With toy store shelves overflowing and catalogues filled with the latest gadgets, the search for the perfect toys and games can be a daunting task for parents. Luckily, the holiday season provides a great opportunity for parents to give the gift of learning that will last throughout the year!

  

While toys and games are fun for children, they also help kids develop valuable skills including imagination, creativity, problem solving and confidence. When selecting educational toys and games, parents are encouraged to consider gifts that are appropriate for their children's age and skill levels as well as their specific interests.

  

Children who regularly engage in play are more likely to be emotionally, mentally and physically fit. From a very early age, infants use play to develop motor skills, recognize shapes and colors and improve hand-eye coordination. As children grow, they become more interested in formal games with rules, opponents and explicit instructions.

  

Here are a few suggestions to help parents identify toys that encourage active learning and make the most of play this holiday season:

  

Pre-School Students

* Consider puzzles to help build critical thinking and reasoning skills.

  

* Pre-school students are beginning to recognize colors, letters, and textures and sound. To encourage these skills, look for magnetic letters and numbers, flash cards or games like See 'n Say® or A to Z Puzzles™.

  

* To develop motor skills, try activity mats, building blocks and Tinker Toys®. As infants become more advanced, parents should find more challenging games and activities and recognize when it's to retire certain toys.

  

* For games that help children learn to match pictures/shapes and practice counting, look for Big Deal®, Slapdragon™ Card Game or Imperial™ Kids- Go Fish! Card Game.

  

* To spark creativity and imagination, consider arts and crafts kits and toy musical instruments. With Kids' Play Workshop® Itty Bitty Puppet Show™ children can have fun creating, decorating and playing with finger puppets.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

The holiday season is here. Family get-togethers provide the perfect opportunity for kids to learn about their family's history, of their sense of belonging to important groups- none more important than family- and of their learning lifelong values from the adults they trust.

  

Family get-togethers provide times for bonding, for fun, for telling stories, for sharing, and for showing acceptance, generosity, kindness, and affection. Kids need to see this, to be part of it, and to learn what being a family member entails.

  

Family get-togethers don't have to be big deals that cause stress. Instead, they can be joyful times when kids get to be with relatives they don't get to  see often enough, when their regular routines, like bedtime, are stretched a little, and when they feel involved in family fun.

  

Here are some things kids can do for  family get-togethers. They'll feel useful, involved, and a part of something important and lasting.

  

Interview relatives. A great way to learn family history. Work with kids ahead of time, and tell them who's going to be at the event. Clarify where these folks fit in the family. Suggest some topics kids will be interested in and relatives will be comfortable talking about. For older relatives, encourage kids to ask about family stories and history.

  

Build relationships. Kids love to learn about how they fit in the family, their cousins, their uncles and aunts. This is especially true of adopted kids, who are curious about the folks who welcomed them into their family. Show kids how to draw a simple family tree.

  

Help with the invitations. If it's one of those family gatherings where invitations are appropriate, have the kids participate. Relatives love to get child-drawn-and-written cards from beloved nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. Let the kids design, draw, color, and write the contents. Depending on their age and handwriting, let them address the envelopes, too. If you're inviting folks electronically, kids can play a hand here, too.

  

Help with the planning. Give kids simple tasks to keep them involved instead of just staying out of the way. Ask for their thoughts and suggestions. "A cook-out would be fun, don't you think?" Or, "What about horseshoes? Wouldn't that be unusual?" Yes, planning is important, but if kids see you stressing out, they'll feel it, too.

  

Help with the decorating. Given the right direction, kids will feel great about creating hand-made table decorations, drawings of family that can be hung around the house, and inventive signs that greet people hospitably. "Welcome to our home." Or, "Mom made the potato salad. It's my favorite!" Or, "Young cousins, games and toys downstairs."

  

Help with the menu. Kids have their favorites, so let them suggest dishes that they think their young cousins will enjoy. Also, stretch their thinking a little with some suggestions for the older folks. If you're really feeling adventuresome, take them to the grocery store to help you shop and look for good values.

  

Document in writing, photographs, video. Let the kids be the documentarians, taking pictures, videos, and notes of what's happening. Put these together in real-life or on-line album for everyone to share afterwards. Someone can be the camera person, another narrator, another interviewer. Trade jobs periodically.

  

Be ready with interesting conversation. Sometimes it's hard for kids to feel comfortable with people they haven't seen for a long while. Help your kids- especially the shy ones- to be ready with things to talk about. School, hobbies, favorite games, interesting friends, , favorite music, cool vacation memories, and fun teachers. Also, help them think up some conversation-encouraging questions to help them break the ice.

  

Look forward. Don't overdo it, but let kids know how much you're looking forward to seeing the family. Tell funny stories from your youth. Play up the positive aspects of everyone's personalities. Share stories of the things you've learned- your love of learning, your religious beliefs, your moral compass, your sense of fun- from family members.