http://articles.toysplusgames.com/rss.xml A blog about toysplusgames.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.toysplusgames.com/?a=36136 <p>by Gregg Hall </p><p>Toy train sets have been part of childhood for a long time. They are the quintessential Christmas gift and boyhood hobby. What Christmas tree is complete without a toy train steaming around its base? <br /><br />Constructing the tracks and playing with toy trains helps your child develop their minds, promote critical thinking skills, and, most important of all, it's an activity that parents and children can enjoy together. Building train sets is a time-consuming hobby, and it demands attention to detail and care from you and your child. It gives you and your a long-term goal that you can work on together periodically. Playing with toy trains will help your child to learn the importance of making continuous progress, of working hard, and watching their efforts come to fruition in a tangible way. <br /><br />LEGO train set kits are an excellent choice for a child just getting into playing with toy trains. LEGO trains are big and clunky so they can be easily manipulated by clumsy child hands. The first LEGO trains didn't have power. They used kid power to get around the track. These days, there are electric LEGO trains which can be almost as complicated and interesting as conventional toy train sets. So may kids and adults have gotten into LEGO trains that there are clubs being formed around the country. One of the key features of LEGO train sets is the variety of set-ups you can create with just one set. Due to the nature of the LEGO system, an almost endless array of designs is possible. Another important feature is that LEGO train sets don't use electricity running through the tracks to power the trains. LEGO trains are battery-powered which makes them safer than conventional toy train sets. Another unique feature of LEGO trains is that they are controlled remotely with infrared controllers which work similarly to your television remote! <br /><br />If you're more interested in the classic sort of toy train set, your options are almost limitless. As you may recall, toy trains are available in a number of scale sizes. The most popular sizes are labeled HO and N. HO is 1:87 scale. HO is known to be relatively trouble-free and easy to use. There are a huge number of products available for this size. N scale is another popular size. It's 1:160. N scale is popular because it's easier to build really long trains which are similar to the mile plus long trains you see in real life. These aren't the only sizes, of course. Scale runs the gamut from tiny trains to train big enough to ride around your yard! One scale growing in popularity is known as Garden Gauge. In addition to train scale you need to consider track gauge. While scale is the ratio of the size of the toy relative to the real thing, gauge tells you the distance between the rails on the train track. <br /><br />Toy trains are a fun way for you to spend time with your child. They're also educational and encourage your child's curiousness as well as teaches them discipline and good work habits so they can see their efforts pay off.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as toys and games at <a href="http://www.toysplusgames.com/">http://www.toysplusgames.com</a></p> 2006-10-21T14:56-04:00 http://articles.toysplusgames.com/?a=36135 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>It may surprise you to hear that kids can be entertained by products other than high-tech, high-dollar video game systems, DVDs, and television. They don't have to spend their game-playing time blasting aliens, swinging digital golf clubs, and blowing up buildings. Amazing as it may sound, kids really do enjoy traditional games like board games and card games. Card games are a great way for you to spend more time with your children and get them away from the television. In addition to being fun, card games can be educational. <br /><br />One such fun, educational card game for children is CardWord. The CardWord deck consists of cards with letters on them instead of numbers. The object of the game is to spell words. It's challenging and educational. <br /><br />Another fun, thought-provoking card game for kids which you've probably played yourself is Concentration. This can be played with a conventional deck or you can purchase specially made decks which feature fun pictures, words, numbers, etc. The cards are laid out face-down and the object is to find the matching cards. This game, of course, develops concentration, and almost every kid loves it. <br /><br />Some other old favorites are Old Maid or Go Fish. Probably the most loved of all card games for kids is War. Kids of all ages can learn the simple rules to this game which can keep them occupied for as long as any video game. <br /><br />One of the more acclaimed card games for kids is Apples to Apples Jr. This game consists of cards that on one side have red or green apples on them, and on the other side they have a word with its definition. The object of the game is to match the word on one card that best fits with the word on another. For example, if the word &quot;beach&quot; is laid down, then the winning card will likely be &quot;sun&quot; or &quot;ocean&quot;. The winner is determined by a player acting as judge. This allows for a lot of leeway. <br /><br />Uno is a game almost everybody has played. Uno is great because it can be tailored to suit children of all ages. If your child is very young and not able to comprehend complex rules, you can ignore the cards which involve skipping turns, drawing extra cards, and you can ignore the wild cards. With older children, you can utilize the entire deck and you're likely to find yourself in quite the Uno battle with your progeny. Be assured that even if you're playing your best, you'll lose to your kids sometimes, and they'll love it! <br /><br />Card games provide a wealth of educational and entertainment possibilities for children. Even at their most formative stages, children can learn about words and numbers from card games. Card games will improve their concentration and enhance their logical reasoning abilities.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as toys and games at <a href="http://www.toysplusgames.com/">http://www.toysplusgames.com</a></p> 2006-10-21T14:53-04:00