The holiday gift-giving season might be over, but that doesn't mean that you're off the hook for another year. Whether you're a parent with a few children, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, or you are close friends with several parents, you know that the next birthday is sure to arrive in no time - and you'd better be prepared.
Choosing to Be a Positive Influence
Growing kids need good influences. While many toys that children receive are designed around keeping them distracted or employing flashy electronics to grab and maintain a child's attention, alternative options are available to help a child develop and promote learning.
What is STEM?
In the most basic terms, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. While these subjects all delve into the most complicated aspects of human knowledge, they can also be broken down into essential parts that any child can understand and enjoy. The advantage of this is that they can also be easily incorporated into active learning through clever toy design.
Shopping Choices
The easiest way to find the right STEM gift for a child that you know is to start with a bit of online research. Not only can you use the internet to find ideas for gifts that help children to become interested in math and science, but you can also use it to find stores near you that keep such items in stock.
As such, the best way to prepare for shopping for gifts today is to check out an online directory of stores near you at a website that also provides information on store hours and sales.
Choosing Low Tech Toys
Many children today are exposed to an unsettling amount of screentime. One way that you can create a positive influence on a child's life is to provide them with toys that are low-tech or offer fun ways to learn and opportunities to think deeply about the physical world.
Whether a child will enjoy the STEM toy you give will depend mainly on your ability to match them with an appropriate gift for their age. For example, if they are a toddler, you might consider toys like
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Building Blocks
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Wooden Blocks
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Basic Science Experiments
while an older child will be able to engage with basic science and technology experiments like toy robots or a rock tumbler.
Every gift that you give presents you with an opportunity to change a child's life for the better. While buying presents for every child in your life can sometimes seem like a tedious or tiring task, it can become fun and engaging when you are invested in finding a gift that will benefit the growth of their intelligence.
Check online to find a shopping website that can provide you with information about the best retail experiences in your area to get started on finding the perfect gift for the next birthday on your list.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of sciencetimes.com
