Girali Square Clutching Toy by Selecta

Lovingly made in Germany by Selecta Spielzeug, the delightul Girali Square Grasping Toy gently springs back into shape no matter how you bend it. A sturdy companion with a high fun-factor.
Customer Review: Worth the extra $$
Our Twins LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this toy. It is simple and clean, but one of their favorites
Customer Review: Great all around toy.
My daughter loves this toy. It rattles, it's good for teething and it's not made with toxic paint. We always make sure that we have this toy with us when we go out.

Since the holidays are just around the corner, a new review of popular toys is overdue. However, after surveying the current trends in the industry, this reviewer had to take a step back and reconsider. My epiphany: modern toys are mostly a collection of blinking lights and obnoxious noises! How did it come to this?

So instead of providing another holiday review of what's hot in the toy world, an re-introduction to traditional (read: non-blinking) toys is much more useful. Traditional toys have a lot of benefits over the trendy toys, not the least of which is affordability. But there are many more reasons why parents should rethink the value of traditional educational toys.

First, remember that classic toys are made from natural sources, so toxicity is not an issue. We all know how the recent reports about Chinese toys and their shocking lead content levels. Never worry about this again with classic toys made from wood or natural fiber.

Traditional toys are also simpler, so they are less likely to break. Nor do they need a constant supply of batteries. Nor do they drive parents nuts with repetitive and annoying sound effects. Have you ever seen a parent take back a wooden block because it fell apart within a week? Probably not.

Another benefit of classic toys is that they encourage physical activity and group activity. Kids like to share, and they like to build things. This will not change season to season, and traditional toys - like jump rope and building blocks - will continue to draw the kids outdoors to play. Compare this to video games, which basically promote couch-potatoes-in-training.

Many will be shocked to learn that traditional toys actually have a better chance of being played with by kids. Sure, that plastic noise machine will take a quarter of a million years to degrade in sunlight (and will never biodegrade in a landfill), but only the first few hours out of the box will that toy be warmed by actual human hands. Children tire of fad toys because they are promoted with meaningless hype, not enduring values.

Traditional toys last longer because of something ephemeral but nonetheless crucial for child development: imagination. These toys reflect back a child's curiosity about the world, and grow with the child's understanding, skill level, and responsibility. An obvious example is blocks, which change from incidental chew-toys to simple building toys to complex lessons in physics and load capacity within a six year span. These toys are often handed down to new parents in the community, so it is not uncommon for wooden blocks to stay in the family for several generations.

Finally, because classic toys are imagination-centric, rather than gimmicky, they are also socially flexible. This means that the toys can be used in a variety of social settings. Children can learn how to share, work together, and build off one another's ideas. This is a crucial part of child development that modern electronic toys simply cannot do.

In the final analysis, modern toys are built to entertain and distract children, while more traditional toys are built to engage a child's imagination and help them socialize, while building real skills of dexterity and patience.

Barbara Garrison writes about parenting, education, and internet marketing. For additional perspective on traditional toys, be sure to check out these classic toy suggestions.

Are You Looking for sale cheap prices and discount NERF Toys. Here is NERF Toys that choose from Amazon Store for you. Save Your - Action Figures
Are You Looking for sale cheap prices and discount NERF Toys. Here is NERF Toys that choose from Amazon Store for you. Save Your - Action Figures
Are You Looking for sale cheap prices and discount NERF Toys. Here is NERF Toys that choose from Amazon Store for you. Save Your - Action Figures