Mid Year Sales with Blossom

It's that time of year again! End of Financial Year, and the Australian retailers are putting out their novel size catalogues, offering the perfect opportunity to stock up and lay-by for Christmas. I love shopping! When I've been stressed out, it helps me relax to wonder around the shopping centre and browse. I like to think of it as "research".

So whether you like to be organised or love getting caught up in the moment, studying the catalogue pages, circling, listing, lining up, being the first in, I have a small challenge for you. Research, Blossom Style.

This year, when you are doing your planning and purchasing, put a little "Learning that's Fun" spin on it. Keep these 3 top tips in mind while getting ready for your Toy Sale adventures.

1. Value for Money
Before you spend your hard earned cash on anything, look into your magic globe and see if you can predict the future? Where will it be in 2 months time? Broken, lost, damaged? Will it make it through the Christmas Holidays and still be in tact by the time the kids head back to school in February? Unless it's an actual consumable, it might be worth looking for something else. Think quality not quantity. 

2. Learning Benefits

We've had a few Blossom posts over the years about gifts and educational toys and games. So this is where that really comes into play. We know that kids learn best when they are playing and having fun, so it's important to think about what they are learning from the toys and games we buy. The obvious ones are reading, writing and maths, but there are other learning benefits to be gained, keep these in mind when choosing your purchases:

• fine motor skills
• physical movement
• music & rhythm
• sharing
• competition
• problem solving
• creativity & imagination

If you can combine any of these, even better!

3. Our Favourites

Now you know I love shopping, and of course I've had a look through the catalogues, so I've put together a quick reference list that match the Value for Money with Learning Benefits criteria. Doesn't get any easier than this: 

• Fisher Price
• Great range of motor skills & literacy / numeracy big bold colourful toys for toddlers
• Leap Frog
• Ranging from baby to teen, the electronic gadgets can really grab their attention for literacy and numeracy
• V Tech
• Similar to the Fisher Price & Leap Frog
• Musical Instruments
• Guitars, keyboards, drums, recorders, anything musical that encourages rhythm is great! You might have the next Mozart in your family.
• Lego
• Motor skills, creativity, following instructions...not to mention learning to stay organised and clean up! 
• Board Games
• LOVE board games! So much to learn right through reading, writing, drawing, problem solving, general knowledge, articulation, vocabulary, numeracy, quick thinking, competition, working in teams, and so much more! 
• Art & Crafts
• Get creative, drawing, painting, sculpting, decorating, designing. Old School is Cool again remember! Knitting, Cross Stitch, Crochet, Sewing. 
• Books with Benefits
• Read about books with benefits in a past post. Books are beautiful treasures to enjoy stories and family time, but they can be so much more with the interactive options available! 
• Grown Up Play
• Kitchens, Gardens, BBQs, Tools, Dolls. Little versions of grown up things where they can be "just like mummy" or "just like daddy."
• Sports
• Sports are important for everyone to be involved in. From lawn bowling to football, there's something for everyone to get them up and about. 
• Electronics
• You can't fight the digital age, but we can be thoughtful about it. Opt for games that have some learning benefits or offer some creative challenges. Cameras are a great one for allowing kids to be creative. See the world through their eyes, literally! 

So get prepared, think about the 3 tips and have a great time. Don't let it stress you out, it's all in good fun, so if you're not having fun sleep on it, and try again the next day. 

Happy Learning!