"Children need space to move, to make and do, to be messy, to be tidy, to imagine, to relax, to be noisy, to be quiet."

A Guide to Choosing Toys

Barnardos' valuable little booklet on toys quoted here certainly deserves a few moments' attention, preferably before parents launch themselves at toy shops for the annual hunt for Christmas presents. Often, nowadays, children simply have too many toys to play with - so many that they lose focus and end up not playing with any. So, choosing carefully what to buy them for Christmas is as important for their overall development as it is for filling them with seasonal joy and excitement.

"The most important aspect in choosing toys for children is to consider the stage the children are at, not just their chronological age," says Heino Schonfeld, head of services at Barnardos National Children's Resource Centre, Dublin. "The mere fact that a child wants a certain toy should not be enough to make a decision," he adds. Like many people working with children, Schonfeld feels that television advertisements for certain toys are often seen by younger children who then "want" them regardless of their appropriateness.

The glamorous packaging and heavy marketing campaigns aimed at children can sometimes hide a disappointing toy which may get thrown aside before Christmas Day ends. Also, clever remodelling of toys can entice unsuspecting parents into buying educational toys which have exactly the same functions as another toy they already have at home.

"What happens sometimes is that parents focus on one aspect of the child's development. For example, if a child is very interested in computer games, which are used in isolation, this needs to be balanced with other toys which are more physical or sociable," says Angela Canavan-Core, mother of three children between the ages of three and 12.

If you consider that play is the primary way a child explores the world, then the importance of having "good" toys is paramount. Good toys will be ones which allow children to explore opportunities for play and stimulate physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional or social and moral development.

There are numerous examples. Dressingup clothes will offer them opportunities to pretend to be different characters and roleplay familiar ones. Space hoppers, climbing-frames, scooters and bicycles will help them develop their muscles and expend some of their often boundless energy. Board games will help them learn rules and cope with winning and losing. Play dough for younger children, and arts and crafts materials and construction toys for older ones, will give them quiet times to be creative. Musical instruments, tapes and CDs will help develop rhythm and melody. Books offer hours of reading time in which to develop their imaginations.

The bottom line is not to choose toys whose function or role is limiting. "It can be the case that the more elaborate and sophisticated a toy becomes, the less opportunity it leaves for a child to develop their fantasy. But children will always assign meaning to a toy - sometimes very different from its original purpose," says Schonfeld. Also, safety warnings should be observed by buying products with the CE symbol.

A strategy which many parents use when trying to decide what to buy their children for Christmas is to observe what they play with in other children's homes or in toy shops. There is absolutely no point in buying a 1,000-piece jigsaw for a child who has no interest in making jigsaws.

"Many parents ring us for advice on toys. Some are worried about buying electronic toys. We don't give them yes or no answers. What we do is we act as a sounding board for them to voice their concerns. We help them to think more about what stage their child is at and what would be of most value to that child," says Schonfeld.

Barnardos Children's Resource Centre welcomes telephone and e-mail queries from parents. They hope to soon republish their booklet, A Guide to Choosing Toys. Meanwhile, it is available for perusal in the library at the National Children's Resource Centre.

Barnardos National Children's Resource Centre, Christchurch Square, Dublin 8. Tel 01 4530355. Fax 01 4530300. e-mail: info@barnardos.ie