Top 10 Non Electronic Gifts and Toys for Kids

I do a lot of my artistic dabbling on my iPad these days, so I may seem a bit hypocritical advocating simple crayons. However, as I said in my introduction, children need to actually feel stuff. Adults do too, in fact, for our emotional health.

For children however it's not merely about integrating sensory motor functions - it's also simply about learning about the world they live in. How does it feel to hold a crayon? How is it different from a pen? How does the paper feel? Why does crayon look different on different types of paper? What does it feel like to touch the crayon, the paper itself, etc.? 

For my generation those are trivial questions, precisely because we grew up with those experiences. For a generation growing up behind screens these things are not quite so trivial. 

Let your kids experience the real thing, not just the electronic simulation. However much your table may suffer for it. 

As a kid I did a lot of crafting and I think it's the reason my ceramics are quite decent, given that I've only just started... If I may say so myself. And where does crafting start, if not with play doh? 

I remember playing bridge, Monopoly, Risk and other games regularly as a child and young adult. Card games, family games... What was a late night without them when camping or on Christmas Eve? 

Group games help develop a sense of community. They foster friendly competition and unlike pc games they do so with people being in the same room. That means using actual words and non-verbal communication to communicate. It's self evident for my generation, but when you see kids around their gameboys sometimes it's really as though they're not learning such skills. 

I grew up on blocks, lego and playmobile. We had fun building towers, trying out how stuff worked and fitting complicated pieces together.

The educational value of such things is immense. Kids learn to use their fingers for fine work, their technical and mathematical (spatial) insight will improve and fighting over pieces they'll learn to work together. You may not be aware of it, but there is Lego is not just for boys, there is Lego for girls as well. Not that I needed that as a young girl myself ;)

This is advertised as a great way for kids to start learning to hit a ball. And yes, it will help with their hand-eye coordination. You want your kids to play ball later on don't you? Well, it will help if they start early. 

I was never very good at sports and the only sport I was not a complete embarrassment in was the one we did practice a bit at home: soccer. 

Dolls and plush animals may become less popular, but they'll never go totally out of style. 

This year's fad is the Monster High series of dolls. And this series brings dolls back into the world of teen girls. Who would have thought it! I even found you a collection of stuffed animals aimed at boys.