Like many moms, my life is full of different jobs. I work from home, that’s the job that brings in the money. I (try) to bring up my kids properly, that’s the job that gives me challenges and satisfaction. I play with toys (the kid variety), that’s the job that fills me with fun.

Play with toys?

Okay, I don’t really play with the toys myself, my kids do. Our family tests toys for Today’s Parent magazine. The fun starts in February with the arrival of the lists detailing potential new toys for testing. My kids & I enjoy going through the list and checking the toys out online before selecting the toys that interest us. It’s like putting a Christmas list together for Santa.

In Spring (April/May) toys have been assigned and we get to pick them up at the magazine’s downtown office (times like these make me grateful for the extra storage space in my truck). We eagerly unpack the boxes in our front hall; we can’t wait to go through everything and see if what we wanted actually arrived (kids are only assigned test toys that are age appropriate even if they play with older aged toys at home).

Then the real fun (and work) begins. The next 2 months are full of play, for everyone. We have family games to play, dolls to take care of, cars to race, forts to build. We’re pretty busy.

Now it isn’t all play. We do have to write reports on each toy we test. I usually keep a journal, making notes as I watch the kids interact with the toys or my own thoughts on the toys as we use them as a family. The first report, due halfway through the testing period, is detailed asking about durability, playability, likeability and all those other ability words. The kids also have to write reports (which mainly consist of me asking them questions to try and get more than ‘it’s fun’).

Near the end of the testing period a final report for each toy has to be filled out. This report is shorter, only 1 page, and gives me a chance to add more information on the toy based on the additional play time.

At the end, testers don’t keep the toys, instead they are donated to charities.  Although you may think this would be difficult for the kids, mine actually enjoy being part of the process. They enjoy meeting the people we donate the toys to and explaining all the great features and how much fun the kids will have.

The season ends when the toy issue arrives at our door in November. The kids can’t wait to flip through and see if any of the toys they tested made the top 10 list. And sometimes the kids are quoted in the magazine too, which makes them feel even prouder.

If you think your family would enjoy testing toys for Todays’ Parent magazine, check out the this site for more information.

And enjoy playing!

 

With a background in advertising, Carrie Anne Badov left the agency life to spend more time with her three energetic and active kids (age 6, 4, & 21 months). At home in Toronto she works for advertising agencies testing their Client’s online communications; a cool job, according to her kids, especially when games are involved.

Carrie Anne volunteers at her children’s school and when time allows she works on her children’s story ideas in the hopes of some day seeing one of them published. She is very fortunate to have a deliciously, wonderful hubby that supports and understands her and gives amazing back rubs.