December is Safe Toys and Celebration Month! Whether you are gifting toys this month or receiving some for your family, it is very important to be sure the toys that end up in children’s hands are safe.
According to the AAO, about 1 in 10 children's eye injuries that end up in the emergency room are caused by toys. Nobody wants to spend their holiday season sitting in the ER, and we want to help you avoid that.
We’ve got a great round-up of safe, educational holiday gifts and toys for the children in your life, and we’ll help you know how to determine whether a toy is safe or not.
Evaluating a Toy’s Safety
When buying gifts for kids, avoid toys that include projectiles, such as BB guns or crossbows. Avoid gifts that have sharp or protruding parts. These parts can put one's cornea, retina, and overall vision at risk. After checking that a toy doesn’t have these parts, move on to inspect it further in the following ways:
Before purchasing:
inspect the box to see what parts the toy may come with, and if there are any safety warnings
read all instructions
look for the letters “ASTM", which signify that the product meets the national safety standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
Before giving it to your child:
make sure the toy has been made correctly. If it appears broken, fix it or throw it away
explain and/or show your child how to play with it correctly
if the gift is sports equipment, be sure to also include protective eyewear
Be sure to always supervise your child while they are playing to prevent any accidents. Taking the time to complete these steps before buying a toy or game means you can prevent injuries, as well as money spent on gifts that are unsuitable for your children.
Choosing Toys with Developmental Benefits
Now that you know how to spot toys that are unsafe, you can move on to picking out ones that help to develop and improve children’s visual skills!
There are many toys and games that are designed with a focus on improving certain areas of development - check them out:
Depth perception
Operation
Jenga
Frisbee
Ping-pong
Hand-eye coordination
Lincoln logs
Building blocks
Badminton
Legos
Visualization and visual memory
Puzzles
Dominoes
Connect 4
Battleship
Fine motor skills
Play-doh
Coloring books
Crafting kits (such as origami, beading, bracelet making)
Lite Brite
These toys can help with your child’s general eye movement skills, along with developing specific areas. Eye-hand coordination skills will be helpful for writing and sports, and shape and size discrimination skills will help prepare your child for reading. Toys that focus on visualization and visual memory skills will facilitate your child's ability to imagine and comprehend abstract things.
By keeping these guidelines in mind and picking gifts that are safe and beneficial for children, you are prioritizing fun and lowering the chance of any injuries ruining the celebrations!
Happy holidays from all of us at Bright Eyes Family Vision!
Comments