During vacation time, many children--and their parents--are looking for fun activities to keep them occupied. Parents need look no further than their local toy store for inspiration to keep children busy, entertained and active during the summer months.
Bob Weinberg, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for KB Toys, the nation's largest mall-based toy store, offers a few fun ideas:
Burn Some Energy-Encourage children to bring the whole neighborhood together with a friendly sports game. Baseball, basketball, badminton and soccer are great team sports for children of any skill level. In addition to team sports, tennis is a great way to spend time with your children while teaching them coordination skills. Kids will benefit from the personal attention and everyone will benefit from the great workout.
Keep Cool-On a hot day of outdoor play, there is no better way to cool off than with water play. Spice up a game of Marco Polo by using squirt guns such as the Shield Blaster 1000 or add them to a game of capture the flag to add some excitement. Kids generally won't mind being active on a hot day when a cool splash is in their future.
Take the Fun With You-If there's a vacation in your plans, pack some entertaining travel toys to avoid hearing "are we there yet?" Minitravel games, such as electronic Sudoku puzzles, offer hours of fun with unlimited puzzles and millions of test questions. Video travel activities such as the Disney Dream Sketchers inspire creativity and allow kids to draw on the touch screen and create lines, shapes, colors and patterns.
Don't Take a Vacation From Learning-Keep your child's mind sharp with fun educational toys such as VTech's V. Smile Learning Systems, which offer a combination of television and video games to create an educational experience for children ages 3 to 7. Tweens can enjoy LeapFrog's Fly Pentop Computer that can do anything from solving math problems to recording your own tunes with a drum and keyboard.
Lastly, on a rainy day, visit a museum, nature center or even a toy store that encourages interactivity and a chance to try the newest toys of the season. Stores like KB Toys encourage kids (and kids at heart) to spend time playing with favorite toys, such as the popular Bubble Bellies Bubble Maker-Bubblesaurus. Store associates can be a great resource and can help direct you to unique and popular toys, as well as provide activity ideas to help prevent children's boredom and parents' headaches.
Kids can have a bubbly good time with some of today's delightful toys-sometimes right in the store.