Administrador Jittery Git, Author at JitteryGit

THE BENEFITS OF PLAYING WITH CONSTRUCTION TOY SETS FOR YOUR CHILD

(and it’s not just deciding to work in construction when he grows up)

Construction toy sets offer hours of creative playtime for kids of all ages. Children love to assemble building blocks into cities, vehicles, train tracks, animals, and more. This outlet for the imagination is not only fun for young learners, but it also develops key skills and abilities.

These construction processes offer children a myriad of developmental benefits that extend far beyond the playroom because the process becomes creative, with the child in control.

The skill involved in building things ensures that there is more benefit than just pure enjoyment for children when it comes to construction.

Playing with blocks and other construction toys is truly more than just play!

Building and construction projects certainly stimulate creativity and sharpen crucial skills and children who engage in activities where the toys can be built or constructed in some way will change the way they think – it’s that powerful.

In terms of child development, studies indicate that playing with construction toys promotes hand-eye coordination, motor skills, engineering skills, math skills, spatial reasoning, cognitive flexibility, problem-solving, creativity, divergent thinking, language skills, and social competence.

Let’s take a closer look at how construction toy playsets can benefit boys and girls.

HAND EYE COORDINATION:

In layman’s terms, hand eye coordination is the ability to use information received through the eyes to control and direct the hands to achieve a task such as writing, typing, catching a ball or picking up an object.

Construction toy playsets provide an entertaining way for developing hand-eye coordination abilities. As a child starts to build, their eyes send visual information to the brain to tell it where the hand is placed. The brain then generates instructions for how the hand has to move in order to create the desired object.

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING:

Creative problem solving is resolving a challenge you may face in an imaginative and creative way. It is having the ability to think ‘outside the box’ to come up with a solution to a problem.

Construction toy sets naturally encourage exploration and development and stimulate original thinking. As they build, a child will discover what will and what won’t work, and learn to create solutions to problems so that they can achieve their desired outcome. These activities all assist the development of a child’s creative problem solving skills.

FINE MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

The term fine motor skills generally refers to the coordination of small muscles in the fingers and hands to make movements.

Picking up, positioning and carefully piecing together the components of a building toy assists the development of these small muscles, helping to hone a child’s fine motor skill abilities.

FOCUS, PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE:

Successfully creating a design requires a level of planning, concentration, focus and persistence. To ensure their design comes to fruition a child will need to work carefully, have patience when something does not go to plan and persist at the task even when they encounter a problem.

Incorporating play in your child’s day can be both fun and beneficial to their growth and while they’re a lot of fun to play with, building blocks and construction sets offer so many more benefits for healthy learning and development – physically, mentally, and socially.

The development of these skills is crucial in the early years, especially when preparing for school.

For more ideas of beneficial toys for your child’s cognitive and emotional development look no further than Jitterygit.

If you’re looking for magical little mermaid birthday party ideas, we’ve got some fabulous ones here.

Mermaids have been capturing our imaginations for centuries. You don’t have to be a child to love mermaids. Every girl wants to feel like a mermaid now and then!

Now, you can bring these enchanting creatures to your next party with these recipes, decoration ideas with little mermaid party supplies.

You can go with a mermaid aesthetic and incorporate some characters here and there like an Ariel birthday party. There are tons of party decorations and mermaid party supplies on the market too to make this the perfect mermaid birthday party.

Feeling inspired? Below is a whole list of little mermaid birthday party ideas to get you started.

LITTLE MERMAID BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS WITH MERMAID PARTY SUPPLIES:

There are so many fun Little Mermaid decorations for birthday parties that are easier to create than you’d think and that can spruce up your mermaid birthday theme party! With mermaid birthday decor, the kids will feel like they are swimming with Ariel in no time.

Mermaid Tail Garland

Everyone knows a mermaid isn’t a mermaid without her tail! This mermaid tail balloon garland is the perfect decor for a photo op or surrounding a table.

Jellyfish Lanterns

Decorate the ceiling with Jellyfish lanterns for adorable ”under the sea” decorations. They look amazing outside in natural light, or inside with added tea lights to make them glow when the lights are off!

Waves

Incorporate waves into your Little Mermaid birthday party by adding a table skirt for a 3D effect.

Royal Banner

Ariel, the Little Mermaid herself, is not just an ordinary mermaid. She is a princess! To make the birthday girl or boy feel like royalty, string a banner for this royal occasion or make your own.

Under The Sea

Where does the Little Mermaid live? Under the sea of course! Make easy homemade “seaweed” by twisting and taping paper streamers to the wall, and add fish cutouts in-between the seaweed “deep-sea dive” decor. You can also decorate with ocean theme decorations. When buying the decorations, make sure they are ocean colors such as dark blue, baby blue, greens and white.

LITTLE MERMAID FUN PARTY GAME IDEAS:

Make the most of your mermaid themed birthday party with these FIN-tastic party games that’ll have your little mermaids swimming with excitement.

We’ve gathered various ideas that either include a pool or no water at all aside from a few underwater accessories that set the aquatic theme.

Here are three mermaid party games to get the party started.

Underwater Limbo

Decorate a broom handle with blue and green colored curling ribbon. Tie long lengths to the broom handle so when you hold it up like a limbo stick, the ribbon dangles down like waves. Instead of the limbo song, play something that fits the mermaid theme (such as ‘Under the Sea’) as party guests do the limbo.

Mermaid Musical Chairs

Draw large seashells on poster board, paint or color them, and then cut them out. Set up the chairs for a game of musical chairs and tape the seashells to the seats or backs of the chairs. Play a mermaid, underwater, or beach-themed song as the players circle the chairs.

Mermaid Tail Race

This game puts a mermaid twist on the classic potato sack race. To play, you can purchase potato sacks from the party supplier and dye them green to look like mermaid tails or make your own sacks out of felt (no sewing is necessary, this works perfectly well with fabric glue). Once you have your green sacks, cut two pieces of felt to look like fins, and sew or pin them to the bottoms of the sacks. Have the kids step into them to put on their mermaid tails, and then hop in them to the finish line.

CAN’T THROW A FABULOUS MERMAID PARTY WITHOUT JUST THE RIGHT MENU SO HERE ARE SOME FUN FOOD SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BIRTHDAY BASH OF THE YEAR!

Mermaid Birthday Cake: Make a spectacular splash at your mermaid party with a stunning mermaid cake. It’s a dressed-up ice cream cake! The ice cream cake is covered in seafoam-colored whipped cream and chocolate seashells and mermaid tails. You can add a few chocolate sand dollars to this collection of seashells, since those always go down as a treat

Mermaid Fruit Salad: Want some party food that’s on the lighter & healthier side? Serve a colorful mermaid fruit salad with a lime and honey drizzle. It’s sweet, beautiful, and good for you! Cut watermelon with mermaid tail cookie cutters, and pair it with your favorite fruits like grapes, blueberries, and cantaloupe. To make this ocean themed fruit salad, you’ll need some metal cookie cutters for the cool watermelon shapes.

Cotton Candy Fudge: While this isn’t exclusively mermaid-themed, it is beautiful and super easy to make, too. It will make a great addition to your mermaid dessert table! (And by the way, you can make this for all kinds of different themes by changing the colors of your ingredients!)

Mermaid Meringue: These meringue bites are easy to make and are perfectly bite-sized to satisfy your sweet tooth without going overboard. Flavor with cotton candy extract or any other extract of your choice. Use teal and purple to look super mermaid-like.

In conclusion

Ariel, the Little Mermaid, has an inspiring story. Now it’s time to tell your own!

We hope we’ve inspired you enough to start gathering some little mermaid birthday party supplies either online or from your favorite neighborhood store. Start planning and hosting the best party that your daughter’s friends won’t stop talking about all year long!

Have you ever noticed that as our kids grow older, their toys become more and more attractive to their dads?

For the most part, we’re not talking about their cuddly toys (that’s a whole different blog), it’s more about robot toys and robotics kits for teens.

Actually, the title of this blog is completely misleading because, quite honestly, I have no idea how to keep dad out of the kid’s robot toys. Really, it’s just wishful thinking on my part.

So what about those cool robot toys that dad can’t keep his hands off?

You may have figured out that robot toys come in all shapes and sizes from simple cool robot toys to extremely complicated robotics kits for teens. It doesn’t seem to matter to Dad how easy or how hard they are to operate… if it’s robotic, it’s free game.

Just recently, our kids (and dad) have become obsessed with Robotryx robots from Jitterygit.

According to the Jitterygit site, on the outer edge of the Earth’s galaxy is a planet rich in resources, called Knemesis. Knemesis was guarded by five valiant protectors: Snabglider, Tangryp, Cliffsling, Grindburst, and Zakarpian.

One day Knemesis was invaded by the Drakians, and the five protectors were scattered to the farthest regions of Earth.

To this day, secret Drakian troops roam the Earth in an attempt to destroy the protectors and to keep them apart.

The Robotryx Guardians have ONE mission: to reunite and form the invincible, unstoppable, Garantron, in order to protect Earth from a Drakian takeover, and reconquer Knemesis.

Well… they had Dad at “valiant protectors”. Suddenly, this became the toy that “the kids” must have!

And so, one by one, they have entered the house and every night, when the kids are asleep, dad sits down to play with (I mean inspect) these fantastic STEM toys.

VOLTROID is the fearless leader of the Robotryx Heroes Squad. He’s a crime-stopper by day and hero by night! He is a 245 piece police robot toy that can be built into a fierce K-9 and a high-tech police car.

SNABGLIDER is the brave commander of the Robotryx Guardians.

He uses his speed and strength to pulverize his enemies. Snabglider was banished to Earth’s deepest canyons, but uses his cannon blasters to demolish anything that stands in his way.

CLIFFSLING is the brains of every operation. He’s strategic but fierce and an expert in secret, special missions. He was cast into Earth’s metallic icelands, but his hook and crane and power of genius penetrate the piercing cold.

GRINDBURST is a fiery character of absolute toughness, He is the muscle power of the protectors! He was thrown into Earth’s deepest, most dangerous volcano and he uses his drilling arm and fire missiles to break through the lava, stone, and dirt.

ZAKARPIAN is the enforcer of the Robotryx Guardians! He is relentless and ferocious. This guardian fell to the hottest of Earth’s deserts, but armed with laser vision and paralyzing poisonous darts, there is no enemy he cannot destroy.

So you may ask… how do I have all this information about the robot gang? It’s quite simple, really. When it’s dark outside and the kids are in bed and I sit down to some “me” time with my favorite show on Netflix… there he is! Dad’s got the robots out and is giving me the lowdown on their amazing skills!!!! Help…SAVE ME!

So in answer to my own rather silly question of:

HOW TO KEEP DAD AWAY FROM THE KIDS’ COOL ROBOT TOYS … OR NOT?

The answer is that I haven’t got a clue and if anyone else knows, I’d be delighted for you to get in touch, day or night and let me know!

I’M DESPERATE!

Order Early & Save The Heartbreak

Dinosaur toys for boys and girls are a genuine favorite. As a near-universal rule, kids love dinosaurs – if you weren’t obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid, you almost definitely know someone who was.

In this blog we are going to show you how to change the habit of a lifetime! How to not leave your Christmas shopping until the last minute! We will help you turn your Xmas shopping into a stress-free & enjoyable experience.

Yes, we’ve all said it… “There’s plenty of time for Christmas shopping”.

And just how many times have you been thrown into a spin trying to find that special dinosaur gift that your child, grandchild, niece or nephew has requested?

WE’RE HERE TO HELP!

The first thing you need to know is that it’s never too early to shop for dinosaur toys for toddlers, especially when you consider that prices of hard to find items can seriously increase the closer to the season you get.

WE’RE SETTING YOU A TASK!

As of September 1, you will create your Christmas/Chanukah Gift List (Yes, Sept.)

Once you’ve done that, begin to window shop online for the gifts for the toddlers and kids. Pick your toys and simply purchase. Why? Because this stuff sells out fast.

Once the toddlers and kids are taken care of, everything else becomes easier. So continue your “window” shopping for the adults. We like to have as much bought by the end of September as possible.

That leaves us open to purchasing all our other exciting decorations and specialities to make the season special.

So back to shopping for the kiddies. We’re concentrating our ideas around dinosaur toys for toddlers and we’ll guide you in the right direction according to the type of toy which is suitable for your child.

Dinosaur toys for boys and girls come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and here is a list of what we consider to be the coolest options:

Not all dinosaurs have to be sharp-toothed and out for vengeance. There’s nothing wrong with giving a soft snuggly dino to your favorite little person this season.

Looking for a little more action? You could try a race track especially developed with dino lovers in mind! Yes, there’s actually a racetrack that comes complete with glow in the dark tracks, dinosaurs, rangers trucks and more for a true dino ranger experience to unleash creativity, encourage building and engineering skills, develop problem-solving skills, exercise fine and gross motor skills while incorporating interpersonal development through group play.

Ever considered introducing the kids to the art of archaeology? Well you can do this at a true beginner level with dino eggs. Dino eggs come in a set of 12 which you can give as a whole gift to one child or divide them up for the perfect Christmas stocking stuffers or as one of their 8 gifts for Chanukah. Whichever way you go, your little Indiana Jones will have a ball excavating their dino from inside the fossilized egg. Each egg comes with a matching dino card so you can enjoy some one-on-one time with your little one, as you explain the type of dino he has excavated, what he ate, his size and all sorts of other exciting information.

What about DinoBlox? This newly developed, one-of-a-kind dinosaur game brings dinosaurs to life with a set of magnetic dinosaur building blocks in four vibrant colors. Dinoblox comes with a full set of color-coordinated stickers that turn the magnetic cubes into 3D educational puzzles and each puzzle uncovers a special piece of information about one of the four dino friends included in the set.

Just remember… you can’t go wrong with dinosaurs when it comes to toddlers and preschoolers. If they haven’t yet developed an interest in these scary yet adorable beasts, you could be the catalyst to a lifetime of interest for them.

If they do already have an interest in dinosaurs then believe it or not, they can never get enough of them!

So go ahead and start your Christmas shopping early and enjoy the feeling of achievement and lack of stress that this small but significant change can make to your life.

Parents of toddlers and preschoolers spend a great deal of your time looking for educational games and toys. Why? Because they help stimulate learning and parents understand the necessity of such stimulation. Whether it’s stacking blocks or simply reading them a book, young children require this stimulation in order to reach their developmental milestones.

If you’re an aunt/uncle, grandparent or friend of the family, there are a few things you need to know before you treat your favorite little people to an educational toy. The best educational toys store easily, don’t require a ton of parent involvement, and can be used over and over again. If you keep these rules in mind you will be a favorite not only with the little people but with their parents too. Cater to the child’s needs by keeping in mind their age, developmental stage, and preferences.

As parents, you should look for toys that will add educational value to your child’s playtime and hone in on any of their interests in order to keep it entertaining.

Carefully consider toy safety, design, ease of use, ease of cleaning, value, and age recommendations when searching for educational games and toys.

Children love to play because it’s fun – but it’s also vital to their healthy development. During different types of play, children learn and practice key social, thinking, physical, and emotional skills, including creativity, imagination, and problem-solving.

The benefits of play are progressive, meaning that the skills kids develop during their fun and games build upon each other.

Educational toys for 4 and 5 year olds such as playing ball with a sibling or putting on a costume for example, help them to learn to take turns and practice getting along with others while building fine motor skills and proprioception (awareness of the body in space).

Actually, on some level, all kids’ toys are educational. Whether they are STEM toys or sensory toys, as long as the toy gets them into pretend play, encourages turn-taking and sharing or fosters a sense of empathy, kids are always learning through play, even if they’re not working on subjects like math or reading.

As adults, we feel better about letting a whole bunch of toys in the house if there is some sort of overt educational value. Then again, there’s zero value in a toy that kids won’t play with, so toys have to be fun, too.

NOW LET'S LOOK AT EDUCATIONAL TOYS FOR 4 AND 5 YEAR OLDS SPECIFICALLY.

Four Year Olds: Toddlers no more — 4-year-olds are certified preschoolers, and that comes with a lot of big shifts in their lives. As they get to know more and understand how things work, they’ll want to do more experimenting in their lives and in their play.

They also question more about the world around them. They’re more likely to try their hand at:

• Problem-solving
• Take on tasks which require a greater attention span
• Plan ahead
• Put their developing motor skills to good use.

You’ll want to get them toys that help them with these new abilities.

• The best toys at this age include construction toys that allow them to build and problem-solve – think plastic interlocking blocks, gear toys, domino runs, magnet tiles and other similar choices. If your child already has wooden blocks, consider expanding the set with new block types like turrets, arches and cylinders to spark their building play.

• Pretend play props, like costumes, a tea set or construction tools encourage role-playing.

• With more control over their fine motor skills, art supplies like paints and brushes, markers and other similar items can also be a big hit.

• And finally, simple board games and activities like dominoes and memory cards are also fun for preschoolers.

Dinoblocks combine the best of 2 worlds, blocks with the iconic lovable dinosaur. It’s a 3-in-1 set including dino puzzles and magnetic cubes. No 4 year old can resist this exciting educational game!

• The Dino Egg set is a wonderful exploratory toy for your inquisitive 4 year old!

• Five Year Olds: By the time kids turn 5, they’re able to do all kinds of activities that were previously out of their scope thanks to their physical, emotional and social development. Skills like writing their own names, jumping, climbing and assigning playing roles are now most likely in their repertoire, opening up a host of new toy and gift options.

• The best toys for this age group will stimulate movement in space, challenge a child’s cognition, help develop balance and coordination, encourage pretend play and foster early reading skills.

• Anything in the realm of imaginary play, like dolls and vehicles, or in the creative sphere, like finger paint, molding dough and markers, can help stimulate these skills while keeping kids active and away from screens (or, at least, active in front of screens at least).

The Dino Pinata is a great game for entertaining any 5 year old especially at his or her birthday bash.

The Dino Race Track is a fabulous toy that will allow your 5 year old to build his own outpost in a prehistoric jungle!

Visit our Jitterygit Educational toys website for more educational toys and games for your little ones.

unircorn-birthday-party-ideas-kids-pinata

Is your daughter’s birthday coming up?

Celebrate with a magical unicorn birthday party. Why?

Because when it comes to throwing an enchanting birthday party, unicorns never go out of style.

Whether your little one can’t stop talking about “My Little Pony” or simply loves dreaming of sparkly, mythical creatures, they’ll delight in a unicorn-themed birthday party put together with loving care.

These easy unicorn theme birthday party decorations and ideas will help you throw an unforgettable bash!

Lucky for you, planning a unicorn birthday party is nowhere near as difficult as actually finding a unicorn. Read on for tips on how to plan a magical event just as special as the birthday girl.

The magical essentials: Unicorn-themed birthday party decorations

The best thing about unicorns? They capture the imagination. As you plan a unicorn-themed birthday party, aim to recreate that element of wonder and amazement. Here are a few unicorn standards you’ll want to include in your kid’s special day:

• Rainbows – By this, we mean all the colors. Every single one! Think sprinkles, confetti, rainbow props, and multicolored balloons. The more color, the better.

• Clouds – Of course, you can’t have a rainbow without some happy clouds. They’re fun. They’re fluffy. They keep the decor cute and cheerful.

• Glitter – Anything that shines and sparkles is a unicorn theme staple. Whether you take on the challenge of actual glitter crafts is up to you, but shiny, sparkly, iridescent gold and silver are your best friends here.

• Pastel blue, pink, and purple – These gentle, undeniably pretty shades echo a unicorn’s multicolor mane and set the tone for a whimsical day.

• Stars and moons – Get a little intergalactic with twinkling lights and celestial shapes as whimsical and otherworldly as unicorns themselves.

These are just some of the can’t-do-without elements that’ll make a unicorn-themed party sparkle and shine. But what if you want to add some extra-special touches to your party? With just a little imagination you can really bring this party theme to life. Start by customizing your color scheme.

Set the scene

Choosing a theme and a color scheme is half the magical battle. It’s time to find some unicorn party supplies that are just as wondrous and majestic as your kid. Here are some of our favorites:

• Unicorn adornments – Let your little guests don their unicorn finest with enchanting wearables and embellishments, such as unicorn horn party hats, a set of unicorn tattoos, or some unicorn hair slides to bedazzle their own beautiful manes.

• Unicorn props – To give the party that fantastical atmosphere, you’ll need some unicorn-worthy party props. Set the stage with some magical unicorn foil balloons. If it’s within your budget, a unicorn garland, or a dainty and delightful pink tassel garland would really set the theme.

• Unicorn cake decor – Just like the unicorn’s horn, the birthday cake will need something special to top it all off. Try a unicorn glitter candle or some unicorn & rainbow acrylic cake toppers.

• Unicorn tableware – Set the birthday table with some winged unicorn napkins, a rainbow-inspired set of unicorn themed plates and cups, and shimmering silver wooden cutlery.

• Unicorn pinata – Another fun activity – and a party classic – kids will love bursting a candy-filled unicorn pinata. Swinging at the unicorn piñata will be a huge hit at your daughter’s party.

Send your party guests home with unicorn party favors that will make them gleefully remember the best party ever!

Create your own magic with unicorn-themed activities

What’s one way to make your unicorn party extra special? Keep small hands busy and spark your guests’ creativity with some unique ideas using unicorn party supplies. Here are some ideas we love:

Unicorn paper plate masks – For youngsters who love to play pretend, this unicorn mask craft is an easy and fun way to DIY your unicorn dress-up. Supply some feather boas and sequin scarves, and put on a unicorn fashion show.

Unicorn slime jars – To keep the magic going, we love the idea of a craft that’s just as much fun to play with as it is to make. (Note: This craft is best for unicorn-loving guests who are old enough to handle a pair of scissors and some glue.)

Unicorn puppets – If you’ve got some crafty, natural-born performers in attendance, this activity is bound to be a hit. Let party guests decorate unicorn cutouts with glitter pens, ribbons, markers, crayons, yarn, googly eyes, and stickers—and glue a large popsicle stick to the back. When they’re all done and the glue is dry, it’s time for them to put on a captivating puppet show. Make sure you have your camera ready.

Unicorn party favors – Sending guests home with goodie bags are welcome extras at any party. Pick up some colorful paper bags and decorate away with unicorn stickers, glitter and confetti. (Or purchase them). Stuff the bags with inexpensive toys, unicorn-shaped cookie cutters or colorful homemade candies.

Themed birthday parties don’t have to be time consuming nor overly expensive. Some lovely themed decorations, a couple of games, maybe some crafts, and a pretty unicorn cake is all it takes to make a magical unicorn birthday party bash for your little girl.

Parties are all about having fun and making memories. Dinosaur themed parties make the BEST memories. Kids of all ages adore dinos, it’s practically a scientific fact. So if you’ve got a party for boys or girls to plan, why not plan a dino-mite dinosaur birthday party?

It’s a no-fail theme that’ll work for so many different kids’ temperaments, and can be executed at home or at any event space any time of year.

With so many great dino party supplies available, it naturally lends itself to a lot of fun activities (like digging for dinosaur bones!) with the use of all sorts of cute dinosaur party decorations.

We bring you tons of creative inspiration for your child’s dinosaur-themed birthday party with ideas for everything you’ll need, from DIY projects to decorations you can have delivered to your doorstep and dinosaur party favors and games that won’t break the bank.

Dinosaur Party Decorations Plan

You can have a dino-manic party without going nuts in the planning stage.

I can’t guarantee that it won’t get crazy during the party with all the dino guests stomping and chomping but having a plan will certainly help!

So, let’s get started!

Every party is more fun with cool

• dino invitations
• dino party supplies
• dinosaur party decorations
• dino games
• dino food
• dinosaur party favors

We cover all those in this dinosaur party plan. Simply choose your favorites and you have your party plan all set!

Invite your kid’s friends to a roaring fun party with a dinosaur party invitation.

You can print this to get them excited: Stomp over and let’s party like a dinosaur! This party will be dino-mite!

Dino-Mite Decorations for Your Dinosaur Party

Create an awesome entrance and allow your guests to devour food from a food table adorned with dino goodies guarded by dinosaurs.

Make your party unforgettable with a

• cool entrance
• amazing treat table
• fabulous centerpieces
• and other exciting details.

1. Enter the Dinosaur Park

You can make an exciting yet cheap party entrance in various ways.

• A sign at the door (dinosaur crossing, beware of dinosaurs, dead end…)
• Theme colored balloons (green, brown, or whatever color you have chosen)
• Artificial vines and leaves
• Themed colored curling ribbon or streamer
• Dinosaur images
• The important thing is to hang them LOW enough for the kids to enjoy them.

2. Dinosaur Balloon Garland

Balloon garlands! Can’t go wrong with those. They are easy to make and look terrific.

3. DIY Backdrop for Roaring Fun Pictures

You can make this backdrop for a few bucks.

You’ll need a green plastic tablecloth.

Fold it crosswise (the short ends together) and fringe one half.

Tape it to the wall folded with the fringes on the outside.

Attach a few images of dinosaurs. Hang them up with a clear cord.

Hang up a dinosaur themed happy birthday banner or words such as roar, stomp, chomp.

4. Crepe Paper Is Perfect for This Party!

Get a set of crepe paper and use it as a fun backdrop for the food table

stunning photo backdrop table covering for the food table or cut into streamers and use in place of artificial vine.

Crepe paper texture is pretty cool and looks fun as a table runner. Crepe paper does bleed though so you might want to protect the table with a plastic tablecloth.

5. Dinosaur Centerpiece Sticks

Centerpiece sticks are one of the easiest ways to decorate tables. And easy is the important word here! Want to make your own centerpiece sticks? Cool!

Print and cut dinosaur images or cool words like roar and stomp, and tape to

• skewers
• dowels
• chopsticks
• small tree branch/stick

Insert the centerpiece sticks into

• jars
• gift bags
• vases
• brown paper lunch bags

Fill these with:

• candy
• dirt
• rocks
• plants

Or use them as photo props!

6. Dinosaur Figurines

Add excitement to your party with jumbo realistic looking dinosaur figurines placed on tables with fake or real plants.

Cut up or tear a piece of kraft paper for the dinosaurs to stomp on for an additional cool look. Adding a few big rocks would not hurt either. This is going to look awesome!

For a less scary look you might want to use fun colorful dinosaur toys.

7. Dinosaur Treat Stand

This must be the coolest way to serve treats at any dinosaur party!

8. Awesome Dinosaur Favors

Send the guests home with amazing memories and cool party favors.

The easiest and most delicious party favor is a sweet treat. Kids would love that. Some parents not so much.

Besides the sweets, these are some other fantastic dinosaur party favor ideas for you!

These party favors are CHEAP but FUN!

• Dinosaur Figurine
• Dinosaur Egg with A Tiny Dino
• Dinosaur Shaped Crayons
• Dinosaur Keychain
• Dinosaur Gift Bag – Put anything in this bag and it will become a dinosaur favor.

Now you’ve got lots of ideas for the most amazing dinosaur party ever!

Check out our cool dino products here.

Depending on who you ask, the concept of critical thinking can be easy or hard to understand. As we prefer to keep things simple, we’ll give you the quick breakdown of critical thinking and allow you to do further research if you so desire. So here goes:

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally and understand the logical connection between ideas. For instance, the ability to recognize fake news😆

Why Do Children Need to Develop Critical Thinking Skills?

In today’s ever changing world, it’s not enough to be able to learn parrot-fashion. Repeating a list of facts is not going to get them far. They need to be critical thinkers with the skills to make sense of the information they receive, to analyze, compare, contrast, make inferences and to generate higher order thinking skills. In fact, learning to think critically may be one of the most important skills that today’s children will need for the future.

Critical Thinkers Don’t Don’t Accept Things at Face Value

• They rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value.

•They seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments and findings represent the whole picture.

•They can identify, analyze and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition or instinct.

How does this help them in their future lives?

Basically, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It’s about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information.

Follow these tips to help your child build a firm foundation for critical thinking:

• Provide opportunities and quality toys for play. Building with blocks, role acting with friends, or playing board games all build children’s critical thinking.

• Don’t rush them. It is essential you allow your child ample time to think, attempt a task, or generate a response. By giving them this time, they are able to refine and reflect on their response and not respond with the first thing that comes into their head.

• Don’t intervene immediately. Kids need challenges to grow. Wait and watch before you jump in to solve a problem.

• Ask open-ended questions. Instead of simply responding directly with the answer to your child’s question, help them to think critically by asking them questions in return. Questions such as: “What ideas do you have? What do you think is happening here?” Show respect for their response regardless of whether you view it as correct or not. You could respond with something like “That is interesting. Tell me why you think that.”

• Help them develop hypotheses. Start the conversation by saying “If you do this, what do you think will happen (what will be the consequence)” Allowing them a moment to form hypotheses during play is a critical thinking exercise that helps develop these essential skills.

• Encourage thinking in new and different ways. By allowing them to think differently, you’re encouraging them to hone their creative problem solving skills. Ask questions such as, “What else could we try?” or “Let’s think of all the possible solutions.”

There are many toys available that can help your child enhance their critical thinking and these include:

• Construction Track Playset – Constructing a track which will safely bring your vehicles home includes engineering, consideration, planning and spatial skills

• Jenga – Plan in advance and be able to see the results of the following moves

• Pattern Play Blocks – To promote pattern recognition, strategy and spatial skills.

• 3D Pens – Requires consideration and planning to draw 3D objects.

• Brain Teasers – Promote problem solving and creative thinking

• Marble Run Game – Promotes problem solving, geometry, and science skills which are all needed to create a successful build.

Today, we’re going to concentrate on our new favorite, the construction race track! Construction Track Playsets have it all. There are track sets in all kinds of themes and materials. They have a large price range and can be suitable for all age groups. By having to set up the tracks for themselves, children are in the position to make many critical decisions based on math, physics, & more and to understand the consequences of said decisions.

• What length to make the track?

• How high to make the incline?

• What bridges to use?

• And so much more in order to get their maximum enjoyment from the game.

They can decide which of their vehicles they want to incorporate into their imaginary play and what other models and figurines from other toys they can utilize to make the very best race track game ever.

Say for example that your child has a particular penchant for dinosaurs. What could be better than setting up their race track with jeeps, game wardens, trees and of course their favorite dinosaurs. In this case we are happy to invite you to visit JiggeryGit to find a great glow in the dark construction race track that comes with everything you need for a dinosaur safari of a lifetime.

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“It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.”

No way is your little unicorn fan going to have to say that at her party!

As parents, we want nothing more than to give our little girls the best, most enjoyable, most beautifully decorated party in the whole wide world and nothing can beat the unicorn theme for the selection, color and sheer joy invoked by unicorn birthday decorations.

If you’re planning your daughter’s next birthday party, come in close because we’re going to reveal some very interesting tidbits that you may not have thought about.

Unicorn birthday decorations can get pricey so we include lots of ready to use decorations and lots of easy to make decorations. As long as you have lots of color, lots of glitter, and ice cream, you’re already on the way to a truly successful party.

SOOOO… watch this space ‘cos unicorn birthday party ideas are coming fast and furious.

You can’t have a unicorn themed birthday party without:

• Unicorn food
• Unicorn decor
• Unicorn cake
• Rainbow colors
• Glitter

You don’t have to have…

• A pony dressed up with a horn

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Feel free to choose any number of our suggestions for unicorn birthday party ideas or just ignore them all together and only use them as an ideas board to create your own.

We believe that the best way to decorate in a meaningful way is to divide the space to be decorated into smaller areas which will take on their own personality. This is especially important when talking about unicorn birthday party ideas because as everyone knows, every single unicorn has a unique personality of his/her own.

THE PARTY GIRL

Your little princess will stand out in the crowd in a unicorn party dress! Perfect for photo opportunities and she’ll love to keep it in her dress-up box where she can relive the party whenever she likes.

THE GUESTS

Make sure your guests are dressed for the occasion with unicorn horns and tails which they receive at the door. All this you should include in unicorn party invites they’ll receive.

WALLS

Quick and easy to set up, you can cover a whole wall with pretty sheer curtains and enormous paper, multi-colored flowers. All this is reusable and can be used for all sorts of other party themes such as princess and mermaid and can also be utilized for baby showers and bachelorette parties.

THE TABLE

• Remember that unicorns live under rainbows so this is a great opportunity to dress your table with a rainbow made of colored balloons. Can’t manage a rainbow, don’t worry – simply by placing lots of colored balloons you’ll make your point. This is also a great place to showcase unicorn dandruff (otherwise known as glitter).

• Of course your table will include popular unicorn snacks such as multi-colored marshmallows, lots of veggies (because they are a type of horse, after all), unicorn poop (otherwise known as ice cream) and lots more.

• Don’t forget the cake. Feel free to go all out and buy a unicorn cake from your favorite baker or else buy a sheet cake from the supermarket and cover it with all the unicorn cake decorations you can find (well… not all of them because there really are a whole lot out there).

GAMES

• Find your Unicorn Name
• Unicorn Coloring Pages
• Make a Magic Unicorn Necklace
• Embellish your Favor Bag
• Make Your Own Unicorn Horn
• Make Unicorn Slime
• Pin the Horn on the Unicorn
• Unicorn Photo Booth
• Unicorn Pinata

Instructions for all these games can be found on YouTube.

As we said earlier, these are just suggestions and you will make a party which suits your little girl and her preferences.

And if unicorns are not her thing and she prefers a more robust creature such as a dinosaur – you can check out the dinosaur option here and build your party from these fun dinosaur games.

There are hundreds of options of toy race tracks out there on the market so the question we very often hear is, “How do I choose which one is best for my child?” Some of the options available include manual, motorized, or “launcher” style race tracks and the latest craze… glow in the dark race tracks.

Zeroing in on the right race track toy for your child (boy or girl) can be confusing, so, we’ve outlined a few guidelines for you to follow when buying this kind of toy for your child.

Let’s start by saying that no 2 children are exactly alike (thank goodness) and each child has their own special likes and dislikes. Choices should be made according to age, ability and personal taste.

MANUAL

Your child will enjoy pushing the car around and using their imagination to create their own little world on the tracks. This type of track is suitable for mostly younger children.

MOTORIZED

These race track toys generally require batteries. The child doesn’t actually have to be involved in the movement of the cars and this gives him/her the chance to examine the cars as they speed around the track while answering all kinds of questions relating to physics such as:

• When are they traveling at their fastest?
• When do they crash and fall off the track?

LAUNCHER

Race track toys that have a launcher are all about speed and excitement. Racing and stunts make it the perfect high-paced play toy but we don’t recommend playing with this type of toy right before bedtime!

Anyone of these types of track can have the added benefit of glowing in the dark.

Different styles of racetracks include Formula 1 racing type games, streets, construction sites and our favorite “themes”.

Themes are the exciting part of deciding which track set to buy. It’s the difference between a generic game for one and all, and the time and effort you take to pick the precise game that your child will absolutely love.

Themes may include:

• Police
• Army
• Hot Wheels
• Garage
• Thomas the Tank Engine
• Dinosaurs
• All sorts of Disney Characters
• and lots more.

The newest, most exciting addition to the fun racetrack toys available is the glow in the dark racetrack option. There’s just something special about toys that glow and ‘light up’ in the dark. Kids of all ages and adults too, simply love them. For some children the dark is a place to fear, that’s why we often leave a small night light in our kids’ rooms. Playing in the dark with a toy that provides some light shifts the game into something more fascinating and adventurous while slowly accustoming them to the dark and the realization that it can really be fun.

So what are the requirements for a really good glow in the dark racetrack?

• A fully flexible track which means that they can set it up in many different configurations. Being able to arrange and rearrange their race tracks will keep them entertained and encourage decision making.

• Lots of accessories so they can really get into the imaginary/role play side of the game. It also means that they can involve friends because there are enough pieces that they all get to enjoy assembling the tracks and playing with the models and cars. Just listen to all the excitement coming from their room when playing together in the dark.

• Toys that glow brightly all over providing lots of luminosity.

• Race track toys that can be taken apart are going to be easier to store. Some toys even include a trunk or storage box which helps keep everything organized.

Going back to the idea of themes. Does your child love dinosaurs? Is there a child that doesn’t? What about glow in the dark dinosaur toys? How about… wait for it… glow in the dark dinosaur toys together with a race track, now that’s a perfect toy, wouldn’t you say?

The Dino Glow In the Dark Race Track from JitteryGit encompasses our favorite dinosaur models and accessories such as cages, great big wooden gates, jeeps and tropical trees with all the essentials of a great racetrack such as 144 easily interlocking tracks in camouflage colors, hanging bridges, rising slopes and a chasing ball.

We leave it up to you to search out the racetrack which will best suit your child while you take into account all the little tips we’ve given you in this article. Whatever your choice, we know you will create an atmosphere of magic for your little one’s playtime.

Play dates are an important social experience for your child’s development. They provide children with opportunities to practice important social and emotional skills. In these situations they learn to share, take turns, and cooperate as they interact with each other.

Helping your child to develop his/her social skills

Let’s face it, not all children are naturally outgoing, full of confidence and a social butterfly. Then there are some kids who are, but may need a little guidance as to how to relate to their playmates. A lot of kids just need a little help along the way. Every child needs playtime with friends but some kids may be seen as bossy while others appear as shy. A great game like a race track toy will most certainly facilitate a successful play date.

If you’re concerned with your child’s social skills (or perhaps lack thereof), the best way to work on these skills is in a one-on-one play date.

Following we bring you some ideas about how to best set up a play date which is most likely to succeed.

Setting up a playdate isn’t complicated, but a little thought and preparation go a long way.

Make the first move – It can be a little daunting but this is for the benefit of your child so just go for it. Talk to the parents of the child you would like to invite. Don’t be discouraged if the answer is no, you’ll never know unless you try.

If your child is old enough and outgoing enough, they may wish to invite the other child themselves. If your child feels comfortable, have them approach the other child to suggest a play date. Role play this encounter with your child in advance and work on how to respond to an acceptance or a possible rejection.

Set a Time Limit – If you’re hosting, there should be a fixed start and finish time for your play date. The ideal time is one to three hours, depending on the age of the children.

THE FIRST PLAYDATE

Place: Ideally, the first playdate should be in your own home. Your child will feel more comfortable in a familiar environment and you’ll be there to keep an eye and ear on things, so you can step in if things start to go south.

PREPARE IN ADVANCE

• Discuss the etiquette of a playdate with your child. Explain to him/her that the other child is their guest and that they should be attentive to their feelings. Afterall, the playdate guest is in a strange place for the first time.

• If your child has “special toys” you know, the ones that no one else is allowed to touch, make sure that they are put away safely. This will avoid any unpleasantness on this point.

• Prepare the toys you “think” they will enjoy playing with together. Remember, you don’t know the second child well and their preferences may be different to your own child’s.

IDEAS FOR SOME FUN PLAYDATE TOYS

Have a few options available that you know your child loves and so he/she will not be disappointed by the other child’s choice. For instance, if you know your child loves:

• Lego
• Craft projects
• Playing ball in the yard
• A race track toy

These should all be options which are readily available.

Games should be selected for both energetic and quiet play so that they can go from being boisterous to calm as the mood takes them.

Quiet games which allow for collusion include, amongst others:

• Lego
• Puzzles
• Arts & Crafts
• Board Games

More energetic games may include:

• Any kind of ball game
• Using the trampoline (if you have one)
• Jumping rope
• Cornhole
• Basketball and so on.

This brings us to our particular favorite: glow in the dark track toy This all-weather toy can be played indoors or outdoors. It’s a great social activity which encourages imaginative play and communication.

The best car race track toy is one which can incorporate not just cars but also models of animals and people. In our opinion the best car race track toy for this purpose is the one from JitteryGit. What could possibly be more fun than having cars and a dinosaur safari all in one great game? What’s more, it even glows in the dark! This has to be a young child’s dream.

HAVE SNACKS READY

Go for tasty but healthy snacks based on fruits and veggies.

Keep sugar down to a minimum! You really don’t want a sugar rush on your hands.

If you follow these simple tips your child will most likely have a fun and successful first playdate.

If you hear the words, “Mom, when can we do it again?” You know you’re on the right track.

READY TO HAVE FUN? BOOST YOUR CHILD’S CREATIVITY WITH TOY RACE CAR SETS

As parents, we understand that finding a toy that is entertaining, provides lots of hours of pure fun and is educational while expanding our child’s creativity isn’t that simple to find. However, we also know boys and girls love to play with toy race car sets and it’s not surprising why.

There’s nothing like zooming a car over the tracks, with all the lively sounds of beeping, honking and tooting or spending hours buried in the imaginary world of your beloved toy race track set.

These toys are great for encouraging creativity. Your child can set up car races, be the first on the scene of a rescue operation with their ambulance or fire truck and move people around in boats and trains.

This is a fantastic way for kids to explore the world around them and to stimulate fine and gross motor, cognitive, communication, language and social skills. All these awesome benefits just from playing with a toy race track set!

Amazing, isn’t it?

Let’s concentrate on creativity and how toy race car sets can facilitate its development.

Creativity & Imagination

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Creativity is the freest form of self-expression. There is nothing more satisfying and fulfilling for children than to be able to express themselves openly and without judgment. The ability to be creative while playing with open ended play toys such as toy race cars and to create an imaginative scenario from personal feelings and experiences, can reflect and nurture children’s emotional health. The opportunity to play with toys of this nature during their first years can significantly enhance the development of their creativity throughout their entire life.

Kids naturally have active imaginations – and when it comes to wheeled toys on tracks, the playtime possibilities are endless.

Toy cars and vehicles, especially on tracks, provide the opportunity to create their own stories or recreate scenes from their favorite cartoons or TV shows. Through this imaginative play, they learn to understand how the world around them works through imitation.

Which car will be the first to cross the finish line? Will the fire truck get to the emergency on time? How many people will the bus pick up on the route? How far will the plane travel today? There are so many possible scenarios and adventures to create through their active imagination.

Toy race car sets promote learning about spatial intelligence, logical reasoning, and creative thinking in a safe and fun environment.

Through playtime, they’ll consider different scenarios and solve all kinds of problems.

Here are just a few examples:

• Will those two trains coming from opposite directions be likely to crash?
• What could happen if I pushed this car down the ramp – if I push it gently or if I push it hard? What would the outcome be?
• How can I invent a game that includes both a car track and the all-time favorite dinosaurs?

Your child will learn names of different types of vehicles, then reflect on this acquired knowledge when witnessing real life versions in the outside world. “Look mommy, there’s a Jeep!”

Pay attention to playtime for your kids, plan for it, encourage it. Learn how to extend children’s play through comments and questions. Stimulate creative ideas by encouraging children to come up with new and unusual uses for their race car toys.

Try to remain open to new and original ideas, and encourage children to come up with more than one solution or answer. Be careful about over-restricting what they play with so as to provide lots of opportunities. Have lots of materials and fun toys available when children want them. Buy and use car tracks in ways that encourage the use of their imagination.

Avoid toys and activities that spell everything out for the child and leave nothing to their imagination. Provide children with a good range and balance and keep play time activity exciting by providing them with toys for open ended play like race car sets.

The possibilities are limitless and you can find them all at JitteryGit!