What Goodies Have Just Arrived?

As you know there is always something new arriving here at The Toy Bug. Take a look at some of the new arrivals which are here in time for Christmas. They make great stocking fillers, too.

Ladybug & Bee Noughts & Crosses Game

This is colourful and fun.  Made of wood, it’s strong enough to take a good workout! This noughts and crosses games is great for teaching turn taking, logical thinking and fine motor skills. It comes with 5 red ladybug and 5 yellow bee game pieces and one wooden leaf board.

The leaf is divided into the nine boxes needed to play a game of noughts and crosses.

Magnetic Fishing Game

This game is such fun to play. It helps little ones with their hand eye coordination by providing objects for your child to pick up using the fishing rods.

The set is magnetic, so catching your fish is not too hard once you get the hang of the game. Why not see who can catch the most fish?

This set is easily stored as the fish pond comes in four easy to assemble pieces that can be disassembled at any time.

Scrubby Ducky Bath Brush

Not all games take place in the playroom…

Scrubby Ducky is a little silicone rubber yellow duck who just loves to paddle in the bath. He has soft yellow bristles underneath and is never happier than when he is brushing your skin clean. Ducky floats in the bath and he is easy for small hands to pick up and hold. 

Keep watching our What’s New section because new items arrive regularly.  There are only a few weeks left until Christmas so start your shopping now.

What’s New for 2013

Now that we are in 2013 I thought it would be a good opportunity to mention some of our products in our What’s New section.

The Jumping Frog Game is a fun and exciting game that is ideal for fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.  The game includes 20 frogs, a lily pad cup, a score pad and a large play mat.  The winner of the game is the one who shoots the most frogs into the bucket.

 

  

The Space Hopper will naturally entice a smile as your child bounces around the room plus it provides some good exercise.  Holding onto the sturdy horns as you bounce will help the kids develop core stability and balance skills. 

A great game to help with recognising and understanding the senses is called Our Five Senses.  Through observing, matching and talking about the different cards, the game will allow your child to understand how the five senses function and interact with each other.  Our Five Senses comes with 5 self-correcting puzzle play boards that are cut into 7 pieces, 1 dice and an activity book.  In addition to learning about the sense, this is also ideal for developing hand eye coordination, concentration and reasoning skills.

 

The Catch & Stick Monster Mitts are great fun and help with the development of hand eye coordination and throwing skills.  As the oversized mitts and the tennis ball both have velcro, it makes it easier to catch the ball.  With adjustable straps on the mitts they can be used by pre-schoolers and up.

As new items continuously arrive in store, I recommend you visit our What’s New section  regularly to see what else may be suitable for you and your child to explore together.

Good Activities For Kids With ASD

Children diagnosed with ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder are characterised as having difficulties with social interaction and communication, as well as having repetitive behavior and limited interests. That is why, when choosing activities to occupy them, you might like to find activities which address these specific problems and make it fun at the same time.

Playing a team sport is considered as an ideal activity because it involves interacting and socialising with teammates. It also demands large amounts of energy, which all kids have in excess! It’s a good way of channelling their energy into something constructive.

In fact, any physical activity is good. Swimming is excellent for co-ordination and concentration on instructions. Dancing, gym and yoga help children learn to control their bodies.

Don’t look past the creative arts, either. Many children are much better at expressing themselves in art or music than they can with words or speech. It opens up a new world of communication.

Activities like jigsaw puzzles, playing with Lego and woodcrafts are excellent at helping tune fine motor skills. This can also help them learn how to focus on one task for long periods of time.

Another good game to consider is Jenga. Aside from aiding children with their fine motor skills, they can also learn the value of waiting and taking turns. This is especially helpful when teaching about patience.

Encourage your child to try different activities. There will be one that makes a big difference in both of your lives.