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When I refer to ‘expandable toys’ I don’t mean toys you can literally stretch! I mean toys you can add on to, building from the original toy.
For example, rooms of furniture for the dollhouse, small construction sets to go with bigger construction sets, vehicles to go with the action figures, track to go with wooden trains, buggies for dolls etc.
Expandability in a toy is one of the greatest assets for parents on a tight toy budget for three reasons.
1. You don't have to invest a lot of money up front to gauge a child's interest.
Even if you’ve done your homework and observed your child in play, there’s still a chance they might not like whatever toy you choose. By starting with a small set, you can test the waters to see if the child has any interest, before investing in lots of product.
2. The add-ons make for great gifts from family and friends.
If you know the toy will be a hit, having other family members buy add-ons means your child can get the ‘big splash’ of a toy without breaking the bank. Although you know that you only bought the ‘starter set,’ all your child knows is that he got, ‘a whole lot of Lego, Playmobil, etc.!’ Plus, you make shopping easy for grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles.
3. Add-ons make the original toy (and original investment) new again.
The best thing about expandable toys is that it doesn't take much to make the whole toy new again. If your child already has a dollhouse, adding a new room of furniture makes the whole dollhouse new again, and renews interest in playing with it. The same holds true for the wooden trains. Add a new building or a few new pieces of track and the whole train set becomes a brand new toy. New Playmobil brings the old Playmobil back out of the toy box.
Here's a mathematical example. You have $30 to spend on a ‘big’ item. You could spend that on a stand-alone toy that is not expandable, or on an expandable toy. With the non-expandable toy, the following year you will need to spend another $30 to replace that item with another ‘big’ item. But if you went with an expandable toy, just a $15 add-on in year two will actually give you more ‘new’ toys for your child.
And imagine how fast the savings add up when you account for the $30 that grandma and grandpa spent on add-ons that first year. Now your $15 investment the second year makes $75 worth of toys ‘new’ again!
Observe your children in play and look for expandable toys—a money savings tip guaranteed to work!
Need more help choosing a toy for your child? Read this!
Note: Thanks to my toy mentor Phil Wrzesinski for the lesson above and for his unselfishness to share with all.
Joanna Mileos and husband Craig Hartman are the owners of The Granville Island Toy Company in Vancouver, BC, a member of Neighborhood Toy Stores of Canada (Nets). Their moto: “We Don’t Cease to Play Because We Grow Old, We Grow Old Because We Cease to Play.” GB Shaw
In my last blog I talked about how the most affordable toy is the one your child plays with the longest. But now you’re in the store seeing thousands of ‘interactive,’ ‘open-ended’ and ‘creative’ toys that your neighborhood toy store sells. So how do you choose, from all of these, that one toy that will most interest your child?
Forget the toy ads on TV. Television is the ‘Holy Land’ for toy companies to hook your kids into their latest versions of ‘Tickle Me Elmo’ and other non-interactive toys that your kids will likely leave in the bottom of the toy box after a short time of play.
The best way to know what toys to get your children is to watch how they interact with other kids, how they interact with their toys and what type of play interests them.
Some kids are very active and always play a specific role in whatever they have imagined. They don't just move the characters around, they become one of the characters. Toys like dress-up clothes, kitchens and tea sets, workbenches, sporting goods and dolls are good for these kids. Were this a play we were producing we would consider the girl at the tea party, the boy who becomes a fireman and the children playing kickball as the participants in the play.
Other children like to be the ‘Director’ of the play. They don't play a specific role as in the previous example, but they control all the actions of the characters in their play. Toys such as themed playsets from Playmobil, dollhouses, action figures, and wooden trains make great toys for these kids. The child isn't one of the characters, like she would be at a tea party, or he would be as a fireman, but is still fully involved directing what the characters do.
Building and construction toys such as Lego and Magformers are also great ‘interactive,’ ‘open-ended’ and ‘creative’ toys. Finding the right construction toy is easier when you know the answers to these questions: Are they quiet, able to stay focused for long stretches of time? Do they get frustrated easily? Can they follow multiple directions? Are they more likely to color within the lines or follow their own path?
Some construction toys such as the more advanced Lego sets require more careful planning, following of directions, and overall time to build the models. Other building toys like Magformers and Duplo are easier and quicker to assemble the finished product. The key is to know your child's skill level and be able to match the right building toy with their ability. If it's too easy, they get bored quickly. If it's too challenging, they get frustrated and walk away. Following age guidelines and knowing your child's abilities helps you pick the right level.
The same can be said about arts and crafts projects. Does your child need a framework to work within or can they create from a blank canvas? Are they better suited for coloring books or sketch pads? Thin pencils or thick markers? Finger paints or fine point brushes? Creating a specific item or creating whatever comes to mind? The more you understand your child, the better your choices will be for arts and crafts projects.
Observe your child's play habits and you'll be more likely to find the right toy for them to play with for hours and hours and hours.
Note: Thanks to my toy mentor Phil Wrzesinski for the lesson above and for his unselfishness to share with all.
Joanna Mileos and husband Craig Hartman are the owners of The Granville Island Toy Company in Vancouver, BC, a member of Neighborhood Toy Stores of Canada (Nets). Their moto: “We Don’t Cease to Play Because We Grow Old, We Grow Old Because We Cease to Play.” GB Shaw
If the weather is not cooperating and you can’t shoosh the kids outside to let them run wild, we have a great idea for keeping them busy inside and letting their imaginations run wild!
The product is Fischer Tip. It is a modeling material made in Germany by the legendary Fischertechnik GmbH. Fischer Tip was launched in 1998 and given a big thumbs-up from European testing organizations because of its totally non-toxic character and its limitless imaginative potential. Kids love it because it pushes their imaginations to the limit! Parents love it because it’s a safe and easy product to use.
Fischer Tip is manufactured in Germany from potato starch and non-toxic food dye. The coloured starch is extruded into a puffy cylinder, kind of like a snack food, and chopped into easy-to-handle pieces. This environmentally-friendly material sticks together without glue. The pieces need only be moistened using a damp sponge and pressed together so that they adhere. The pieces may be safely cut and shaped using the included plastic cutting tool. Larger sets include more tools, including stencil inserts for forming ‘brick-like’ pieces, rasps for shaving pieces into different shapes, templates and so on.
Sets come in various sizes ranging from smaller ‘try-me’ sets costing approximately $10 (80 pieces plus sponge, cutting tool and instructions) to larger 1200 piece sets that include five tools and cost around $30.
This is great stuff for quick, clean crafts with minimal clean-up. Its light as air, so it travels well, and the only thing you need is a damp sponge, so there’s really no mess (your in-laws will thank you!) Fischer Tip is a super choice for something to keep kids amused and creative, and the art that kids have created with it can be pretty breathtaking!
Richard and Karin Belanger own Scalliwag Toys, a family-owned independent toy and games store in Belleville, Ontario, Canada and a member of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS). Scalliwag Toys offers the best in educational toys and games for children of all ages. Each item is carefully chosen for safety, durability, value and price.
Looking for another bad-weather activity? Try making homemade playdough!