In a world full of ever evolving electronics is there still room for older kids (10+) to play with toys? Absolutely! Not only should we encourage our children to play but, as parents, we should make it mandatory. Don’t get me wrong, Xbox’s, iPads and computers can be a ton of fun, but we shouldn’t let our children put all their entertainment eggs into one basket. Offer them diversity. As with everything in life, variety can only lead to a much better balance.
So what can we offer our 'plugged in' kids?
Let’s start with our girls. A great craft kit not only gives hours of entertainment but can offer of group of girls a great Saturday afternoon or sleepover activity. While we have many craft kits we love one of our favourites is Alex’s Roll Paper Beads ($21.99). This comes with colorfully patterned paper, glue stick, string, and elastic to make funky-fun beaded necklaces, bracelets, and more. Girls can make themselves jewellery by making the beads needed for this. It’s always a big hit.
Creativity for Kids also offers great activities and crafts for younger kids and older kids. One that we find the older girls we see love is Creativity for Kids Glitter Nail Art ($28.99). Creativity for Kids has designed this kit to provide colourful, easy-to-use and safe ingredients that encourage natural creativity. Included in the kit are three water-based glitter nail polishes, 6 glitter pots, a variety of confetti and rhinestones, a sparkly emery board, plastic tweezers, a brush, a storage bag, an application station tray and printed instructions and ideas. With these ingredients girls can polish their nails, sprinkle glitter on them and apply accents to create a bright, personal design.
Now boys can be little more difficult to get away from their electronics but certainly not impossible. Having a 13 year-old son myself, I find once he is away from his screen his creativity soars. Again, everything in moderation and he certainly enjoys his time gaming. I went to him for his favourites available at our store. 
Any of the Keva products from MindWare, ranging from $30 to $60, were definitely high on his list. Young thinkers can build unbelievable ball track structures, catapults and marvels of engineering, fostering unlimited creativity and experimentation.
With the weather finally turning nice the Quantum Flyer ($21.99) is a totally cool toy to take outside. 
Attach the pilot to the twin propellers, pull the string and watch him fly up to 35 feet in the air. The ultimate in vertical takeoff and landing gear.
Sometimes it may take a little more energy on our part as parents, but getting our older kids away from their electronics won’t just add to the fun they can have but will also keep the creative part of their brain working and developing. Any Neighborhood Toy Store will have tons of ideas of awesome fun activities that any old child will enjoy.
The Giggle Factory, ‘For the Toys You’ve Always Wanted’, has been in operation in Saskatoon since 2003 and is a member of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS). Started by Tammie McCumber and Paula Woodhouse, it has always been their goal to have a toy store full of super-fun toys and to offer a super-fun atmosphere in which to shop. They believe in an ‘out of the box’ concept. Many of the toys they stock are open and on the sales floor for kids to play with.
Kids—at least most of them—love to get dirty. Parents? Not so much. But there is one activity that bridges that gap in a completely natural way, and that’s gardening. Whether gardening is your passion or you think of it as a necessary evil, doing it with kids can make it more enjoyable. Even kids who don’t like to get dirty can put on gardening gloves (princess ones work well) to join in the fun.
Whether they work alongside you, or in their own small garden plot, kid-sized wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, and gloves make the job easier. Small, but just like the real thing, they allow kids to be autonomous, productive, and to feel like they are truly participating. All good things!
You can help further their interest in growing things, with the Plant Science Kit from Thames and Kosmos.
A fully illustrated sixteen-page guide book, written especially for young scientists, will teach them how plants germinate from seeds, how they grow, what they need to grow, what they produce, and how their roots, stems, and leaves work. Great for ages five and up.
Along the way, while planting, weeding, or just digging, your child may discover the occasional worm or beetle. This is a great opportunity to encourage your child’s natural curiosity and start to explore the world of nature.
Take their intrinsic curiosity a step further, with the Nature Bag.
Created by a couple of Canadian Moms, the Nature Bag—a lovely organic cotton shoulder bag—is filled with a slew of eco-friendly items, designed to help children explore nature through a variety of sensory activities. Suggested activities are simple, engaging, and imaginative. Maybe just the thing you need to entice your kids into exploring nature, in your own backyard and beyond.
Of course, if your kids have no interest in gardening, you can still get them outside while you garden, with fun backyard toys like the Jungle Croquet Set from Alex, or burn off some energy with a Jump Rocket for big kids and the Rocket Zoomer for smaller ones. All great backyard fun!
Drop by your nearest neighbourhood toy store, where you will find a full complement of gardening and outdoor fun stuff to help you get down and dirty with your kids.
Judi Meade is the owner of Art-enfant in Westmount (Montreal), a member of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS) and the co-owner of LearrningToys.ca. Her stores are a destination for families looking for unique and fun playthings that sneak a little learning in on unsuspecting kids. She blogs about toys, children’s play, and all things related at Toying Around.
'Family Game Night' is one of the greatest ways to bring a family together for a night of fun, interaction, and bonding. It's one of the most social ways to get a family to spend a night together and has a lot more room for fun than a traditional movie or television night. When most people think of board games they think of Monopoly, Risk, Battleship, Chess; all games that a younger child couldn't participate in. Nowadays, however, that just isn't the case. There are tons of games that are age-appropriate for preschoolers which parents and even older siblings can enjoy just as much as the younglings.
For example, take Sequence for Kids. You may have heard of Sequence, or One-Eyed Jack, or a flurry of other titles. 
It's a board game designed for a group of 2-12 people aged 8 and up. This version for kids, however, uses special cards with animals on them rather than the traditional deck of poker cards. It's the same concept as the original—play a card, put a chip on that card on the board, and make a sequence of 4 in a row—but far more suited to a younger audience. Sequence for Kids retails for $39.99.
Pop N' Drop Penguins is another game that draws influence from a classic game—in this case, Trouble. Rather than generic pieces and a boring board though, Penguins features, well, penguins! Adorable pieces and a dynamic board where penguins can fall back to the start. It's a great family game for ages 4+. Pop N' Drop Penguins retails for $19.99.
If you're looking for something to really refine motor skills and balance, Too Many Mice is 
your answer. A simple-looking stacking game with a cheesy attitude, players take turns stacking mice two at a time to the ever-growing leaning tower of Cheese-a. The higher the tower grows, the riskier it is to add more mice. Who will make the tower fall? Too Many Mice retails for $24.99.
Families that start a 'Family Game Night' at a young age will begin a tradition that lasts until college. There's no better way to bond with a teenager than over a board game. Starting them at a young age will help keep the trend going throughout those important teenage years. The bonding that board games provide is everlasting, and these games are a great way to start what is sure to be a favourite family tradition.
Top Notch Toys in Sudbury ON is a member of Neighbourhood Toy Store of Canada (NETS) and brings you the best in educational and award winning toys, games and puzzles for all ages. From toy registries and wish lists to play stations to keep the kids occupied while parents shop, there are hundreds of reasons to come by. Games and toys for everyone from newborn all the way up to 99!
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