Fantasy Playthings for Children

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Kids need to spend time in their own imaginations, creating worlds and scenarios of their own design.   Children who engage in imaginative play are shown to have better vocabularies, better cognitive flexibility, more creativity, and increased creative performance both on and off the job into their adult years.  They are also more flexible, able to consider other’s opinions, and adapt better in many situations.  Fantasy play is also just a lot of fun- here are a few of our current favorites.

Safari LTD makes  a wide variety of figurines that are perfect for imaginative play.  No matter whether your child likes to pretend they are on a farm, in a faraway land, under the sea, or with mythical creatures (or maybe a mash up of the above), they can find fun new friends they will enjoy playing with for years.  Sturdy, with realistic painting and anatomies (of course, even the dragons!) these toys can take a tumble and look no worse for the wear.  They are fun to collect, but don’t need to stay on a shelf to be enjoyed.  You can find creatures in all shapes and sizes at https://www.safariltd.com/

HABA puppets are great for children of any age (HABA recommends age 1 and up, but as they are soft with no loose parts or buttons, younger would be OK in my opinion as well).  They are soft-bodied with sewn-on faces and easy to manipulate parts.  These simple and cute puppets are basic use- one finger holds up the head, one moves one arm/hand, another moves the other.  They have many smiling, friendly faced choices that will give your kids many happy hours of theater-show creations.  There are also themes you can get in a set (one by one) such as Red Riding Hood, royal family, and more.  Finger puppets are also available. I have machine washed and hung-to-dry mine, which as any parent knows, is a bonus with messy kids who love to play.  Most puppets are about $15, see http://www.habausa.com for choices.

Folkmanis puppets are some of the most beautiful on the market- not only more articulated, intricate, and posable then many, they are also stunning to look at.  The detail on these puppets shows craftsmanship and attention to detail which will make them something that mom and dad will love to play with as well as the kids.  They are as soft and plush as higher-quality stuffed animals, with facial features to match.  The puppets vary in size and articulation, but they are all more interesting then most hand and theater puppets in my opinion.  With faces that give to “coming to life”, wings that flap, heads that spin, and tails that uncurl, Folkmanis puppets are in a league of their own.  Some puppets let you use all the fingers of your hand to manipulate and move them, others let you use both hands, some are basic movements.  These puppets will get everyone’s imagination working as your dragons breathe fire on imaginary villages, send brave knights up to vanquish them, and perhaps inspire a princess to rescue her kingdom, who knows.  Maybe your dragon is kind-hearted and gives your LEGOs rides around the castle. See all the newest puppets Folkmanis has to offer at http://www.folkmanis.com

YOTTOY brings fantasy and real life together with it’s new line of soft Girl Scouts Friendship Dolls, available in several ethnicity. These dolls promote what the Girl Scouts are all about- friendship, diversity, taking care of your community, and they added in some fun personal style as well.  These fun friends that are “just like” your child will be a fun buddy to act our their own Girl Scout meetings and camp out fun with, as well as imagine fun future plans.  The dolls are available at YOTTOY, Walmart, and GirlScouts.com for about $17.  Get yours at http://girlscoutsfriendship.yottoy.com/where