It’s the time of year when toy shopping is at the top of most of our to-do lists, which means many of us are scrambling around looking for the perfect doll or game for the girls and boys in our lives.
When it comes to selecting the right toy for a child, finding just the right thing can sometimes be difficult, but when it’s for a child who has special needs, the selection process can become even more challenging.
While you are toy shopping, starting with some general guidelines can help narrow down the search. Here are some things to consider:
- Versatility– It makes sense to find a toy that can be adapted to grow with a child, and can be used in a variety of ways.
- Go Back to Basics– It’s easy to get caught up with the latest electronic gadgets but simple toys are better for challenging children to play instead of watching something on a screen. High tech devices can be overwhelming to kids with special needs. Instead, look for puppets, blocks or Legos™, and even put together a box of costumes for playing dress-up. Inspire their creativity!
- Durability – Stay away from toys that have lots of pieces that may get lost, and find ones that can hold up to heavy use, frequent dropping and repeated washing. It’s also a good idea to skip the ones with batteries.
- Responsiveness – Select toys that require a child to do something to activate them.
- Cost – Avoid pricey objects since the toy may not be worth the cost.
- Look at non-toy items – Sometimes basic things like wooden spoons, boxes, tape, cups and Tupperware containers can be just as fun. Have you ever played on the pots and pans as a drum set? The possibilities are endless!
Top 10 picks for therapy toys:
- Connect Four – This game can be played while in a variety of positions. The child can sit, stand, lie on the floor or even on a therapy ball. It can also be played in more than one way. Therapists rarely use the game for its intended purpose – instead, we pull the checkers out and put them in homemade banks, and stack or sort them. Another version of the game, called Tic Tac Tony by Fisher Price, adds a unique lever that allows players to fling the checkers, making it more fun and encouraging isolated finger extension.
- Farm Sets – You can add Velcro to the animals to expand the possibilities for these simple toys. They’re also great for pretend play, turn taking and speech and language development.
- Ball Mitt with Velcro – Let’s face it, Velcro is fun and having it on the ball mitt makes playing catch easier to handle.
- Building Toys – Legos were created by a Danish inventor years ago to inspire creativity, and their name comes from the Danish words “leg godt,” which means play well. Don’t get the complex kits; just a box of bricks and some imagination is all that’s needed. Other good building toys include wooden blocks, Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys.
- Mr. Potato Head— Removable arms, legs and facial features and accessories allow children to be creative while working on their fine motor skills.
- Arts and Crafts – Crayons, markers, scissors, dry erase or chalk boards, paint and beads can create hours of fun.
- Puzzles and Shape Sorters – These come in a variety of sizes and styles and both help children with dexterity.
- Outdoor play – Going outside to play on a sunny day can involve balls, bubbles, bean bags, tunnels, bats or tennis racquets.
There are many helpful links to shopping sites that can help you find the right toys for children with special needs. Here are a few:
Fun and Function – This comprehensive gift guide is broken down by price range and category. There are lots of good toys for sensory procession disorders, ADHD and autism.
Kaplan Toys – Here you can search by age, category and brand and find a good selection of general developmental toys that help with fine motor skills as well as arts and crafts and pretend play.
Fat Brain Toys – This site has a great assortment of creative and unique learning toys with a section of special needs toys arranged by diagnosis and need.
Toys ‘R Us Differently-Abled Toy Guide — These toys are broken down by age and skill.
Pocket Full of Therapy – This is a good resource for sensory materials and oral motor toys.
Learning Express – The toys available on this site were made with several skill building categories in mind including fine and gross motor, language and speech and visual and spacial perception.
About the Author
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Karen Reckamp, OTR/L, ATP, is a clinical educator and supervisor at Wolfson Children’s Rehabilitation Services.
