Play Blog

If you’re looking to boost your child’s memory, problem-solving skills, and more, give them a puzzle! Start learning why these are phenomenal learning tools!

It’s time to open up those windows, do a little spring cleaning, and get outdoors! Sometimes it’s easier for our kids (and us) to stay snuggled up on the couch and put in Frozen for the 10th time of the day than get the kids motivated to go outside. After being indoors for so many months, we forget how great being outdoors can make us feel! Being outside reduces stress, provides a reset for our brains and gives us a healthy dose of Vitamin D. We have some great outdoor activities that will help your kids trade in the glow of the screen for the light of the sun!

Children with differing abilities are a crucial piece of the fabric of our world, community, and families around us. In celebration of Autism Awareness Month, we wanted to highlight some games and ideas, specifically emphasizing some skills children on the spectrum might be working on to foster interaction and growth. Legacy Toys strives to be a safe place for all children to explore and play.

From communication skills to relationship development, playing games with others works our brain "muscle" in so many ways. Board games can encourage healthy brain development in kids and teens and for older adults playing games improves attention and working memory. Whether we are one year old or ninety-nine, research, and studies show significant emotional and cognitive gains for children, maintaining sharpness and decreasing risk of Alzheimer's in adults and promoting healing and memory of aging adults. 

Some of the simplest, fastest, and easy brain-boosting games are commonly referred to as Brainteasers. Brainteasers can be simple or very complicated, but often fun! Brainteasers strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills, build lateral thinking and new perspectives, improve cognitive skills like memory and processing speed, and trigger teamwork and communication. 

One of the most requested items at Legacy Toys by kids and their caregivers is fidgets! What may have started as a fad a few years back has emerged as one of the most popular and requested items at Legacy Toys. Fidgets have evolved from the fidget spinner to very sophisticated, fun, and useful ways to both play and promote focus. Even more than a cognitive tool, the list of pros for fidgets is continually growing:

• Stress/Anxiety Relief
• Supports calm and relaxation
• Aides in physical therapy, wrist and finger strength
• Hand strength and dexterity
• Strengthens tactile and fine motor skills
• Eases arthritic pain by increasing circulation and reducing stiffness
• Solution for sensory seekers
• Promotes focus
• A healthy way to use repetitive actions to calm overactive nervous systems

If you're kids are like mine even a hint that we might be going to the local toy store can drive a frenzy of questions. The biggest of all is WHEN ARE WE GOING?!??!?