October Issue

• A whole lot of heart
  - Editorial
• life's reflections
  - Lifting the lid on artwork trends Down Under
• Active Play -
  - Challenging the Body and the Mind
• Call Me Loyal
  - What's new on the New Zealand-made gift front?
• Protection Mode
  - Taking Stock of Security
• Special Journies
  - Gifts to have and to hold

Active Play

Challenging the Body and the Mind

TOY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION REPORTS

Toys and games that get kids up and moving will start them on a path to happier and healthier living. But “Active Play” isn't limited to just physical exercise – the term can also be applied to endeavours that foster imaginative thinking, creativity, and discovery. The best bet for retailers? To stock shelves with a wide variety of toys that serve as a

With the rise in childhood obesity rates in developed countries around the world sparking international public health concerns, parents are rallying alongside medical professionals in calling for a return to active play – that which stimulates the body by encouraging kids to run, jump and stretch. “Activity toys introduce kids to a healthy lifestyle in a fun and relaxed way,” says Carter Keithley, president of the North American Toy Industry Association (TIA).

Toy trend experts confirm that the movement-oriented segments of the global toy market are flourishing, with both new and classic products to thrill kids of all ages. Though global data is not available, outdoor and sports toys consistently represent more than 10% of annual US domestic toy sales, making the category a sound investment of shelf space for retailers who are stocking up for warm-weather play.

Active outdoor play

When a child's playtime is spent in the open green spaces of a backyard or park, parents will frequently choose from traditional exercise toys such as jump ropes and balls, to self-propelled ride-on toys such as scooters and bikes, or the infamous red Radio Flyer wagon that always finds a fond place in children's hearts. Hip retailers can satisfy that urge for the familiar by offering new products that offer an updated twist on classic toys:

• Crayola's 3D Sidewalk Chalk provides hours of outdoor fun as a hopscotch board, shapes and other drawn objects ‘pop' off the pavement. Every chalk stick has two specially paired colours which kids can use to create amazing 3D effects that can be seen when they put on the 3D glasses (provided with the chalk).
• A game of water tag powered by Hasbro's Nerf and Super Soaker blasters will capture a child's imagination on a hot summer day.
• Squap, by Diggin Active Inc., offers a modern twist on the classic game of catch – this throwing toy comes with two mitts and four balls; players open and close the mitts as quickly as possible in order to launch and catch the balls.
• Whether played after an English tea party or a backyard barbeque, a brightly coloured wooden croquet set – like those of Plan Toys which includes two mullets, four wooden balls and four colourful wickets – offers a moderate-intensity form of exercise that can bring multiple generations of a family together in play.
• The Y Balance Bike is a ride-on style bike that's ideal for a toddler that's just learning to develop balance and coordination skills. It has an angled front wheel for tip resistance and a covered back wheel to shield little feet. Both wheels are larger, providing added stability on uneven surfaces.

Active indoor play

Indoor toys and games that promote exercise can also keep kids engaged when families are trying to stay dry from an afternoon thunderstorm or keep cool as the mercury rises. For example, Playskool's Explore 'N Grow Busy Ball Popper and Chase-Me-Critter are great toys for tots; Hasbro's Pop Goes Froggio, Bop-It! Bounce, and Twister Hoopla are excellent indoor picks for older kids.

Products that have a high-tech component, such as the Wii and SWINX gaming systems, are also perfect for rainy-day play. They're designed to foster ‘kid-generated action' by incorporating movement into games . . . think ‘kid = remote'. Other examples, such as Wild Planet's Hyper Dash Extreme and Sonic Slam by Radica, capitalise on a programmed degree of randomness to combine thinking and movement.

Active imagination and intelligence

Expanding the minds of children is just as important as keeping kids fit. Active imagination and active intelligence toys and games focus on ‘play with a purpose' to stimulate minds and creativity through family-friendly imaginative play and hands-on experiences:

• Building sets improve hand-eye coordination and brain functioning, as well as promote self-esteem with a complete start-to-finish experience. Newer introductions in the building sets category include Trio by Fisher Price, Megabrands' new Thomas the Tank Engine selections, and Lego's Toy Story 3 and Atlantis best-sellers. Playmobil, K'NEX, Uberstix (Path Products) and other construction manufacturers have also expanded ranges with new licences and play patterns.
• Promoting similar skills development, Crayola's new Glow Explosion, Alex's Foil Jewellery Maker, Spin Master's Moon Dough, Creativity for Kids' Shrinky Dink Sets, Scratch Arts' new Scratching Magic Travelling Fashion Dress-Ups and Fashion Angels Fashion Plates, are newer releases in the arts and crafts category.
• In the area of science and discovery products, the Mythbusters series from Elmer's Giddy Up, Uncle Milton's Star Wars Science series, Primary Science Set (Learning Resources), Sid the Science Kid Learning Science Kits (Patch Products), the Dangerous Book for Boys – Classic Chemistry (Thames & Kosmos), as well as products from Be Amazing and Young Scientists are excellent options.
• Brain teasers and problem-solving toys, games and puzzles incorporate strategic play scenarios, cooperative teamwork and/or competitive play scenarios. Many games offer dual play rules, providing both cooperative and competitive play rules in the instructions to allow for different play scenarios with the same purchase.
• Games in this category include Rubik's Slide (Techno-Source), Zingo-to-Go and Solitaire Chess (ThinkFun), Blockers (Briarpatch), Consensus (Mind Logic), Sequence Numbers and Link-O (Jax Games) and more from Endless Games, Winning Moves, USAopoly, Pressman and Cardinal.
• Open-ended ‘everyone wins' games can be found in the ranges I Can Do That Games Preschool Games and Zimzala Family Games, Story Cubes (Gamewright-Ceaco), Dominion (Rio Grande Games), Bubble Talk (TechnoSource) and more.

More active play picks

For more active play product suggestions that will help keep kids in shape – both physically and mentally – or to learn more about many of the selections noted here, view the videos found under the ‘Trends' tab of the www.ToyInfo.org website.

To attend the next New York Toy Fair, 13–16 February 2011, and see the newest emerging toys trends for tots to teens, visit www.ToyFairNY.com