDFAuthors — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The chances are that your children’s letters to Father Christmas have been written for several weeks now, although with frequent additions and revisions.

In the months preceding Christmas there is a noticeable ‘ramping up’ in the advertising of ‘the latest toys’ and the ‘next big thing’. However, we’ve all seen that some children, despite months of pleading, begging and pestering for a particular toy; once they have unwrapped it and played excitedly with it for a few hours; they leave it languishing in a corner by New Year. Once the initial excitement and gratification of something long desired has receded, the child realises that it is not as fun as it was marketed to be and other things have grabbed their attention. So how can you maximise the ‘play value’ of your Christmas gifts this year?

1) Choose toys that are ‘open ended’. Ask yourself: Can it be played with in a variety of ways? Does it encourage experimentation? Can it be played with differently each time? Some examples of these could include art materials and building materials (e.g. Meccano, Lego, Duplo, etc) that can make many different things and not just one model.

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2) Books stimulate creative thinking and provide ‘food for thought’. Younger children also enjoy multi-sensory books perhaps with flaps to lift or different textures to feel.

3) Role play provides a wealth of creative opportunities but be wary of dolls or action figures which limit the realms of role play and equally dressing up outfits which are too prescriptive. Sometimes all children need is a large blanket over some chairs to create a cave, a tepee, a tree house or the belly of a pirate ship.

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4) Child sized versions of what you use. Children love to imitate and feel that they are involved and valued. Getting child sized brooms, cooking utensils or gardening equipment can enable you to do these things together.

5) Encourage physical activity. The options are endless with some basic equipment. Bats, balls, skipping ropes, cones and hoops don’t have to be used just for the obvious activities. Skipping ropes can become the reigns of a horse and hoops can become stepping stones across a treacherous, crocodile infested river.

6) Choose items that are robust. If it has fiddly plastic parts which break easily or has functions which ‘run out’, think carefully about how much play a child will get out of it. Above all make sure that items are safe for the age of child you have in mind. Most items will have suggested ages written on the box.

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7) Make sure children have the time to play with toys to inspire the imagination. If children are overly scheduled into adult led activities, this can hinder their creative abilities to simply ‘play’. Children sometimes need time and space to develop creative scenarios. If your child seems to be struggling for ideas or how to fill the ‘blank page’, consider an inspirations box. These might include story starters and objects to spark imaginative role play such as ‘a magic key’, ‘a treasure map’ or ‘a telescope’. It might include art project ideas, such as a list of things to find and make a collage with or pictures and postcards to replicate or continue the scene.

Think about what your child is particularly interested in at that time and include items based around these themes whether it is space, dinosaurs or the high seas.

Featured image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/red-gift-box-photo-p216008

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Does your child believe in Santa Claus?

NDFAuthors — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Whether children write letters to Santa or send him emails, they wish the same: they want Santa to bring them presents and make them happy.

Story 1:

I believed in Santa Claus as a child. I used to put a glass of milk and cookies on a table counter, waiting for him to come. I staid up late, hoping to see him come out of the chimney. However, my hopes were shattered because he didn’t come. I fell asleep, almost crying. In the morning everything was so much better, since I was amazed at so many presents under the Christmas tree. Santa Claus really exists! – I convinced my parents. I also remember I tried to be good during Christmas time because I didn’t want to get a box of coal.

Story 2:

Every New Year’s Eve my sister and I spent standing in front of the door, eagerly waiting for Santa to ring the bell, and to bring us the presents. It was a tradition in our home. But, we never met him personally, since he was always too late, and we were sooo sleepy. In the morning we would wake up and saw our favourite Barbie, lots of Kinder chocolates and other wrapped up gifts under the three or in front of the door. So, we were never angry with him for keeping us wait for him so long, although our mother tried to comfort us by saying he was “so busy taking all those presents to all the kids in the world”. Eventually, we figured out that Santa was our daddy, who had so much trouble to sneak out of the appartment, leave the presents on the right spot, and then to appear on time to see what Santa Claus had brought for us. These memories mean a lot to me.

Story 3:

Two days ago we sat in the blue room in our kindergarten, and my friends talked about Santa Claus, New Year’s Eve, Christmas. They were so happy and busy making lists of presents. John knew he would get “red Power Ranger”, Mila wished for “Skelita Calaveras Monster High doll”, Tea and Maya wrote down they want new shoes and a computer…I silently listened to them. But, when they asked me what I should get from Santa, I just said: “a new dress for Masha”. Masha is my doll. I got it three years ago, but I still keep this present and take good care of her. I would like to have this nice, red dress, with shining stars on it. Somehow I know mommy and daddy can’t buy it for me, so I have to cross my fingers and hope for Santa. But, if he forgets about me this year, I will not be sad. I am sure he will bring it some other time. He never lets kids down.

Today’s kids mostly spend time in soft play centers or they are stuck in front of television, DVDs and computer games. They live in a technologically advanced era and in no time they can learn how to use the latest iPad or iPhone model. Some children have a long wishlist for Christmas, others only want their family and friends to be happy. However, there is one “traditional” thing that connects all of them – they believe in Santa Claus. Three stories from above show it – the first two are from teenagers who remember their childhood, and the third one is from a preschooler.

Whether children write letters to Santa or send him emails, they wish the same: they want Santa to bring them presents and make them happy. Most of us still remember New Year’s celebrations from our childhood. After the show was over, we waited in the lobby for our turn to take photos with Santa, not letting go the gifts we got. The similar thing happens today. Children queue to meet Santa, although theatres have been replaced with shopping malls. Even the way we celebrate Christmas and New Year slightly changed, the jolly old man in red suit remains what he has always been: the bringer of joy, children’s trusted friend and a symbol of hope that one day all their dreams will come true.

Kids usually ask Santa to bring them toys. However, there are children with no material things on their wishlists. Instead, they want Santa to help them and their families to overcome tough and difficult situations, pain and grief. Here are some of these heartbreaking letters.

Please Santa, I don’t want any toys. I don’t want anything. I just want my baby sister to get better. (Michael, 5)

Santa just tell daddy we all miss him. I’m brave and I take care of mommy like he said. Even you can’t bring him back, but tell him I love him so much, Santa. (Ivana, 6)

Santa, I just want my mom to be happy. (Mark, 5)

Who is Santa Claus?

Santa Claus is a fantasy figure who is said to bring gifts to children on the night before Christmas, on St. Nicholas’ Day or on New Year’s Eve. Various cultures, religions and nations use different names for Santa. However, he is generally known as a jolly, white-bearded man in a red suit, living on the North Pole, who carries a bag full of gifts for children. Santa Claus has been believed to make a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior (naughty or nice) and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the well-behaved children in the world. He accomplishes this with the aid of the elves who make the toys in the workshop and the reindeer who pull his sleigh.

Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for children for many years. These letters normally contain a wishlist of toys and assertions of good behavior.
Santa travels around the world on a flying sleigh pulled by reindeer. Each of them has its own name and the most famous is Rudolph whose luminous red nose guides Santa’s way. Santa usually waits until children are all asleep, and then enters homes via the chimney and leaves presents for the kids in stockings, boots or under the Christmas tree.

Why is believing in Santa good for your kids?

Parents are often in doubt what to tell children about Santa Claus. Is it good for them to believe in Santa? Or is the legend about him something that should be avoided? Some parents refuse to lie their kids about the man who does not exist in reality. Others, whose little ones do believe in him, are afraid to face the consequences, such as children’s disappointment, when the truth about Santa is finally revealed.

Decide about all this as a family. Whether this involves the husband and wife or perhaps older children, let everyone have a say.
The Santa legend is harmless. Parents who focus on whether they are lying to their kids are missing the point. Besides, it’s possible to answer your kids’ questions for a time without bending the truth.
Don’t worry if your child starts to have doubts. Most kids will, eventually, figure out the truth.
Some parents worry that learning the news about Santa Claus could cause significant emotional damage. Not so, psychologists say, at least not that anyone has proven.
Remember that creativity and imagination are important. Santa can engage the imagination and engender a sense of wonder and spread the message of generosity.

Furthermore, telling children stories about Santa can be a useful strategy for parents, as it encourages children’s moral development. The belief that this joyous, white-bearded man wearing a red suit knows if you’ve been bad or good helps teach children the difference between right and wrong. Therefore, kids have a greater reason to judge their own behavior.

Santa Claus has a positive effect on children’s cognitive development, their imagination and creativity, as kids are inspired to write letters to him and clearly express their desires. These fictional characters are particularly important for development of children three to five years old.

Experts add that the festive season of exchanging presents associated with Santa Claus helps develop a child’s sense of charitable giving and their consideration of others less fortunate than themselves, thus reducing their egocentrism.

Most of the evidence suggests that children are actually quite positive when they find out that Santa is not real. When this happens, they are old enough to accept the truth and gladly pretend still to believe in him for the sake of younger siblings.

There is no particular age at which a child should stop believing in Santa. But, most do it by the time they are 7, although that is sometimes earlier if siblings are involved. When kids think about Christmas, they imagine waking up and running downstairs to see what Santa Claus left them under the tree. By telling children the truth about Santa Claus before they work it out for themselves, parents would diminish the magic of Christmas mornings that only exists in childhood, depriving kids of memories that would have last forever.

Things you might not know about Santa

Since 1985, Santa Claus’ Main Post Office has received over 12 million letters to Santa and 700.000 Christmas cards.
Santa’s Reindeer names are: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen i Rudolph.
Rovaniemi is the official airport of Santa Claus. Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland and the home town of Santa. Apart from airliners, the Finnish post office planes also land here carrying thousands of letters that children (and adults as well) write every year to Santa.
You can send a letter to Santa Claus in Lapland using this address: Santa Claus, Santa Claus Main Post Office, FI-96930 Arctic Circle.
Santa Claus in Rovaniemi has his own football team. Santa performs kickoff at every home game.
Santa topped Forbes magayine list of the 15 richest people in the realm of fiction, thus leaving behind Richie Rich, Lex Luthor (Superman), Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons), Scrooge McDuck and others. This fictional character is said to have more than 1659 years, he lives at the North Pole and is engaged in toy and candy industry. His net worth is estimated as infinite. However, he has been absent from the list since 2006, because he was way too good to be part of competition.

Santa in different cultures and traditions

The children in Belgium believe in Saint Nicholas, who brings them their present. They also believe he rides a horse so they leave him hay and carrots and water for the horse just outside the house.
The Christians in China light their homes with beautiful paper lanterns. The children hang stockings for Santa to leave them there their gifts. Santa is called Dun Che Lao Ren.
Italy has the witch, La Befana, who brings gifts for the good children and punishment for the bad ones.
The Japanese decorate their stores and homes with greens. HOTEIOSHA the priest is like our Santa Claus.
In Finland, Santa is known as Joulupukki and in England as Father Christmas.
The Swedish people call Santa Tomte, and see him as a gnome who comes out from under the floor of the house carrying his sack of gifts for them. He rides in a sleigh drawn by a goat.
In Russia, the children join hands and sing songs as they walk around the tree, specially decorated for New Years Day. They wait for DYET MOROZ and his helper SYYEGORACHKA to bring them their gifts.
French children leave their shoes by the fireplace to be filled with gifts from Pere Noel.

What do kids usually ask Santa to bring them?

Last year a survey in Great Britain has found that ‘dad’ was the tenth most popular Christmas list request for children. Thus youngsters gladly forgot the latest iPad, toy, sweets or new pet just to have a father who would take care of them.

Furthermore, most children would put a new baby brother or sister at the top of their Christmas list, closely followed by a request for a real-life reindeer. A pet horse was the third most popular choice, with a car at number four. The survey found children aged four to 12 years also wanted a dog (5), chocolate (6) and a stick of rock (7). Traditional hopes for white Christmas were represented by a wish for snow in eighth place, with sensible children also requesting a house.

Of the top 50 festive requests, 17 related to pets and other animals- donkey, chicken and even elephant. iPhones and iPads also appeared on the list, with some quirky children asking for the moon, a time machine or… beetroot. One child asked for Eva Longoria and another wanted Harry Styles from One Direction.

References:

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