Skip to main content

Just the Way You Are – September 6, 2011 - Toys R’ Us Differently Abled Toy Guide

                Some disabilities hinder children from playing in certain ways. For example, a child who can’t walk will not be able to play with a push and pull toy, at least not in the traditional way. A child who is deaf will get little pleasure from a toy whose main function involves music or noise. A blind child will not enjoy a toy such as a mirror. But one thing that disabilities do not do is stop children from playing. Despite any disability, children are still just children who learn by playing and exploring and a disabled child’s need to play is even more important to their development because of the propensity of the disability to slow or prevent their normal progress. When raising a child with a disability, it is a full time job to try to encourage the child to develop those skills that the disability might delay or prevent. Using the right toys is vital in that development. Although some examples as I have listed above are obvious to anyone, it can be hard to determine exactly what toys will promote a disabled child’s development, what toys are appropriate, and which ones they will enjoy.
Fortunately for the disabled community, Toys “R” Us has created a Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids. Toys “R” Us has been publishing this catalog since 1995. The name of the catalog itself speaks volumes. It refers to the guide as something for children with different abilities, without including the word disabled. This shows a compassion and understanding that I appreciate, and I’m sure others out there who love someone with a disability would agree. According to the Toys “R” Us website, the guide is a “one-of-a-kind resource [that] speaks to a child’s individual needs and offers qualified toys based on research from the National Lekotek Center, a nonprofit organization that evaluates all of the toys featured in the Guide.”
                This guide makes it easy for parents to determine what toys will be appropriate for their special little one. Toys are not divided into categories based on disability. Instead, toys are categorized with symbols that illustrate which skill the toy promotes. For toys that promote auditory learning, the symbol you will find is an ear and sound waves. For creativity, the symbol is a paint palette and brush. The categories include auditory, creativity, fine motor, gross motor, language, self esteem, social skills, tactile, thinking, and visual.  
                The catalog is put together by experts in the field, so parents can be sure that the toys they purchase based on this guide’s recommendations will help in the areas their kids need. Toys are selected for the guide by the National Lekotek Center, a nonprofit organization that evaluates toys during play sessions and determines which skills it promotes development of. Then it categorizes these toys for children with special needs. The organization has over 30 years of experience in this area and has become a leader in this industry. To learn more about the National Lekotek Center, visit www.Lekotek.org.
                                Although this guide is created for differently-abled children, I think we can all agree that every child has different abilities and skills, unique personalities, and things that they struggle with. Because of that, this guide is a great resource for all parents, not only those with special needs children. We all want to encourage our children to grow and develop to their full potential, and having the right toys is a great way to help do that. The guide helps parents to pin point the toys that help their child where he or she is struggling. How valuable this is in a world where education and intellect are everything!
                To obtain a copy of the guide, you can visit www.Toysrus.com/differentlyabled. You can also send an e-mail to differentlyabled@toysrus.com to be added to the mailing list. Besides this essential  guide, Toys “R” Us is a wonderful advocate for the special needs community, giving  grants to nine major special needs organizations including Autism Speaks and Special Olympics just this year. I encourage everyone to take some time to visit the website and support a company who cares so much about the special needs community.
                If you every have questions, comments, or ideas, please e-mail me at laceybuchanan@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Miracle at 705 Riley Drive

Miracles still happen. I know because I am raising one. They are not just something in the Bible that happened long ago. They are not just wishes we make when we blow out our birthday candles (although that's lots of fun to do.) Miracles still happen. I know because today I witnessed one. Today was surgery number 6 for my sweet little Christian. I have been dreading it. It never gets easier and each time is always a little different, so there is only so much to be said for "preparing." How do you prepare yourself to place your entire life into the hands of a stranger in scrubs? How do you prepare yourself to see the love of your life scared, confused, and in pain, all while you are totally helpless to make it stop? That's kind of what it's like each time. And although I always spend the several days before surgery crying profusely and constantly in prayer, and although nothing I do makes it easier to bear when the time comes, each time I witness a miracle. ...

Don't Judge Me! An Encouragement to Self Examination

"Don't judge" has been thrown around so much lately and to be honest, it erks me. Don't misunderstand me here. I am not saying that we should look down and snarl our noses at others for making different (or even bad) choices than what we agree with. Our job is to love others.  But this whole "don't judge" thing is getting out of control. Y'all know I am a Christ follower and I am all about some Jesus and the Woman at the Well "Neither do I condemn you!" stuff!  (That's in John Chapter 8 if you want to read it. Great story!) So don't misunderstand me. Hear me out. First, people are constantly getting offended because they see judgment where none is intended. I see even the most honest and benignba j statements being turned into something that they are not, especially on Facebook. If you can read one single facebook post about someone and decide that you know their heart's intentions and what they are thinking, then maybe you...

If it Was Easy

Last week we visited Tennessee School for the Blind. This was a trip that I have been hearing about for about a year. I’ve known it was coming, but I had no idea what to expect. There was some anticipation with a touch of dread mixed in about this trip.  The purpose of this visit was an evaluation. That single word is too small to really describe what all took place, really. Christian was evaluated on pretty much everything. His vision was checked (no brainer, but they did have an ophthalmologist just take a look, to confirm his vision impairment. It’s always good to have it documented on paper.) The school AKA TSB also brought in physical, occupational, and speech therapists, vision teachers, orientation and mobility specialists, assistive technology experts, a psychologist, and just an entire array of specialists to do this evaluation. He was ranked against other blind children his age to get a more accurate measure because it doesn’t really give us a good picture to try t...