Special Toys for Kids with Special Needs

Here are some ideas to keep in mind when looking for toys for kids with special needs.

Look for toys that:

• Talk or produce sounds    Toys that talk or imitate real life noises attract children's attention, help them understand cause and effect, and teach them to use auditory senses effectively as they grow.
• Have bright colors, high contrast and emit light
  Toys with simple contrasting patterns of lines and shapes that are brightly colored or light up during play stimulate children to use their vision to its best potential.
• Feature a variety of interesting surfaces and textures  Toys that have dials, switches, buttons and other surfaces that are fun to touch and operate encourage children to use their fingers and hands to explore. Textures introduce children to the way everyday objects feel. Interesting, flexible or rubbery surfaces make dolls, rattles and balls easy to play with and appealing.
• Stimulate thinking and creativity:    Puzzles, railroads, blocks and other building toys help children discover how parts make up the whole and stimulate their imagination to plan and build. Toy letters and numbers marked in Braille, as well as phonics toys introduce children to the wonders of learning through reading. That sense of wonder is also experienced as they play with craft kits and art supplies, which help enhance creativity.
• Encourage movement and exploration:  Climbing and riding toys, athletic equipment and other action toys engage children in movement and exploration. Physical activity promotes the growth of strong muscles for walking, running and sports; toy rattles, hand puppets and musical toys enhance the development of fine motor and hand skills, and facilitate graceful and easy movement.
• Promote cooperation, sharing and social growth:  Games and role playing activities engage children in play with their friends, family and teachers. Games that encourage cooperation and sharing build the foundation of friendship and relationships with others.
• Develop awareness of people, places and things:  Dolls, stuffed animals, puppets, vehicles and play towns introduce the sights and sounds of daily living, acquaint children with the jobs that people do at home and at work, and stimulate creative role play

Some links to information about toys for children with special needs....

Ropard Toys

Ropard.org is a website for  retinopathy of prematurity and related diseases.  This section is devoted to providing examples of toys which are appropriate for visually impaired children in 4 different categories.  They could be appropriate as well for children with other special needs.

Heads Up
 (learning to look, listen, and feel;  unable to sit)

CREEPER CRAWLER  
(Able to sit but not stand; gets into 4 point; reaches and grasps)

Independent Explorer (Runs, jumps, draws, feeds self)

Playworks

This website has 4 sections--early toys, manipulatives, special needs, and other toys. 

Special Needs Toys are separated into seven sub-categories to facilitate finding toys that address specific special needs and situations. Special Needs Toys enhance child development, allowing children with diverse abilities to experience a variety of sensory feedback and stimulation. Distraction Toys also provide relief from stress and enhance a child's ability to cope. Distraction Distraction Toys enable children to turn their attention away from stressful situations and immerse themselves in play. These toys invite children of all ages to escape and explore, enabling them to cope. Meteor Storm is our most popular distraction toy. To activate a countinuously changing light display, a child must press and hold down the button. Letting go turns off the light. The child must focus on the act of play itself. Now available in two sizes. The larger globe of the original prevents young children from sticking the light in their mouths while the mini, with its breakaway cord, can be worn around the neck for instant gratification. Light Up Light Toys provide visual feedback and stimulation to both low vision and sighted children. Although lighting up is the primary function of these toys, all provide multi- sensory experiences. Meteor Storm, with its press and hold switch, engages the sense of touch and invites children to experiment with on/off and to track the continuously changing color patterns of the spinning globe. This spinning causes the globe to vibrate, stimulating "feel" when the child places his hand on the globe, enabling blind children to enjoy Meteor Storm too. Sound Sound Toys offer auditory feedback, enhance language and motor skills, develop spatial intelligence and understanding of cause and effect. Sound Peg Puzzles are Sound Toys that provide varied visual, tactile, and auditory experiences and enhance motor and language skills. Fitting each puzzle piece in its proper place enhances motor development and rewards success with the appropriate sound. The pieces and their sounds enhance communication skills as the child identifies each piece and mimics the sound. Sharing the experience with an adult or older child provides further opportunity to hone cognitive and language skills, as the two engage in conversation about the puzzle and its components. Sound & Light Sound & Light Toys offer both auditory and visual feedback. Although producing sound and light is the primary function of these toys, each requires the child to perform a task to elicit these responses, re-enforcing understanding of cause and effect and refining motor skills. Both Baby Buzz'r and the newer Busy Bee Baby Buzz'r are multi-sensory toys that not only light-up and sound off but also vibrate and provide phthalate-free teethable textured surfaces. Blinking lights, music, and vibration activate individually by easy on/easy off push buttons, allowing the child to experiment and figure out what happens when he presses the buttons. Eventually he will discover that he can control the functions, choosing a favorite, then adding another and another as he explores possibilities. The visual, auditory, and vibratory responses are gentle, and the vibrations cycle on and off to keep the child engaged. Texture Texture ToysTexture Toys provide oppportunities to use touch to explore similarities and differences and to learn words to describe these characterisitics. Developing tactile discrimination skills enriches sighted children and lays the foundation for blind children to learn braille. Tangles features  a series of 90 degree curves interconnected to pivot 180 degrees at each joint. Playworks offers a variety of Tangles with texture, from the hard plastic Original with Texture to the Tangle Therapy with its soft, pliable coating and distinctive raised nodes. Their low impact motion relieves stress, strengthens finger muscles, and restores motion to joints. Teachers who use Tangles as a reward for children with autism report improved behavior: an increased calm and ability to cope with stressors that usually send them "over the edge" as well as increases in skill acquisition. Tangles invite manipulation and reward play with improved concentration and spatial relations and problem solving skills. Communications Children learn through play. Communications Toys enable children to develop cognitive and language skills, and foster creativity, planning and problem-solving. Quality play builds confidence and re-enforces a child's desire to explore and learn. Being able to communicate well enhances the play experience. The better a child is able to express his thoughts and feelings, the more likely he is to get along well with others. Acquiring social skills and becoming effective communicators are essential components of successful human development. Emotional intelligence leads to more effective communications. The game Eggspressions helps children identify their feelings and develop problem solving skills while having fun. By sharing their feelings and working together, children figure out a happy solution to a challenge. Oral motor skills are essential for eating and speech. Tooting, humming, whistling, and blowing toys exercise facial and oral muscles and encourage deep breathing and controlled blowing. Facial and oral massagers provide oral stimulation. Their low-intensity vibration calms and organizes sensory input. Jigglers arecontinuously "on" chewable oral facial massagers. They turn on and off with a twist and come in two  styles: a purple elephant and a green alligator. Multi-Purpose The versatility of Multi-Purpose Toys enhances motor development skills, language development skills and cognitive development.  Bilibo is one such toy. Its unique shape and bright colors arouse curiosity and encourage experimentation. Children sit in and on, rock and spin, stand on top of, and hop and jump from one to another. One Bilibo can cradle a doll; a row of them can become a train or anything else a creative mind can imagine. Special needs preschoolers can experiment with gravity in a safe way.

Here's another good resource when looking for toys for children with special needs.

Toys R Us Guide for Differently Abled Kids

Toys"R"Us, Inc.  publishes the annual Toys"R"Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, an easy-to-use resource featuring specially selected toys that encourage play for children with physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities.


 And finally, I had to include the elephant just for fun.
Elefun  The Butterfly Catchin' Game. Play the butterfly catching game with an elephant full of fun! The motorized elephant blows colorful butterflies into the air. Practice catching skills with the handy butterfly net,

Happy New Year and thank you for stopping by.