1. Hoola-Hoop.

The Hoola-Hoop was the life of the party, set to your favorite tunes and artists for competitions with the girl next door or solitary enjoyment. Toys that engage children in physical activity never go out of style, and they are a great way to release the endorphins and keep everybody happy.

2. Easy Bake Oven.

Often imitated, but never surpassed, the Easy Bake Oven is still on the market today. Who can forget that classic 50′s style oven in pop-art pink and purple with the ready made pan baking up your favorite flavored cake? The Easy Bake Oven is a snap to operate and can be mastered by young chefs under 10. Cake mix refills and frosting kits will keep your little ones busy with decorating, serving and eating.

3. Twister.

Released in 1966, the Twister game has never missed a beat when friends got together to test their balance and agility skills. The game consists of a plastic mat with a series of dots in color codes and line formation. When the leader spins the wheel, he or she calls:”right foot yellow” or “left hand green”, and the players must scramble to place themselves on the right color without tumbling over. Twister takes some practice, but its one of those all-time classics that will last another century.

4. Etch-A-Sketch.

The Etch-A-Sketch art pad is a great way for kids to pass the time in a car, plane or train. The two knobs control a series of lead pencil-like lines that can be pulled in all directions to form a picture. Your child can draw a work of art without the use of crayons, paint or anything that could make a mess and its a clever tool to stimulate your child’s creative energy. The Etch-A-Sketch retro toy remains a value for the money and its durable design resists cracking, scratching and part separation through breakage.

5. Hot Wheels.

The Hot Wheels collection of cars and trucks was one of the biggest sensations from Mattel in the 1970′s and is still drawing a big fan base today. The cars have all been updated for the here and now, but the excitement of getting your next dream machine for your collection hasn’t waned a bit over the last 40 years. These classic retro toys are still sold nationwide and even have their own online connection at HotWheels.com.

Don’t buy too many toys at one time. You should resist the urge to overwhelm the child with too many new toys at one time, especially at Christmas time. It is ok to wait and buy some toys at a later date. Remember, if you give a child a lot of new toys at the same time, a few weeks later, they will all be old toys.

Rotate the toys. When you see that your child has lost interest in a toy, put it away out of view and out of reach of the child for a while. Bring it back out when the child asks for it or when you think he or she might be interested in it again.

Make an old toy new. You will be surprised at how adding an accessory or an extra part to an old toy can renew a child’s interest in that toy. For example: Buy a new dress or outfit for a doll or add a few more blocks of different colors or shapes to their Lego set.

Play with your children. Taking time to play with kids is one of the best ways to regain interest in old toys. Just pick up an old toy and invite your child to play with you. This doesn’t have to take a long time, sometimes 10- 15 minutes is enough to stir up interest in an old toy that they seem to have forgotten about.

We all know that children have very short attention spans, even when it comes to their favorite things. But with some of the price tags on toys today, it can be very disappointing to see a toy that you bought with your hard earned money abandoned in the corner. To avoid feeling like you wasted your money, use the ideas above to keep your child interested in their “old” toys.

After these toy trends were over, the TV show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” hit the airwaves, and of course, the board game came out before Christmas and was asked for by many kids that year. Along with this popular game came some toys that were a lot more technologically advanced than the toys of Christmas past. One example of this type of toy is the robotic pet. This toy was very popular with both parents and kids, because it provided a type of surrogate for a real pet, without being smelly, dirty or noisy. The robotic pet did a lot of real, pet like things without the hassle of having to care for a real pet. It was also a great idea for families with pet allergies. After the robotic pet, technology basically took over the toy industry, and now there are toys like, more advanced robotic toys, video games, X Box, Guitar Hero, Nintendo Wii and all of the plug and play games. There are actually toys that allow kids to exercise without even stepping outside! There are still toys in the stores that are like the ones we had years ago, such as doll, cars, train sets, and the like, but kids these days are asking more for the technological toys. Toys have almost become a popularity contest – kids want what their friends have, and if they don’t own certain toy, they are not “cool” to their classmates.

My wife and I buy most, if not all, of our children’s toys at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is the largest toy seller in the United States, with an estimated 45% of the toy business. I am of the very strong opinion that Wal-Mart has a social and moral responsibility to do independent testing of products manufactured in China and sold in their stores. China is notorious for low regulations in terms of health and safety standards. If Wal-Mart wants to continue to be the largest retailer in the United States they would be well served to know a little more about the products they sell. It is becoming the norm recently to hear of poor quality products coming out of China. The Mattel toy recall is the most recent problem in a line of bad products. Recently it was tainted dog food and toothpaste that will make you sick, all produced in China.

In a world where technology rules it is quite difficult to find toys your kids want that promote exercise rather than sitting indoors. However, there are actually quite a few different types of toys that your children will love if you simply seek them out. Your children may not be asking for pedal cars because they have never seen one, but if you buy it for them then they will certainly love it and want to play on it. There is a wide selection of pedal toys that your kids will love. Think of the things your children like and then focus on buying a pedal toy that plays on that interest. For example, a kid that loves planes would really enjoy having his own pedal plane. You can buy pedal planes at many toy stores but you will find a great selection on the internet. You can also try antique stores to find vintage pedal cars in a wide range of styles. The one thing you want to be careful with if you buy antique pedal cars is lead paint, but other than that these are great toys!

The toys are probably the most important things in a child’s world. These help your children grow and develop. The toys are actually a child’s best friend, so you must be very careful when choosing a toy for a child. It must necessarily appeal to the child, be according to his/her preoccupations, according to his/her age, and last but not least, to be suitable for the age of the child. So, you can get action figures toys for boys, Barbie toys for girls, doll houses, or doll makers, or even board games for older kids.

When choosing a toy it is highly important that the toy is safe for the child. Some toys can injure the child, especially if the child is small. The injury may be accidental, but you must be aware of this, so you’d better avoid buying such toys. For instance, a baby cannot be given action figures. As you probably know, babies tend to get stuff in their mouth and can accidentally swallow them, so you’d better get them something large, like a squeaking toy, rubber balls etc. Make sure that these toys don’t contain parts that can be swallowed. As the child gets older, you can extend the types of toys that you give him/her to play with. Starting from the age of 3, little girls can be given Barbie dolls, but still it is too early for doll houses.

Doll houses are more complex and contain many tiny components that are easy to swallow. The child must be over 4 or 5 to be able to get a doll house. Pay attention that action figures and toys that work on battery can be given to children of 6 and above. If your child begs for these toys, you can get them the toy, but make sure that the child is always supervised when they play with that particular toy. When children get older, board games might be interesting too, and these can help a lot in their development, as these involve strategies and some thinking.

Make sure you get the most suitable gift that is also safe and you will become your child’s bets friend and best parent as well.