Posted by Rosie Reeves on November 25, 2013 · 7 Comments
Last updated on September 4th, 2015 at 08:33 pm
Every year Toys R Us puts out a gift guide for special needs kids featuring a celebrity on the cover, safe play tips and other information from experts, and gorgeous photos of children playing happily. This year Gabby Douglas, 2012 gold medalist is on the cover and on the pages inside. Gabby is now working with Special Olympics to inspire young athletes.
The guide is divided many different ways; by gender, age groups, brand and also into categories including Auditory, Creativity, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Social Skills, Tactile, Language and more. This can be very helpful for relatives who don’t know the lingo that special needs parents and caregivers use daily.
One nice thing about the guide is that the toys are not specifically therapy toys – they are the same toys kids are seeing on the holiday commercials, and the same toys their typically developing peers will be getting as gifts. They are the same toys kids will see at playdates, literally giving kids a level playing field.
Another added perk is that the site allows parents to set up a wish list. If your child’s teacher or therapist recommends an item, friends and family living far away can order it online and have it delivered to your child.
You can pick up a hard copy of the guide at any toys R Us store, or view the clickable online version.
Happy Shopping!
The Gift Guide for Differently-Abled Kids is now available in stores and online from Toys R Us
It’s good to know that there are gift guides put out for specials needs kids. I think it is very important that they have specific toys to fit their needs but that are not too far off from the toys that you see on the commercials. Like you said, it puts them on the same playing field. I will have to share this with my sister who has a son with autism. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Abelia…we thought so too! Glad to know this was helpful and you can share it with your sister. BTW, Toys R Us updates this, so keep an eye out around the holidays…there will probably be a new one out for 2016. Thanks for stopping by!