Timeless Toys for Tots

There are certain toys that will never lose their magic. They are so timeless that they hold a certain iconic power that can’t be tarnished. We grew up being pulled along in our little red wagons so now it is time to give our children the same whimsical moments that they can cherish for their entire lives. Building toys are a great source of learning and entertainment. Most of us start with simple building blocks that we just stack to make blocky shapes. Some of us started with Lincoln Logs. Some of us started with Legos. No matter what you started with, it is amazing to see the creativity that a child can exhibit. As the child grows, the complexity of their creations will grow as well so make sure to keep buying new sets and encouraging this creative thought process. There are no batteries. There are no screens. But these toys can be more riveting than any videogame. The red wagons, that we all know and love, are a must have. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is one of the most iconic toys in all of history. Today, you can buy the smooth, plastic, benign version of the old red wagons of years gone past or you can still buy the original. The Red Ryder has survived in all of its glory to this day with almost no design changes and it’s still the best. My father had one and I had one that was eventually used to transport planters around the backyard after I was too big to appreciate my little red wagon. The last toy that I suggest is a jump rope. Along with being entertaining, the jump rope is a great source of exercise and activity. Something that very few of us get enough of and that we should be encouraging from an early age.

At the Kinderland

Play areas where you can leave your kids while shopping are really common in stores or malls nowadays. Last time we went to a furniture store in Bopfingen and there we saw a spacious play area for kids to enjoy and it’s for free! Zyc and Ryz really had fun. It’s kind of late already so there were only a few kids playing.

 The kids’ first stop is an indoor playground made up of slides, “maze”, pool of balls and few hurdles.

There’ s also a playroom for ages 3-6 years old. I believe toys here are for mental development.

A room for the kids who like arts and crafts.

A space for Wii

This is what I liked most in the play area. As you can see, children can drive battery-powered small cars. But first they had to attend a small lecture on driving so as to avoid accidents on the “road”. Zyc wasn’t able to try it because we thought he’s still young and we feared he might not yet understand what the instructor say. Maybe next time when he’s ready.

There are also rooms which you can use for a few hours and celebrate your kid’s party, of course for a fee.

This place was really nice and good thing the kids liked it. I know we’ll go back here and let the kids have fun again.

Spend Less Out and Play Games at Home

Changing that empty space in your basement over into something useful can really add value to your home. If you are considering changing your basement into useful space such as a game room investing in foosball tables and air hockey tables can go far in making everyone happy. Bringing games back into your home is an effective way to get your kids to communicate and is also a terrific way to bring your friends in for a night at home. Having games like this at home can really save you some money. Consider a home made pizza party with great games for friends and family.

When shopping for air hockey and foosball tables take your room measurements with you. You can also take the measurements from the tables and work in the room to see where they would fit the best. Air hockey and foosball tables don’t need a great deal of room to play, but a little moving room is always a good idea. Leaving the television and video games behind to play some one on one games like this can really change the way your family interacts together. Make it a regular part of your family time.

You do not have to spend a fortune on air hockey and cheap foosball tables. You can find a quality table at many online retailers as well as local retailers. There are some great prices online that might make it worth your time to purchase that way. This being said, you may want to check a local retailer to get a good idea of what the products are before you purchase online. You won’t get to see them in person until they arrive. Make sure you know what you want before you start looking to save yourself both time and money. Remember to factor in your shipping costs of air hockey and tornado foosball tables when you are going over the numbers.

Never, Never Give Up

Lately Zyc has been watching this video over and over. He was just singing this and I know he doesn’t understand the message of the song. Then I asked him do you know what “Never give up” means? He said “No”. I told him that it simply means if you made a mistake and did not get what you want, just keep on trying. Try and try and try until you get it right.

I believe I have instilled this in his mind. He was evaluated (again) yesterday if he can be fit to go to the big school this September. During the evaluation he was supposed to identify objects in the pictures shown to him. Some he knew and others didn’t. Generally, it was okay. We were advised to talk to him in Deutsch even here at home to help him in his vocabulary. It was understandable that he still don’t know some words because we have only been staying here in Germany for one year. He also needs to know how to tell a story or describe something in a complete sentence. During dinner last night he was kind of disappointed because he wasn’t able to identify some objects. Then I told him, “It’s ok, Kuya. Remember the song Never, Never Give Up?” Then he said, “Ah.. yes! I will try and try again, Mommy?” Then I said yes…

I know all of us moms don’t want to see our kids fail. It’s ok to fail. It’s ok to make mistakes. We just have to know how to give them that confidence and believe in themselves that they can do it and succeed.