Smart Toys Make a Smart Christmas Gift

A couple of years ago, I bought my grandchildren a battery-guzzling, lights-flashing, yipping, quivering, jerking robotic dog for Christmas. Fido was a big hit for a day or two, but then was relegated to the bottom of the toy box.

Last Christmas I sent K'NEX, a construction and engineering toy. Big success. The kids build a truck, took it apart and built another one -- several times over.

There is a lesson to be learned here. Although kids might beg for the latest and greatest that the toy developers have to offer, the toys they stick with are the ones that allow them to do things, learn things, use their imagination, and in short, interact.

Smart toys are winners if they perform behaviors that promote interaction and learning. Fido had behaviors -- it could yip and flash lights and dash around in circles. However, these behaviors were spontaneous and were not in response to anything my grandkids did or said. It's no wonder the toy became boring before long. What was I thinking?

Smart toys typically respond in three ways: with sound, light and movement -- and should emit one or more of these behaviors in response to an action on your child's part.

While smart toys do not make your kids "smarter," in terms of improving IQ, the better ones can help kids learn new skills and foster imagination. A good smart toy can help your child develop motor skills, creativity, eye-hand coordination, language skills, and social skills such as co-operation and patience. Some can improve academic skills including music, geography, mathematics, reading and more.

Technocopia web site (www.technocopia.com) defines a good smart toy as one that, "uses technology to enhance play by interacting with the child either through (1) initiation of "open-ended" play suggestions, or (2) responding to the child's actions in a way that sparks the child's creativity. "

Since none of these toys is cheap, parents will want to make sure they're getting the best toy for their money. Moreover, keep in mind that a smart toy "lives" in a home with adults as well as children. It has to be tolerable to the big people in the environment as well to the kids.

Experts say that the more of the following features a smart toy has, the bigger hit it's likely to be.

1. An On/Off switch. Without this most basic control, the toy, not your child, dictates the length of playtime. What's more, if your child tires of the toy before the cycle completes, you'll be hurling the thing in the garage until it shuts itself off.

2. A volume control is a nice touch -- unless you enjoy having your television shows and phone conversations drowned out by the smart toy's audio system, that is. A smart toy that comes with a headset jack would be even better. That way, only the user gets treated to the barking, roaring, quacking or whatever sound files the manufacturers have included.

3. Manufacturer's suggestions for play, and a suggested age range. Remember that suggested age ranges are only suggestions. Each child is individual.

4. Varying skill levels. A good smart toy should be able to identify your child's skill level and become increasingly or decreasingly complex accordingly. For example, the VtechSoft's Discovery Fact Reader is a device that quizzes a child with questions on science and nature. The questions are ranked by difficulty, so the better the child does, the more challenging the questions become.

5. Good smart toys should invite the child to play but should not dictate what the play must be. Kids like to be in control of their playtime and a good toy gives them that ability.

6. Good and instant feedback is offered when the child interacts. Learning is enhanced when this happens. However, there is good interaction and bad interaction. Good interaction occurs when the child is entertained and stimulated. Bad interaction occurs when the child is stressed or traumatized as a consequence of his actions. Robotic pets that "die" when neglected can be traumatizing to some children.

6. The smart toy complements a child's play pattern. It must be a toy first and smart second. If the kid doesn't have fun, the toy won't last. Moreover, the toy should be designed with child development patterns in mind. The more successful toy manufacturers, including LEGO, Fisher-Price and Hasbro are heavily involved in child development research.

Good examples include Mattel's Bedtime Bubba and Lego Group's Mindstorms Robotics Invention System. Bubba is an interactive teddy bear and the Mindstorms kit allows children to build their own robot.

7. The toy allows the child to use imagination. Toys that take control and "do everything" miss out on this vital element. Again, child experts cite Lego Group's Mindstorms Robotics as a good example of a smart toy that uses computer technology to enhance the child's experience, not control it.

7. The simpler the better. One expert commented that kids don't read instructions or listen to directions. They just want to get started playing. (Is he suggesting that adults are different?)

8. The software offers a variety of actions. A controller that allows a child to steer a robotic car will be a hit -- but only if the software offers a range or movements to hold the child's interest.
Toys that look good physically but offer limited options for play will have a short lifespan. My Fido described above was an impressive sight and an appealingly built toy, but there was little the child could do except watch and listen to it.

9. The toy is reasonably priced. Some very expensive smart toys offer complex technology, but this in itself does not guarantee a good play experience. Kids can vote thumbs down on an expensive toy as readily as they can on a lower priced one.

10. Internet updates available -- is a nice feature, but be cautious. Internet updating of smart toy software is not always a seamless experience. To accomplish the downloading successfully, parents must be able to find their way around a computer.

11. The toy is not dependent on a personal computer to operate. The more flexible toys are self -contained models.

And one last word of advice. If you're purchasing a smart toy for your child, buy for the child and not for yourself. Toy manufacturers know that these toys appeal to techno-savvy adults and some allege they market accordingly.

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Credits: June Campbell