Play is such a fundamental aspect of every child’s life that choosing toys for children can be difficult.  Every child has their favorite, and choosing the right toys for the right child can be extremely challenging.  When it comes to children with special needs, choosing the right toy is even a bigger challenge, as you not only have to find the right toy, but find the right toy that will also meet the child’s needs.

When choosing toys for children with special needs, you have to keep in mind what their intellectual and physical abilities are, and match that toy as appropriately as possible.  What the child’s interests are as well as safety are paramount issues, but even more so when you are choosing toys for children with special needs as children with special needs have their own safety issues.  For example, when you consider visually impaired children, you do not want to be giving them anything that will require a lot of mobility.

Play is considered to be the ‘work’ of children.  When children play, they learn, they grow, they foster independence, and they foster self-esteem and identity.  The ‘jobs’ that children must perform as they grow up are accomplished almost primarily through play, when they are not in school.  Many toys are created today that go beyond the Fisher Price toys of yesterday and really work to education, inform, and keep your child active.  When it comes to children with special needs, many toys and programs are available to meet and target the specific needs of your special needs child.

When choosing toys for children with special needs, you simply need to ensure the toys are safe, durable, age appropriate, ability appropriate, appealing for the child, is not breakable, does not contain toxic materials or have sharp edges or small pieces that can come off.  Keep in mind that children with special needs do a lot of exploring with their mouths, and this should be considered when choosing toys.

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