Many parents have faced the situation where they are in the grocery store, or an advert comes up on the television, and their child starts asking for a toy that they have seen. Before you get your credit card out, it can be a good idea to consider the type of toy they have asked for, as well as some of the other factors that come into play. Simply buying whatever your child demands may make them happy in the near future, however, it can also teach them some bad habits, such as expecting to get everything they want. By, instead, taking a number of factors into account, you can see whether buying the toy would be in your child’s best interests.
A child’s age should always be considered when buying new toys. Looking for the best toys for kids by age can help to rule out any parts or content that may not be suitable. This may especially be the case for younger children who have a habit of putting items into their mouths. Reducing the risk of choking hazards by buying toys that are suitable for their age is part of a parent’s responsibility in keeping their child safe. On top of this, some video games may also contain violence, gore, or scenes of a sexual nature, which is why you should take note of the age rating, as well as the maturity of your child, prior to making a purchase.
Their Behavior
While children do learn through play, that doesn’t mean they should be given every single toy that piques their interest. You might also want to consider your child’s behavior, or even how much they are applying themselves at school. By offering the toy as a reward for good behavior or improving grades, you might be able to give them a physical representation of why kindness and hard work are good qualities, and help them to become better people, which can go a long way towards aiding them in developing into well-rounded adults. While a child should not be rewarded for every act of good behavior, kindness, or hard work, offering rewards every now and again may help to fortify this behavior that you want to see.
Relationship with Money
Teaching a child to have a good relationship with money can help them to avoid debt or frivolous spending as they grow up. This may mean that, rather than buying the toy yourself, you instead tell the child they are welcome to save their pocket money and budget themselves so that they can work towards the goal of owning the item. This will also help negate the idea that items can be bought as and when a person chooses, and that, instead, hard work and patience is required if you genuinely want something.
Taking the time to consider the positives and negatives of a particular toy, as well as your child, rather than spontaneously saying yes or no can really help your child to learn some valuable life lessons that they can carry into adulthood.
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