Many toys come with a label that states the recommended age. Parents of kids who have special needs learn that their child’s chronological age, and developmental age, might not match to what a toy maker recommends. Toys R Us has a guide to make it easier for your family to select appropriate toys for your child.
The Toys R Us “Differently-Abled” guide is updated every year. It is designed to be a resource for parents, relatives, friends, and professionals who want to find a suitable toy for a child who has a special need. The guide can help someone shop for a birthday present, a Christmas present, or an “anytime” gift for a child who has a special need.
The 2012 version of the Toys R Us “Differently-Abled” guide is now available. It has 64 pages, and you can get one in either English or Spanish. Each year, a celebrity, and a child who has a special need, are featured on the cover of the guide. This year, Nancy O’Dell, a TV host and philanthropist, was selected. She appears with Saskia Vogt, an eight year old girl who has Down Syndrome and a very happy smile.
Last year, the guide featured Eva Longoria, an actress who was on the “Desperate Housewives” television series. She was featured with an adorable five year old named Elija De La Cerda, who has Down Syndrome, and who is from Fresno, California.
The toys that are featured in the guide have been selected in partnership with the National Lekotek Center. It is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to making play accessible to all children of all abilities. Every toy in the guide can help children with physical and cognitive disabilities to develop skills through “the power of play”.
Which toys do what, exactly? There is an easy way to find out this information. The National Lekotek Center has assigned at least two skill-building icons to each toy. Take a look at the color coded symbols next to each toy, and you can see which skills it helps build. This will help people to find toys that are the most suitable for the child they are buying the toy for.
The symbols connect to the following categories: Auditory, Creativity, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Language, Self Esteem, Social Skills, Tactile, Thinking, and Visual. You can browse through the online version of the 2012 Differently-Abled Toy Guide, or pick up a physical copy at your local Toys R Us or Babies R Us Store.
Image by Håkan Dahlström on Flickr