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A guide to Choosing Electronic Toys

Choosing electronic toys at the toy store

A visit to the toy store will show that electronic toys are big business. These kinds of toys are available for all ages and often offer educational as well as play value. Electronic toys are often seen as 'lazy' toys by many people but the fact is that they have proven educational value and their interactive nature makes sure that children find it easy to use them and to become engaged by them.

Age ranges for electronic toys

Electronic toys are manufactured for all ages from babies up. Don't be fooled into thinking that electronic toys are simply video games -- a ride-on for a toddler that makes horn and siren noises will be classified as an electronic toy, a keyboard is an electronic toy and a mobile for a baby that makes music is an electronic toy. If the toy needs battery or mains power then it will qualify here! Let's take a look at some types of toys by age range:

Babies -- options here include mobiles and toys (soft and hard) that are battery powered to make noises, to flash or to talk and sing to the baby.

Toddlers -- options here include ride-on vehicles, toys that interact with the child and make noises, musical toys and toys that teach about sorting, letters and numbers.

Pre-school -- pre-school children can enjoy many variations of earlier electronic toys but may particularly enjoy keyboards and musical instruments and toys that help them identify animals, letters and numbers via a range of games. Reading electronic systems and learning laptops such as LeapFrog and VTech systems can also begin to be popular at this age.

Infant school -- children of infant school age can still benefit from educational electronic systems but will probably play the more complex games on them. Remote controlled cars and characters go down well here as well. Once the child gets to school they will become aware of video games consoles as well and may start clamouring for a GameBoy or other hand-held portable console. Learning laptops and interactive reading systems offer more complex options for games, reading and activities at this age so will also prove popular.

Junior school -- by this age children are very aware of what their peers are playing with and may want a TV games console such as a Wii, a PlayStation or an Xbox. They may also want a handheld console into the bargain! Other popular electronic toys include role-playing games such as Tamagotchis. They may also like robotic toys and remote controlled characters and cars. Music may well become important to the child at this age and they may want their own grown up keyboard, stereo system and/or MP3 player.

Teenagers -- at this age children develop quite adult tastes and will get into music devices such as MP3 players, mobile phones, computers and cameras. And, of course, they will still like video gaming though may prefer to pay more adult games at this stage.

Age specifications

All electronic games and toys will come with age guidelines. These are important for various reasons -- they help monitor unsuitable content and small parts and they help make sure that the educational value of the toy is pitched at the right age. A 5 year old, for example, will learn a lot and have a lot of fun exploring a learning laptop but a 9 year old may well find it boring and would prefer the real thing.

It's important, from a safety perspective, to think about the age of the child before making a purchase here -- especially if buying for young children. But, with older children, do also bear in mind that they develop at different rates and may not fit into the pigeon-hole that the age recommendation gives. A bright 4 year old may find an electronic reading system pitched at 3+ boring and may well be ready for books marked at 5+. On the other hand a 4 year old that lacks confidence may be put off by older books here and may be better off with slightly younger ones. If in doubt talk to the parents who will be able to give advice on the developmental stage of the child.

Safety

Do pay attention to safety issues before buying an electronic toy. If buying for younger children make sure that the toy doesn't have small and/or detachable parts that they could swallow or hurt themselves with. Toys for babies and young children should not generally be mains operated. Look for British Standards recommendations such as Kite Marks, the Lion Mark and ratings such as the CE mark. These all give a guarantee that the toy has been passed as safe and suitable.

Another issue here with older children is how long they spend on an electronic toy -- this is especially important with computer type or video game type toys. The educational value of this kind of toy can be cancelled out if the child spends too long playing it and becomes an electronic toy 'couch potato'!

Buying the right electronic toy

The key thing to think about before purchasing an electronic toy is whether the child will like it. The easiest way to do this is to talk to the parents and to the child if preferred to check on the child's likes and dislikes. A child that doesn't like reading may still not like reading even if the toy given to them is a reading system that comes with electronic bangs and whistles.

This is also a good way of working out what the child already owns -- there is little value in having duplicate toys in this instance. It may also be that some parents want to restrict the kinds of electronic toys that their child owns. Some parents may be happy with their child playing video games at infant school age and others may prefer to wait until later.

Conclusion

Electronic toys can be a lot of fun and can be educational into the bargain -- just make sure to buy a toy the child will like and that suits the parents too!