Moms and dads worry about a lot of things. There are the big issues, like making sure your children are healthy and safe, paying all the bills, and ensuring that the kids are getting a good education. Then there are the everyday challenges of organizing a household,  getting everyone where they need to be on time, doing the laundry, and cooking dinner while helping with homework.

All these responsibilities and chores often translate into chronically stressed parents who may understand how important good, healthy play is for their growing children, but who have very little time to play with their own kids. Is it possible for parents to put their “to do” list on the back burner and take some time for play?

It may help parents to understand that there are many types of play—including solitary play, play with siblings, play with peers, and family-centered play. For healthy development, kids need variety in their playmates. It may not be the healthiest situation for parents to be a child’s only playmates, but getting involved from time to time can be fun, reduce stress for moms and dads, and deepen your bonds with your child.

Here are a few tips for making time to play with your kids:

• Make play out of everyday activities. What’s work to an adult may be play to a child. Laundry or getting groceries or making dinner may take a bit longer if welcome your child’s participation in the activity, but if you combine the chore with playful counting or measuring or sorting or singing silly songs about what you are doing together, don’t be surprised if you find yourself laughing and having fun.
• Let your child take the lead. Don’t feel like you have to be the one to think up an activity and get it organized. Fun is the goal. Try turning yourself over to your child’s interests and direction. See how silly and fun it can get if you get into your child’s world for a few minutes every day.
• Take things off the schedule. It may feel imperative to sign your child up for sports, music lessons, and other enriching activities. But each new commitment drains energy from your family. How much time would you gain per week if you eliminated just one activity? Try it. Use some of the found time for play with your child, and some for recharging yourself.
• Give yourself permission to relax and play. So what if the house is a mess? There will always be chores to get done, but your precious little one is little only once. Play is about getting absorbed in the present, and kids can help you see the joys of slowing down. Try turning over a couple hours a week to living at “child speed.”

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.

Click here to read the article.

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Evanston, Glenview shops sell toys that delight, inspire

BY CAROL GODDARD Contributor November 29, 2011 3:24PM

Assignment: Find toys for five children as gifts for the holidays.

First step: Head to Becky & Me Toys, two family owned toy stores, one in Glenview and another in Evanston.

In no time at all, Peggy Sebert, who owns and manages the stores along with her husband, Ron, and daughter Becky, offered ideas for presents and gift-wrapped each one.

• A 3-year-old girl: A Carla Color Me doll

• An 8-year-old boy: A Snap Circuit kit for making physics experiments

• A 10-year-old girl: A Loopdedoo kit for making twisted bracelets and necklaces

Walking into Becky & Me, shoppers are reminded of what toy stores used to be before mass merchandisers hit the market: A variety of games, shelves of books, painted and unpainted wooden toys, colorful stuffed animals and exquisite dolls fill the shelves. A wall of dress-ups beckons pretend play.

“We sell hands-on, creative toys,” said Peggy Sebert.

“We have quality toys for a range of ages,” said Ron Sebert, “items that last a long time.”

The Seberts have a pretty good idea of appropriate toys for each age level, as all were teachers. Becky still teaches first-grade at Red Oak School in Highland Park while working part-time at the shops.

One or more of the Seberts masters every game the shops sell; every book is read; and every toy is tested before it goes on the shelves.

“We have to like them,” said Peggy Sebert, before they go on display.

Stocks ‘Best Toys’

When the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association came out with its annual Best Toys for Kids 2011, Becky and Me stores had all the items in stock or on order. (See http://www.astrabesttoysforkids.com for the complete list.)

The stores offer Calico Critters, UglyDolls, Playmobil, Lego, Madame Alexander and Vilac among national brands, along with other hard-to-find toys.

“You’re likely to find things here that are not found elsewhere,” said Peggy Sebert.

Becky & Me was born after Peggy Sebert, a teacher at the time, answered an ad for a teacher to help in a toy store in Wilmette.

“I didn’t know much about toy stores,” she said, but she took a chance and wound up falling in love with the business. “It was a labor of love.”

She loved it so much, in fact, that nine years ago she and her husband decided to open their own toy store. They found a space in Glenview. But to open in time for that year’s holiday season, they had to come up with a name. And fast.

They worked their way through many options. Then Ron Sebert said, “Peggy always signed her notes as ‘Me.’”

They hooked that up with their daughter’s name, and the shop opened as Becky & Me Toys.

Opens second store

Then about three and a half years ago, the Evanston space on Grove Street, site of a former toy store became available, and the Seberts opened a second Becky & Me.

“It was a dream come true,” Peggy Sebert said. “I always loved this store.”

She holds down the fort in Evanston while Ron handles the Glenview shop. Becky shifts between the two. The inventory at both stores is basically the same.

Becky, who was in seventh-grade when the Glenview store opened, practically grew up among the toys. Over the years, she has always filled in when needed.

Because the Glenview store is more centrally located, it services a broad geographical area. The Seberts assumed the Evanston store would be different.

“We thought this (Evanston store) might be more isolated,” Peggy Sebert said, but the store attracts local customers as well as those who work at businesses in Evanston such as The Music Institute and Rotary International, and shoppers from the northern parts of Chicago.

The Seberts are passionate about the value of toys to challenge children’s’ play instincts and to shatter gender stereotypes.

For boys and girls

“Consider building toys,” Ron Sebert said. “We think of that as a boys’ activity.”

But, Peggy Sebert said, “Building blocks teach kids reasoning and deduction.”

Becky Sebert echoed that judgment.

“I see that at my school,” she said.

Dress-ups include ballerina and princess dresses as well as police officer suits.

The store also offers a variety of options for tweens, not always a demographic served in toy stores. “We have games, jewelry, purses, all kinds of items,” Peggy Sebert said. Those items appeal to kids over 10.

Besides offering a frequent buyer club, Becky and Me hosts several special events, such as the Neighborhood Toy Sale held in November, a Calico Critters Day and UglyDoll Club.

This year the stores are drop-off points for Toys for Tots, the annual U.S. Marine Corps toy-collection effort. Any toy purchased in the store expressly for Toys for Tots will receive a 20 percent discount.

Let the five dice roll you to a win with “Yamslam”! Calculated risk and smart strategy will place the odds in your favor. Roll the dice and choose those that will get you the best results. Each combination has a different point value but only 4 corresponding chips, so get the best ones before they run out! Race your friends to the special bonuses and keep the suspense rolling until the end with Yamslam! Let the good times roll to Yamslam! Yamslam is for ages 8 and up.

 
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“Hoot Owl Hoot” is a color matching game that emphasizes playing together and decision making. The object of the game is to move all the owls from start to the nest before the sun rises.

Here are some of our suggestions:

One of our new favorites is “JOE NAME IT” by Gamewright, for ages 12 and up…..Can you name a movie with 2 sequels? How about a music group with 3 members? Test your numbers know-all in this fast-playing “name it to claim it” party game.  Draw a category card and then fill in the blank with the number you rolled.  Be the first person to name something that fits and you’re smarter than the average Joe!

“PICK TWO!”  is our all time favorite word game for ages 8 and up..  It’s fast and fun and challenging!   In “Pick Two!” each player draws letter tiles, building their own personal crossword as fast as they can.  Whenever players use all their letters they yell  “Pick Two!” and everyone draws two more tiles.  The catch?  These tiles must now be added to the crossword.  The best part?  You can change your crossword by rearranging letters and even words to use up your tiles.  When the center tiles are gone, the first one done wins.

“Doodle Dice” by Jax is for ages 6 and up.  Create a doodle with a few rolls of the Doodle Dice.  There’s a different doodle pictures on each card in the deck.    When you build a doodle that matches one of the cards, you take that card.  Block an opponent’s turn or take one of their cards away.  Collect one card of each color  and you win!  It’s the fun challenging way for everyone in the family to be a doodle artist, and it’s so much fun! 

Stay tuned for more ideas in the coming days!

Over 500 of America’s top independent and neighborhood toy retailers have selected the Best Toys for Kids. Drawing upon our expertise, experience, and commitment to fulfilling play, ASTRA members hand-picked the most engaging, unique, open-ended, fun, and safe toys for your children. The 2011 Best Toys for Kids list features toys that deliver exceptional value and expand a child’s imagination, toys that invite discovery and exploration, toys that get kids moving, toys that build creativity, toys that fascinate babies, and even toys that delight hard-to-shop-for pre-teens.

With our understanding of how kids play, specialty toy retailers can guide shoppers in their quest for the perfect gift. Visit us to purchase the Best Toys for Kids Award Winners and get expert advice on the best gifts for the children in your life.

Click here to view the list of toys: http://www.astrabesttoysforkids.com/

As fall makes its mark on both the thermometer and family routines, it may be tempting for parents to let kids plop down more often in front of a screen. “The primary inhibitor of play for American children is television,” maintains Dr. Bruce Duncan Perry, Senior Fellow at the Child Trauma Academy in Houston, Texas. “On average, our children watch 28 hours of television each week — all stealing time from social interactions, abstract thinking, creativity, and play.”[1]

That’s not such a good thing for kids, but here’s an idea: parents can view fall as a prime time to be outdoors with their kids—and to extend the “as-one-with-nature” theme with fun family activities once you get back home.

Check out these ideas for autumn outdoor family experiences:

•Play “I Spy.” Make a list with your child of things you want to see outdoors. Keep it simple, focusing on shapes, colors, animals, and elements like wood, water, and stone. Check off each item as you find it and celebrate when you are done. (If you like to end your outing with a treat, you might add “hot chocolate” or “apple with peanut butter” to the list.) Encourage your child to draw or paint something she saw once you are indoors and all warmed up.

•Take a walk on the wild side. Whether it’s the woods, the beach, or along the banks of a river or pond, go for a walk somewhere that nature still owns and take along a bag to pick up a few of nature’s treasures along the way. Ask your child what the trees are doing and where the water is going. Listen for birds and wind and other natural sounds. If allowed, collect a few leaves, twigs, shells, pebbles, feathers, seed pods, and other remembrances of your hike. Back home, use these items for craft projects after baking everything on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes at 200◦ to eliminate any insects or their eggs. A favorite idea? Make a centerpiece with colorful autumn leaves and twigs by arranging them in a base of clay or Styrofoam and tie a pretty ribbon around it.

•Adopt a square foot. Bring out the budding scientist in your child by encouraging him/her to pick a small area outdoors—only about a square foot or so—to “adopt” for the season and beyond. It could be in your yard, in the park, on the sidewalk or anywhere that’s easy to visit regularly. Investigate what’s happening there. Are there plants? Insects? Evidence of other animals? Has it changed since we last looked? Does the weather affect what we see? How does it look when we use a magnifying glass? This project will be a great way to get outdoors over and over again. Help your child keep a log of observed changes, accompanied by his drawings and photographs.

This fall, why not make a family commitment to get outdoors together regularly? Even if it’s not your favorite weather, remember the old saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. An afternoon outdoors with your kids will do much more for them than an afternoon staring at the TV. And there’s nothing better for family togetherness and bonding.

[1] Perry, Bruce Duncan, M.D., Ph.D. “The Importance of Pleasure in Play.” In Early Childhood Today (in print and online at http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/pleasure.htm.) New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Our doll sale is going on this week. It’s the perfect time to get a new friend for your little girl, boy, or even for yourself! :) All Madame Alexander, Corolle, and Gotz dolls are on sale!