Toys “R” Us special toy guide is out
by Beth
Once again this year Toys “R” Us has come out with its Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, a free toy-selection guide for parents and friends of children with disabilities. Items featured in the Guide promote the development of specific skills, such as auditory, language, visual, fine motor, thinking and social skills.
I remember watching all the many, many holiday ads while my son Gus was growing up, wondering if any of the toys advertised on TV would appeal to him. We spent hours and hours searching catalogs, visiting toy stores, playing at music shops, filing through hardware stores, perusing gift shops, looking anywhere and everywhere to find a toy Gus might like, something he might want to explore.
Therapists told us it was good for Gus to be stimulated by different things. We gave him mobiles, wind chimes, tambourines — anything we could find that was colorful and made noise. By the time he turned 9 or 10, though, we just plain ran out of ideas. And as Gus grew, it was more difficult to muscle him in and out of stores on holiday shopping sprees. I still remember wishing for one place I could go for a list of toys especially good for kids with special needs. I was glad to find out a few years ago that Toys “R” Us decided to put together a list like this, and delighted to hear they’ve continued the holiday ritual.