Vision Quest – Finding Gifts That Help With Children’s Visual Development (2nd Annual Holiday Gift Guide)

Joining the swarms of Black Friday shoppers? Consider supporting local mom-and-pop businesses, and keep an eye out for toys that develop visual skills such as hand-eye coordination, depth perception, spatial orientation and motor skills. Click here for an overview of the kinds of toys that fit the bill, and read on for some specific recommendations.

The Spooner Board (available in different lengths according to age and skill level) develops balance and coordination required for board sports including skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding. (Motor skills, spatial orientation.)

With Tobbles or Tobbles Neo stacking toys (Fat Brain Toys), babies and toddlers can erect towers of increasingly complex configurations. A concave side on each piece allows them to nest as they are stacked, so they don’t tumble down as readily as traditional blocks. (Motor skills, hand-eye coordination, spatial relationships.)

Ready, Set, Stilts by Alex Toys are fully adjustable and grow with your child, age 5-7. “Big foot” trainers convert to non-skid caps as skills improve. Don’t forget protective gear! (Balance, coordination, motor skills, spatial orientation.)

Flash! The “lightning fast” dice game (ages 7 and up) teaches basic math skills and decision making in three straightforward and quick game variations. (Fine motor skills, visual perception, mental and visual focus.)

Snap Circuits sound or light kits by Elenco introduce kids aged 8-12 to electronics. Snap-together parts create hundreds of projects such as a burglar alarm or light show coordinated to music. (Fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination.)

Temple Trap is a 3-D puzzle game (ages 7 to adult) by SmartGames with starter through master levels that challenge a single player to rearrange walls and stairs in order to escape a temple of doom. (Spatial reasoning, fine motor skills.)

Also by SmartGames, IQ Link challenges players (ages 8 to adult) to fit colorful pieces into free spaces on a compact board. (Spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, fine motor skills.)

Iota by Gamewright challenges 2-4 players (ages 8 and up) to add cards to a grid, making sure the shapes, colors and numbers are either all different or all alike. As the grid expands, so do the possibilities, and whoever sees the opportunities will win. (Visual perception, pattern recognition, mental and visual focus.)

Also by Gamewright, Terzetto is a two-player marble game (ages 8 to adult) that calls for a keen eye and concentration. The object is to re-create patterns in a shaker before your opponent. (Spatial relationships, visual discernment, mental and visual focus, fine motor skills.)

Spot It! by Blue Orange is a matching card game for 2-8 players (ages 7 to adult). Be the first to spot the matching symbol between two cards to win. (Visual perception, fine motor skills, mental and visual focus.)

Brio Labyrinth is a beautifully crafted wooden toy that challenges a single player (age 6 and up) to balance the ball from start to finish through a maze by working knobs to determine the course and avoid holes. (Concentration, coordination, visual perception, fine motor skills.)

The Rush Hour Jr. traffic jam puzzle by ThinkFun offers four levels of play for kids 6-8. After setting up their game board according to pictures on various challenge cards, players steer their ice cream truck through a mash-up of cars, trucks and buses. (Visual perception, spatial relationships, fine motor skills.)

Ravensburger’s Make ’n’ Break building game comes in family, children’s and party editions. Arrange blocks to match a design on a card, or build a structure described by a teammate. (Spatial skills, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, concentration, pattern recognition.)

The K’nex Raptor’s Revenge Coaster by Kinex includes 600 parts and pieces including rods, connectors and 19 feet of track for aspiring engineers ages 9 and up. (Hand-eye coordination, visual perception, fine motor skills.)

With the LEGO Star Wars AT-RT building brick set, kids ages 7-12 can re-create scenes from the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated TV series. (Hand-eye coordination, visual perception, visual memory, fine motor skills.)

The Friendship Wheel bracelet making kit by Alex Toys allows crafty kids ages 8-12 to weave embroidery-floss bracelets following color-coded patterns. (Hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, visual memory, pattern recognition.)

Also by Alex Toys, the Fold ’n Fly paper airplane making kit comes with double-sided printed papers, stickers, a folding tool and instructions. (Hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, spatial relationships.)

Most or all of these gifts are available at Knowledge Nook/The Toy Place in Longview, and/or Hobby Town in Tyler.

Dr. Jeff Pinkerton
iCare for you.