Buying toys? Select gifts that enhance child development | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post, Ashley Norris, is a contributor to ECU News Services.

    During the season of giving, selecting appropriate gifts for young children may seem like a daunting task. ECU instructor Ashley Norris, Department of Child Development and Family Relations, offers the following advice for selecting fun and educational toys:

    Look for gifts that are open-ended with multiple uses, she said, and toys that support some aspect of development. She said children learn through play so it is important for toy purchases to be well thought out.

    A time-honored gift appropriate for both boys and girls is a set of blocks, Norris said.

    "There are so many types of blocks that you can find one for any age group," she said. "Why spend $200 on a doll house when you can spend $30 on blocks and children can make a doll house  -  or a fire station or farm or school  -  whatever their interest may be." "When you pair a gift like blocks with another toy (such as toy animals, people and cars), the possibilities are endless," she added.

    Norris said research supports a direct link between block play in early childhood and math achievement in middle and high school. When children play with blocks, she said, they work through all kinds of math and science skills including spatial awareness, problem solving, parts of a whole, weight and balance. Building blocks help children build skills that will enhance performance in science, technology, engineering and math.

    For younger children, Norris suggested toy buyers look for blocks that are larger and made of softer materials or plastic (like Duplos and Megablocks). As children get older and can handle smaller pieces, more challenging block sets (like Legos) that support the use of their fine motor skills are appropriate.

    Additional toy ideas for enhancing children's development include:

   •  Play dough, which supports creative expression, problem solving and fine motor skills

   •  Magnifying glasses and binoculars, which develop natural discovery and life science inquiry skills

   •  Magna Doodle Writing boards, which exercise creative expression, writing and fine motor skills

   •  Paint, crayons, and markers, also good for creative expression, writing, fine and motor skills

   •  Beads, which support fine motor skills, mathematical awareness and creative expressions

   •  Bubbles, which exercise explorations in physical science

    Note to media: Norris is available for media interviews about appropriate toy selections. Call (252) 916-3490 to arrange an interview.