Children learn through play, its nature’s way of making it fun! It therefore follows logic that toys are children’s tools of the trade. But how do you decide which toys are right for your child? How do you choose something that will keep them occupied and not be discarded after five minutes of play? And how do you keep up with their rapid rates of development and forever changing interests?
Life with three young boys is busy, and comes with lots of toys, clutter and play! Joining a Toy Library towards the end of my eldest son’s first year of life was one of the best decisions we made. It has meant that we have been able to access and use a range of toys which has suited each stage of development and play, and try toys when interests and topics have sparked. It means that the push along mower my middle son enjoyed has been used, then returned as the interest waned, no longer cluttering our small house.
We also have access to a range of toys for all of their areas of development and interests; imaginative toys for dramatic play, ride-ons and slides, puzzles, dress-ups and water tables, just to name a few. Our toy library membership always proves very useful when we have mother’s group at our house or other friends over to play. For a recent 3rd birthday we borrowed a number of toys to set up for the children to use during the party. We had the ‘roller coaster’, baby play garden, a number of ride-on cars and even additional small tables and chairs. Some toy libraries also offer jumping castle hire.
So as we move into the wetter weather, why not consider joining your local Toy Library to engage your child in some fabulous play.
TOP REASONS TO JOIN YOUR LOCAL TOY LIBRARY!
- Save money
- Access a large variety of toys
- Great for the environment
- Avoid storage issues for larger toys
- Borrow toys suited to your child’s current development and interests
- Try toys before making purchase decisions for birthdays etc
- Many toy libraries hire out ‘party packs’
- Meet other young families
- Be a part of your community
Story provided by Jude Park, Mornington Toy Library.