Toddler - Toys and Recreation

Toddler children are continually on the go, exploring the world around them. Here are articles that will help you find great toys and activities to enjoy with your toddler child. Another area at KidSource OnLine to visit is our general Recreation area. For issues about safety, especially toys, see Toddler: Safety - Toys and Recreation

Our rating system for these Fun and Recreation articles is:

• - Best, in depth and most helpful overall
• - Very Good, but more specific in focus
• - Good reference material

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	Summertime Funtime Activities A new activity for you to do with your child each day during the summer - they're fun, educational and can be done with children of all ages!
	Early Childhood Activity Calendar This 1997-1998 Early Childhood Activity Calendar is from the U.S Department of Education and is filled with helpful tips and special activities that promote reading and language skills for young children.
	Parents Guide to the Internet This Parents Guide to the Internet is intended to help parents--regardless of their level of technological know-how--make use of the on-line world as an important educational tool. The guide cuts through the overwhelming amount of consumer information to give parents an introduction to the Internet and how to navigate it. The guide suggests how parents can allow their children to tap into the wonders of the Internet while safeguarding them from its potential hazards.
	Holiday Preparedness Calendar We've created our annual holiday calendar. It's 30 days of activities and reminders for a healthy, safe, fun and giving holiday season.
	The Toy Manufacturers of America Guide to Toys and Play This booklet has been designed to help you provide the best play opportunities for your child, describes how the toy industry and government work together to ensure toy safety and offers simple charts to guide you as you do your toy shopping.
	Top 10 Things to Consider When Buying Toys for Children With Disabilities The National Lekotek Center offers tips on how to shop for holiday gifts for children with disabilities.
	Tips For Holiday Toy-Choosing When we think of gifts for children during the holiday season, we often think of toys. Toys may be at the top of children's wish lists -- and at this time of year, there are plenty to choose from. But the selection can be overwhelming for both children and adults.
	Simple Gift Giving For The Early Years During the holiday season, we are frequently bombarded with advertisements for children's toys that are often expensive or inappropriate, and many adults find themselves at a loss when trying to decide on the right gift for that special child in their lives. Selecting toys for young children is an important task that involves decisions about the kinds of interests, motivation, and skills we want children to develop.
	Halloween Can Be a Pretty Hairy Experience for Pets Halloween can be fun for all members of your family -- both two- and four-legged members -- if you take some simple precautions which include keeping your pets safely inside - a reminder from the United States Humane Society.
	Puzzles in Early Childhood Education When children work on puzzles, they are actually 'putting the pieces together' in more ways than one. Puzzles help children build the skills they need to read, write, solve problems, and coordinate their thoughts and actions- all of which they will use in school and beyond.
	Child's Play Who are your children’s heroes? What are their favorite play themes? Favorite toys? Are they similar to your own childhood heroes, play themes, or toys? After a study of children's play from different eras, the results are talked about in this article.
	The Nature of Children's Play In play, children expand their understanding of themselves and others, their knowledge of the physical world, and their ability to communicate with peers and adults. This digest discusses children's play and its relationship to developmental growth from infancy to middle childhood. The digest also suggests ways in which educators and other adults can support children's play.
	Holidays Celebrations Around The World The growing ethnic and cultural diversity of children in programs and schools throughout the United States provides teachers and child care professionals the opportunity to rethink how to introduce culturally and developmentally appropriate holiday activities to young children. If used sparingly, holiday activities can contribute to anti-bias curriculum because they are fun to do and participating in celebrations and rituals enhances children's feelings of being part of a close-knit group.
	Celebrating Holidays In Early Childhood Programs Holiday celebrations can be wonderful opportunities for children to learn about the traditions and values that are cherished parts of people's lives. But many early childhood professionals wonder what holidays to celebrate in the program or classroom and how to respect the cultures represented by all children. Many parents, too, wonder why programs celebrate specific holidays or why they discourage any celebration at all.
	Toys Aimed At Young Girls Can Damage Self-Esteem Are parents buying toys that are detrimental to their daughters' self esteem? An expert at the Renfrew Center says "yes." In a survey conducted by The Renfrew Center, clinicians found that 90 percent of the toys and dolls surveyed for girls ages two to 10 years emphasize beauty, shopping, and dating.
	Water play: A key to children's living-learning environment When it comes to play materials, children don't mind getting messy or wet. That's why water play is both enjoyable and educational and perfect for hot days that call for cooling off. Indoor water play can go on all year long, and like outdoor play, helps children develop eye-hand coordination and math and science concepts. It may also enhance social skills and encourage cooperation. There is no right or wrong way to play with this familiar, inexpensive "toy" that comes not from a package, but from our very own environment.
	Toy Experts Reveal Secrets for Keeping Small Holiday Travelers Happy Toy experts Joanne and Stephanie Oppenheim, who strongly suggest incorporating appropriate travel toys in your itinerary. The right travel toys can help divert and entertain small travelers, whether the journey is long or short.
	National PTA Reaches Consensus on TV Ratings The National PTA, accompanied by leaders from other child advocacy organizations, said in a meeting at the White House today that it supports a newly-revised television rating system. The system was developed in conjunction with the television industry.
	Toys: Tools for Learning Through toys, children learn about their world, themselves, and others. Choosing toys that appeal to your children and foster their learning will help you make their early years count. Here are some tips to help you choose toys wisely for your child.
	Pull the Plug on TV and Video Game Violence Week Parents who are concerned about the effects of violence on TV and in video games on children, need to read this article. In it you'll find suggestions from the American Academy of Pediatrics that will help you limit the effects of these forms of violence on your children.
	45th Skippy Dog Hero Of The Year Shepherds Four People To Safety The 45th Skippy Dog Hero of the Year is Shelby, a 7-year-old German Shepherd from Ely, Iowa, who saved the lives of two adults and two children by alerting them to dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the home where they were sleeping.
	Learning Partners -- Let's Use TV! This article is full of ideas for parents to use television as an aid to teaching their childrent math and geography.
	What's Lurking in the Sandbox? While little ones enjoy building castles, digging holes and rolling around in the sandbox, these popular play areas present the perfect environment for the spread of disease. In fact, playing in sandboxes may make a child more prone to contracting contagious viruses and bacteria, including those that cause warts, conjunctivitis and skin disorders.
	Mothers Concerned About Safety of Softeners in Plastic Toys Mothers of young children are concerned about the use of petroleum-based compounds known as phthalates found in soft plastic toys and other items their youngsters place in their mouths, according to a national survey.
	Pediatricians Respond to TV Industry Ratings System The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) today stated that any effective television ratings system should be content based to offer parents guidance on a program's level of sex, violence and language. The action is in response to recent media reports on the television industry's efforts to institute a ratings system that labels programs by age groups, similar to the current ratings system by the movie industry.
	Holiday Photo Tips From the Pros "With just a little planning," says Sam Garcia, Nikon School Instructor, "unforgettable holiday snapshots become a breeze." The holidays present a world of unforgettable moments waiting to be captured on film. Nikon makes taking holiday pictures easy with these great tips.