Archive for the ‘Best Toys for Kids with ADHD’ Category
Monday, December 12th, 2011
While there is certainly room for novelty this time of year, it’s also important to bring home toys that have lasting play value. The toys that make the cut tend to be the classics–and often more open-ended. These toys place your child at the center of the play experience. So instead of dolls that do all the talking, dolls that say nothing will be enjoyed for a longer period of time because they will say whatever your child wants them to say! (The doll to the left is from Corolle Doll’s Calin line). We’ll be talking balls, blocks, trains, art supplies and games!
Take a toy inventory:
1. Does your child have a variety of playthings? Having a lot of one type of toy (whether it’s dolls or trucks) will often lead to a chorus of “I have nothing to play with.”
2. Gender Free- Is your child’s play experience only pink? only blue? We want boys to know how to be nurturing parents–so dolls are an important part of role playing “dad”. On the flip side, we want our daughters to excel in math– so blocks and construction toys should be part of their play world as well.
3. Art supplies - Encourage their creative side. With budgets being cut in many schools, kids have fewer opportunities for painting, using clay, and drawing. Whether it’s a juicy box of new Crayola crayons or an interesting set of watercolor pencils from Faber Castell or eeBoo– find a way to bring them back to the arts.
4. Games- One of the best ways to unplug your family is to play a game together. We have dozens of great suggestions on our list. Find a couple that become part of your family’s entertainment. I’m personally really a fan of Connect Four Launchers and Joanne’s favorite is almost anything with letters. She’s a beast at Upwords. (Never quite referred to my mother that way–but you know what I mean).
Posted in Best Toys for Babies, Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for School Aged Kids, Best Toys for Toddlers, classic toys, Construction Toys for Kids, Crayola, dolls, International Playthings, multi-cultural toys, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, preschoolers, pretend play, Retro Toys, Today Show, Toys for Kids with ADHD, Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Wooden Toys | No Comments »
Monday, October 17th, 2011
When I posted our list today of the Best Toys for Kids with ADHD on our website, I had no idea that the American Academy of Pediatrics would report its new findings that ADHD can be diagnosed and treated in children as young as 4. The group had, in the past put the threshold at age 6. Notably the nation’s leading association of pediatricians suggested that these children did not necessarily need to be placed on medicine, but that identification and treatment could be started at this age.
I’d recommend taking a look at the findings on the APP website. http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/adhd.cfm
Here’s an article about the findings from the LA Times.
Tags: AAP, ADHD, American Academy of Pediatrics, diagnosis earlier
Posted in Best Toys for Kids with ADHD | No Comments »
Monday, October 17th, 2011
Buying toys for the kids in your life should be fun. Yet, we often hear that toys purchased for kids with ADHD don’t always go over very well–games are too frustrating, construction sets have too many pieces and directions…all leading to frustration for everyone.
We have updated our tips for buying toys for kids with ADHD– what to look for and, perhaps more importantly, what to stay clear of when you’re shopping. This handy list is on our website at www.toyportfolio.com along with a specific list of toys we’d recommend. The list is meant as a starting point–you’ll see that there is a theme in each category for what is more likely to be hit. If you find certainly toys that work–we’d love to hear from you.
And to help well-meaning grandparents and other family members make wise choices–we’d suggest sharing the tips and list with them as well.
Posted in Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, toy trends, toys, Toys for Kids with ADHD, Toys for Kids with Special Needs | No Comments »
Thursday, February 24th, 2011
Crayola's New Color Wonder Metallics
I love Crayola’s Color Wonder. It’s really magical. You take a clear pointed special marker on the special paper–and voila, color emerges. The markers also don’t stain. All in all–a great product. So we were really excited to get the new metallics –and they deliver. (Some metallics are dull–these are really pretty and vibrant). Watch our video.
The Metallic set comes with five markers, 18 sheets of paper and stencils.
Tags: Arts and Crafts for Kids, Color Wonder Metallics, Crayola
Posted in Activity Kits for Kids, Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for School Aged Kids, Crayola, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, travel toys, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
After two very intensive weeks of looking at what seemed like a boat load of plastic toys…I finally decided we were ready for a treat. We opened the box from blabla kids. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against plastic toys per se – many are on our top list this year- but there’s something really special about this collection of dolls. They’re both deliciously retro and fresh in design and spirit.
Take a look at just two of the new dolls that we’re reviewing this morning.
Tags: best huggables, blablakids, Retro Toys, toyportfolio.com
Posted in Best Plush Toys for Kids, Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for Toddlers, classic toys, dolls, Green toys, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, preschoolers, pretend play, Retro Toys | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
We had a preview today of LeapFrog’s new toys for 2010. I’ve seen many of them at an earlier showing (I think I may have blogged about having seen so many promising toys–but they were all embargoed). I’m not big on keeping secrets so showing me toys I’m not allowed to write about for months really doesn’t work for me. Today I was assured that I could write about everything…
New for 2010, Leapster Explorer
Leapster Explorer
If you’re looking for a hand-held game console for younger kids, this will probably be the one to get. We haven’t tested it yet–that said, it’s faster, the graphics are amazingly clear and bright–and the games are varied and interesting. The Leapster Explorer will retail for $69–and while your preschooler will probably still want to play with your iPhone, they will also be more than satisfied to play with the Explorer. In the photo below you can see a demonstration of Sugar Bugs–where you are given the task of getting the sugar bugs out of the person’s teeth. For some reason this really grossed out my mother when we saw it a few months ago–it doesn’t bother me too much–we’ll have to see how kids react. The company will continue the existing Leapster line (at a lower price point) and continue to bring out a few games a year to support it). Some may be disappointed that the Explorer will not play your existing library of Leapster titles.
Demonstrating Sugar Bugs
What I did think was really promising was the on-line expanded experience of LeapWorld….it’s FREE (once you’ve purchased your Explorer)…and the content is not just more ABC drills…there’s lots of wonderful new concepts to explore — a weather app where you can set the temperature, the humidity, etc. and then see how your settings impact the weather on the little town. Maybe because my older son was obsessed with the Weather Channel as a preschooler – this seems particularly fun. There are also educational games that aren’t about right or wrong–but exploring. For example, there is a scale –and you can add more objects to each side to see which weighs more. From what we saw today–there seems to be a happy revival of the what many refer to as the Golden Age of Children’s Software of the ’90s–where technology embraced educational games with innovation and creativity. From a safety standpoint–this also has advantages since your child gets to LeapWorld by plugging in their Explorer to your PC–not by surfing the web. We sat so quietly during this presentation (we’re normally a noisy group) that one of our pr buddies thought we had already left the showroom.
Of course, our intention to behave and be relatively quiet was completely blown when we got to the new baby toys. There were many interesting toys…pretend lap tops (with a blog and email feature) for two year olds, new drums, a new activity table…but then we all saw the following toy. I don’t know why I always think I’m being punked –but today I was sure this was it. So I decided to say nothing at first. I heard a little chuckle from my niece Ali (assistant extraordinaire) and my brother James was leaning an elbow into me in just that way that older brother can…and then I just lost it. I looked around…was this a joke? (My mother was on deadline with another project so she wasn’t with us today – but truth be told I think she would have laughed as well–but she probably would have told us to behave ourselves!)
LeapFrog's Learn & Groove Magic Wand
Here’s the photo and you can watch the video.
Ok, we got over it…
I really liked this new interactive pot, called Potty, –that comes with veggies..my favorite part?…the lid says “open” and “closed’…this will be great fun for toddlers. 
Watch the video!
We also saw more extensions on the TAG and TAG Jr. reading lines (both Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winners). More titles are promised for both and there will be an interactive USA and World Map to go with TAG that looked like fun for both kids and parents. While there were more licensed titles–we were assured that there would still be more classic storybooks in the growing collection of the TAG libraries– we hope so.
We look forward to testing the new products with kids — and I have a sense that the folks in toyland know that as a family, we take what we do very seriously, but with an appropriate sense of humor…
TAG Interactive World Map
Tags: Educational games, Leapfrog, Leapster Explorer, Leapworld, TAG, TAG JUNIOR Reading System
Posted in Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for School Aged Kids, Gender Free Toys, High Tech toys, hot toys, Leapfrog, Toy Fair, toy trends, toys, Toys for Kids with ADHD, Toys for Kids with Special Needs, travel toys, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
We received this update on Guidecraft’s Magneatos from one of our imaginative testers! In this picture he has created a garage with Magneatos- one of our all time favorite open-ended building sets for preschoolers. If you’re looking for something fun and not structured, we highly recommend these sets. 
For a full review of this Platinum Award winning toy, click here. Our suggestion, put one of these sets in a basket in your family room…building with them is really fun, no matter how old you are! Because there is no right or wrong way to play with these over-sized colorful magnetized pieces–they are also a great choice for kids with ADHD.
Tags: Guidecraft, Magenatos
Posted in Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for School Aged Kids, Construction Toys for Kids, Gender Free Toys, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Play Time, toys, Toys for Kids with ADHD, Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Step 2 Naturally Playful Countryside Cottage
Toddlers and preschoolers love having spaces that are scaled for them! It’s cozy and has such grown up features as a doorbell, a phone and a kitchen. If you’re shopping for such a cottage (that you can use indoors or out)–take a look at the new Step 2′s Naturally Playful Countryside Cottage. What I love about these types of spaces is how kids play with them differently as they grow. For twos , the act of going in and out of the cottage is a huge part of the play- it’s much more about exploring the space and enjoying their new mobility–and ability to go move about a space independently. Older toddlers and preschoolers – armed with more language and ability to pretend–will enjoy spinning their own stories about what they’re cooking, who they’re talking to on the phone, etc.
Our family toy tester pointed out two drawbacks. The photo on the box shows the cottage with flowers in the window box. The product does not come with flowers and there is no drainage hole in the window box for real flowers. My recommendation – you can add a drainage hole if you’re going to use this outside–or use potted plants. The other comment was that there was no place to sit inside. While this cottage does not come with a bench or chair, our tester noted that there was space for a child-size chair inside. The cottage went together well (while the directions say a drill is optional–our tester felt the use of a drill made it much easier.)
One of our testers hard at work!
Tags: Gender Free Toys, Naturally Playful Countryside Cottage, playspaces for toddlers, Step 2, Toy Kitchens, toyportfolio.com
Posted in active play, Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for Toddlers, Gender Free Toys, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Outdoor toys, Play Time, preschoolers, pretend play, toy trends, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, May 10th, 2010
I headed up to the studio this morning with my intern Daniel — after putting toys together for us all semester, I thought it would be fun for him to see the studio and the end result of so many packages, emails and testing. I tried doing my hair this morning–and emerged from the building looking like a bad 1970s “before” picture. Happily, the hair and make-up people at the show are so terrific, that I knew it was going to be ok. I think they were even a little shocked by the sheer volume of hair. Thanks to high def tv, I also think make up takes longer (not to mention that I’m a little older!) than it used to. It really is amazing what professionals can do. Everyone emerges from the hair and makeup area a better, more polished version of themselves.
This morning we had about ten kids. One family has tested for us since their son was born five years ago. They moved to Hong Kong in between and as I traveled up to the studio I realized that we had never met–so that was fun! They now have two kids and I’m so happy they’re back from their adventure and can resume testing for us! Other kids were on with me about a year ago–so to see them now as full preschoolers was fun. A new group joined us – I have to say this was the most well-behaved group of kids in the green room. Their parents were really careful to hold off on the delicious donuts and cookies until after the segment. Smart move.
The challenge was to show toys and equipment for active play –indoors! The YBIKES were a hit and disappeared when we went to talk about them–but I think they got camera time later on. The Kazam Balance Bike – also great was on the pedestal–and may have been blocked a little by the fire truck. You really couldn’t see how amazingly high the Sky Balls bounce in the air–or the 3D bubbles…but trust me – there are fun choices this season.
A very polite "excuse me" in the middle of the segment
Half way through the segment one of our testers very politely asked if she could go play in the playhouse…one of those great real live moments…priceless.
Natalie, Finley and Stephanie...at the end of the segment
Segment over, chocolate donut enjoyed on the car ride home…a good day!
Taking a look at the indoor Hopscotch Rug from Alex
To read the full article about the toys featured, visit www.toyportfolio.com.
Tags: Active Play Toys, Alex, Crayola, Kazam, Little Tikes, Natalie Morales, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Optrix 3-D Bubbles, Step 2, Stephanie Oppenheim, Today Show, toyportfolio.com, Wonderworld, YBike
Posted in active play, Activity Kits for Kids, Best Games for Kids, Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for School Aged Kids, Best Toys for Toddlers, Gender Free Toys, Green toys, High Tech toys, hot toys, Little Tikes, Math games, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Outdoor toys, Play Time, Retro Toys, safety for kids, Today Show, toy trains, toy trends, toys, Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Uncategorized, Vehicles, Wheel Toys | No Comments »
ook for toys that would be appropriate for kids with ADHD. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are all very well-meaning gift givers during the holiday season–but often the “dream” gift turns into a nightmare for kids with ADHD. 
