Toys and games are essential during the early development of your child. Researchers say that toys can increase a child’s cognition, spatial awareness and willingness to share. In addition, some toys are great for building muscle and learning about physical fitness. For instance, gardening toys, bikes, and building blocks can be a great exercise for our little tots. Furthermore, toys like crayons, paints and paper are great for a child’s intellectual development. Yet, most of these toys can be a little costly, especially if you buy a number of different kinds of toys to find out what your child likes the best. Here are 5 tips to help you save money on toys for your toddler.
- Ask friends for hand-me-downs. This is a great way to not only get affordable toys, but free toys as well. Chances are that one of your friends or family members has a child that has grown out of their old toys and is ready to throw them out. This is also a great way to pick up toys that you can trust, because usually they are well take care of. However, it never hurts to give them a quick wash or scrub down before you let your child play with them.
- Hand make your toys. Depending on the age of your child, there are a number of creative ways to hand make toys that your child will love all throughout their childhood. For instance, why purchase building blocks when you can easily make them out of cardboard or even wood? Also, basic things like rocks and twigs make great toys if you can find a fun game to play with them. Furthermore, why buy brand new play dough when you can easily find a recipe online and make a batch at home?
- Thrift stores. Only some toys at thrift stores can be suitable for your kids. Most of the toys might be unsanitary or unsafe for your children, but if you look hard enough you can easily find a toy that you can clean up and make new again. For instance, this is a great way to find electronic toys. With a few new batteries you can easily bring them back to life again.
- Look online. The Internet has some amazing resources to find the newest children’s toys at incredibly affordable prices. For instance, you can visit www.Toybuzz.org to find not only the newest and hottest toys, but also reviews of upcoming releases. As a parent, the last thing you want is to be out of touch when it comes to children’s toys.