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Does anyone still doubt that the Internet has deeply changed practically every aspect of modern life? Even people who usually resist technological change have to admit that this is true, even if grudgingly. As a piano teacher who has, more recently, greatly benefited from these new technologies, I can now admit that I should have paid attention to these new technologies much earlier.

Of course, I still have misgivings about certain aspects of the Web. Still, as far as music is concerned, we have no choice but to accept the changes. Anyone can see that the revolutions which have taken place in the music recording industry, thanks to mp3s, file sharing software, and social networking websites are huge, and that there is now no going back to the old ways.

Thanks to PDFs and other Web-based publishing formats, the same is true of music instruction and notation. Like the recording industry, the world of music instruction is changing dramatically. It’s not my place to say whether these developments are good or bad. Whatever they are, they are here to stay, so it’s best for us recovering Luddites to accept these changes and move on.

The PDF format has been around since the mid 1990s, but as a format for music notation and instruction, it has only recently arrived. Whether or not we are completely familiar with what a PDF is, thee format is the future of online music publication, and countless music instructors and students alike are even now using PDFs for a variety of musical purposes.

In short, PDF stands for “portable document format.” It was created by the Adobe software company in 1993, and its purpose is to resemble, as closely as possible, real-life documents. Unlike programs such Microsoft Word, which is basically a word-processing program, Adobe’s software focuses on the two-dimensional presentation of words, pictures, symbols, and other graphics on a page. In this light, it’s easy to understand why PDFs are perfect for music notation. Obviously, it’s practically impossible to create music notation in a word processing document; PDFs provide a highly functional alternative.

Piano PDFs are a story unto themselves. As one of the most popular instruments in the history of the world, piano is at the center of the current boom in music lessons for adults. Naturally, many busy adult pianists have turned to the Web to provide instructions and guidance through the difficult process of learning piano. In an overwhelmingly large number of cases, PDF is the preferred format for Web-based music instructors, as well as those individuals whose hard work is giving us rapidly growing databases of music that was previously only available in real-world books. Instead, now there are PDF’s that have video and audio embedded, so it is in essence just like a web page.

So, when you are looking for an online piano instruction service to use, any instructor who uses PDFs is a good bet. This shows that he or she has kept up with emerging technologies and cares about providing a high-quality learning experience for students.

At the same time, if you plan to continue your piano instruction to advanced levels, it becomes more and more important to familiarize yourself with the PDF format. After all, soon you will be proficient enough to seek out pieces to play that are not directly related toy our music instruction. When this time comes, you will want to use one of the many vast online databases of musical pieces, many of which use exclusively piano PDFs.



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Toy pianos for children are great for helping their development, not only musically, but also in their education in general. Playing the piano, even a toy piano, helps to promote creativity and also provides the child with a self confidence that enables him or her to easily interact socially with others.

There is a wide range of toy pianos online, from the very small suitable for little toddlers to multi-octave spinets that are not so much toys as genuine musical instruments. But why a piano? What is it about a piano that is specifically effective in promoting these important educational benefits and socially acceptable skills?

It is generally accepted that if a child learns how to play the piano, and is able to play in front of others, her or she will also be more able to stand in front of others to make a presentation, present an argument and generally be confident in front of a crowd of people. This is an important social skill that is frequently ignored in a general school education. In addition to that, the hand-eye coordination needed to play helps to develop and enhance motor skills that will help the child in other fields such as sports and the play essential to the development of any child.

The development of creativity in a child is also an important part of development, and young children like nothing more than making sounds that they have created themselves. Have you ever seen a child banging away on a drum, perfectly contented with simply making a noise? With a piano, that noise can have varied tones that provide the child with an opportunity to be truly creative.

If a child is provided with a real musical instrument that has been designed and built as a child’s piano rather than as a toy, then this creativity can be developed even more, since it will produce the same sound every time from the same key, or combination of keys. This dependability on the sound achieved through specific actions is important to children in their learning that the same actions will give the same effects. Consistency in results provides the trust in, and understanding of, cause and effect. The same actions give the same effects time and time again.

Children’s pianos of all styles are available on the internet, and typical among them are the 18 key table top models by Schoenhut that are complete in every detail, including the black keys. The tuning is perfect and the sound obtained by small hammers striking carefully crafted and tuned metal rods. This type of piano is suitable for preschool toddlers who will have great fun just making a sound. However, they will soon begin to recognize that certain keys provide them with certain sounds, and while as yet unable to create or even distinguish tunes from random sounds, will have favorite keys for their favorite sounds.

Once your toddler is able to knock out the same sounds consistently with a bit of help from you perhaps, you might want him or her to graduate to something a bit bigger to provide them with a bigger challenge. They can have their own 25 key 2 octave piano with its own little piano stool that will delight them since they no longer need to have their piano on the table. It is free standing, just like mom’s or dad’s.

That would give them a great boost and make them feel like they are growing up. If you have any aspirations for your child to be musical, then this is the way to go. Impress on them that they have a musical instrument and not a toy, though this can be hard with a three or four year old!

However, as they improve, there is no reason why they should not progress to a full three octave keyboard. With 37 keys, this is probably about as much as a young child can handle, but if you don’t keep your eye on them, they will be trying to get at your full sized upright or even baby grand!

There is no doubt whatsoever, and the vast majority of educational experts agree on it, that introducing a child to a piano from an early age is very advantageous, not only to their future musical abilities, but also to their education and development in general. However, this is particularly true if the piano is a real working model with consistency in tone and tuning, and more than just a toy.

So take that step to give your young son or daughter a push up the ladder. Toy Pianos that were designed just for children are available at under $60 online .



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Had it been a little more affordable than it usually is, many of us would have liked to own a piano for ourselves. The piano is one of the most beloved of musical instruments the world over. The sweet sound of this remarkable piece of instrument has enchanted and enthralled our ears for years. The piano is indeed very unique in its application. It is one of the few instruments that seem to enjoy equal popularity in both classical and contemporary popular music. From the earliest of harpsichords to the modern day grands, the piano has truly come a long way. Electronic pianos are especially popular these days.

However, in spite of all the advancements made in the field of pianos, they have always been the prerogative of the upper brackets of the society. The piano has been, by and large, beyond the reach of the common man. But there are exceptions to this rule and this article will tell you all about it in a short while. If you’ve always wanted to play a piano, or to be more precise, own one, but always felt daunted by the high cost associated with one, read on.

Do you live in the Houston area in Texas? Do you often toy with the idea of buying a piano for your family, only to shove it aside the next moment as you ponder over the price of one? Take heart. You CAN own a piano in Houston without breaking the bank. If you love playing on the piano, this article will be nothing less than pure music to your ears.

So you are looking for a Houston piano? Let’s face it there is no dearth of resources on the Internet for buying a piano. For those living in the Houston area, piano-selling dealers are not very hard to find. However, some dealers stand above the rest by virtue of the quality of the pianos they sell and the level of service they offer. Houston Piano Company is one such name. Houston Piano Company buys, sells, trades and rents new and used pianos, both acoustic and digital. They specialize in first rate, new and used pianos of the most popular brands.

Doing business with Houston Piano Company is always a pleasure. Their friendly professional staff has well over 100 cumulative years of experience in the piano business. What’s more, they also offer tuning, repair, moving and delivery services as well as piano lessons in their exclusive school of music. The warehouse facility of Houston Piano Company has been associated with the arts for many years. Several movies have been produced on their sound stage. Many a professional artist has recorded in their sound studio, first under the name Mercury Studios, and then as Houston Production Studios. Today, acting classes, cinematography classes and actors round tables regularly meet on the premises.

If you have a piano to buy, places like the Houston Piano Company are always an excellent place to be at. Getting the piano of your dreams is easy when you work with Houston Piano Company. You can even hire a great piano at easy, comfortable rates. Choose from their stunning range of pianos, comprising acoustic and digital models, grand and cottage types, and famous and popular brands such as Yamaha, Wyman, K. Kawai. These guys really understand piano and you will benefit immensely from their expertise and experience in this area. Buying or hiring a Houston piano was never easier!

Jennifer is an expert Internet marketing professional with years of experience in various industries such as: Business, Finance, Music, Piano Rental Houston, Web-Design, Health & Medicine and many more.



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Toys are a kid’s friend, in so many ways. Apart from the fun and amusement it offers, they hold a special place in every child’s memory about their childhood. From dolls to Robots, the variety of toys now available is rapidly increasing. The variety of toys and playthings are now limited only by the creativity of manufacturers and the demand of the consumers.

Musical toys have become popular for its known contribution to the child’s social and personal development. Music has its impact on a child even during the infancy stage. Musical toys are a common sight at playschools, learning centers, schools and homes too. Since at early age sound plays an important role to teach young kids motor skills, alphabets, numbers and other basic concepts, various toys like musical books and Rhymes DVD etc are used. Some of the common musical toys for toddlers include – drum sets, a toy piano, sing along song CDs, toy trumpet, mini guitar, hand bells, Xylophones and interactive musical alphabets and number games.

Toys like vehicles and musical instruments find there way in children’s collection through out their childhood. From being toddler to a teenager, one can find all kinds of musical toys and gadgets in a typical toy collection of any child. One of the characteristics of the musical toys that has made them popular with parents as well is that any given musical toy cab be used for fun and amusement and can be used for adapted play and learning too. Even a simple Rhythm set can be used to teach different concepts like numbers, colors and shapes by assigning a different sound to a different number, color or a shape. A lot of creative adaptations are possible with musical toys and they are best options to help children learn with fun and in an informal way.

Elementary education has found a friend in musical toys. If you are parent or involved in early child education you would know what we are talking about here. Music knows no boundaries and it easily transcends every age and culture too. Creative musical books are considered as multi purpose learning teaching musical resource for the entire early education environment. A lot of musical books come with split activities to suit different ages including songs and activities for younger babies, older babies and toddlers. A little beyond elementary education musical instrument toys for children beyond 3 are an excellent source to teach children reading, writing and math. With the advent of teaching learning softwares for various subjects like language, math and science, the difficult concepts are broken down into easy understandable interactive units.

Musical toys have gradually found its way into sophisticated computer games and specific skill learning softwares where the audio-visual features employ concepts like artificial intelligence. The bottom line is music is something that is relevant for all ages and is widely appreciated by children of all ages. Hence they have gained popularity among parents and other stakeholders in the field of training and education.



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Piano Sheet Music Articles…


Monique Garcia

Daily Egyptian

For Chris Salter, learning how to play the piano came easy. But learning how to actually read music was not.

This challenge inspired Salter, a 1983 graduate in linguistics and music, to develop Piano Wizard, a video game that taches users to play piano through a color-coded keyboard and on-screen prompts. The game is already being sold by major online retailers and should reach shelves by the end of the year.

While fun and entertaining, Piano Wizard aims at teaching aspiring musicians how to read music through graduated game play.

In the game’s beginner levels, colorful icons or “notes,” such as dinosaur eggs and rocket ships travel on a straight line from the bottom of the screen toward an on-screen keyboard at the top. When the icons reach the keys on the screen, players hit a corresponding colored key on an electronic keyboard, which plugs into the computer.

As the game advances, notes scroll across the screen horizontally, imitating the lines of the staff and the way music is read. Advanced users can import electronic music files and play along to learn scores and arrangements.

“When most kids start playing the piano, they have a 90 percent failure rate, but it’s not the music, it’s the way we teach music,” Salter said. “This kind of takes the torture out of it, takes the abstractness out of learning how to read the musical language.”

Salter said he first thought of inventing the game shortly after graduating from SIUC. He entered the University in 1978 to study cinematography and began producing films about music.

Shortly after, Salter met piano instructor Don Beattie, who came to the School of Music in 1979, and began taking piano lessons with the new faculty member. While Beattie helped Salter learn to play piano before he graduated, Salter said he never mastered reading music.

Then, a few months after graduating in 1983, Salter took keyboarding classes to learn how to type. He said the lessons were frustrating until he played a typing game, and soon he was typing 40 words per minute. It dawned on him that a piano video game could have the same effect.

After years of consideration, Salter decided to form a business to develop and manufacture the game. Allegro Multimedia was born in August 2001; following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the dot-com business bust, finding investors was difficult.

But $3.5 million and a few patents later, Piano Wizard is riding on the popularity of the video game market. Last year alone, video games made for a $12 billion industry.

Salter said CompUSA recently placed a large order to sell the game, and online retail giants, such as target.com and amazon.com, already sell the game. On target.com, the game retails for $109.99.

He also said a major toy manufacturer is looking into developing the game further for sales late next year and an infomercial featuring the game will debut nationally on Wednesday.

Throughout the process, Salter kept his connection with Beattie and with the SIU School of Music.

This fall, with the help of Beattie, and his wife Delayna Beattie, a Piano Wizard academy was founded in conjunction with the School of Music.

Comprising mostly of 4- to 8-year-olds from the Child Development Laboratory, the academy focuses on teaching children to play the piano and read music through playing the game.

Children work with adult mentors from the School of Music, along with Don and Delayna Beattie, to learn simple songs on the game. After practicing the song on an electronic keyboard, children move to actual pianos to apply what they learned.

The academy and its students are featured in the infomercial, and students from the Department of Radio and Television are developing a documentary about the game and the academy.

“It’s a wonderful and extraordinary game that will ultimately help a whole lot of people,” Don Beattie said. “It’s a wonderful starting point that allows them to read a dozen pieces a day and helps them become literate readers of music while still having fun. Music is a language, and this helps increase their vocabulary.”

Last week, 10 children packed the academy’s cozy studio space one afternoon in the Old Baptist Foundation, singing along to “Merrily we roll along,” which they were learning to play on the game.

After stopping for a brief lesson about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and reviewing music notes, the 3- and-4-year-olds ran to the computers set up with the game. Perched on booster seats and sometimes the lap of a mentor, the children played along, getting instant feedback from the game about their timing and tempo.

“I got a 98 percent!” one little girl shouted out before turning back to the screen to tackle the song again, hoping for a perfect score.

“Don and I are firm believers that music is a birthright not reserved for the elite,” Salter said. “It should be open to all, not just those who have access to classical education. Music is something joyful and joins people at a spiritual level, and allowing everyone to have that is a beautiful thing.”



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Every parent wants their child to be successful. Right out of the womb (and probably way before then) parents spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out an angle that can give their child an edge in life, or at the very least help them develop into a strong, healthy child.

Testing and developing a child’s fine motor skills is highly important in knowing just where your child stands in terms of development, and it quickly points out their physical strengths and weaknesses. As a parent, you are on a constant search for toys that will help them develop their fine motor skills.

Fine motor skills are enhanced by toys and activities related to the use of a child’s hands. By finding toys and activities that develop fine motor skills, you are effectively providing a workout for your child’s small (intrinsic) muscles.

Here are just a few toys (related to activities) that are remarkable in helping a child develop their fine motor skills.

Keys and Locks: Toys that promote your child putting a key into a lock are quite good at helping develop fine motor skills. The child will need to manipulate the end of the key into the lock, which not only takes a good grip but also fierce concentration.

Play Dough: Play Dough is an obvious first choice for toys to help develop motor skills. Not only will the child be manipulating the actual dough (which is sometimes hard to twist and pull) but the child will also develop strength.

Puzzles: Jigsaw puzzles are great because the child is constantly handling small pieces and trying to manipulate them to fit.

Doing Crafts: Using scissors, drawing, and manipulating paper is a great way for a child to develop their fine motor skills while creating toys and playthings at the same time!

Toy Pianos: Toy pianos are great because they promote single finger movements, helping your child purposefully isolate and coordinate specific finger movements.

Write and Learn: There are several writing-type toys on the market that can be found at Toy R Us or any local toy store that promote writing. Remember those hand cramps you got as a child? Well, there is a reason you got those. Writing takes a great deal of hand agility and precise movements. This is perfect for developing your child’s fine motor skills.

Legos: Good old fashioned Legos are just fine for helping the child assemble pieces with their hands into larger objects. Who cares that you have no idea what the object is your child just created! As long as they are using their hands to assemble the Legos, you are happy!

Craft Easels: Encourage your child to do their artwork on an easel rather than your wall! This will allow them to be creative while manipulating a paint brush, pen, chalk or crayons.

Operation: What better game to play than Operation when it comes to developing fine motor skills? You can imagine your child trying to fit the little tweezers into the slot to grasp the part inside. And fun too!

Sorting Toys: Sorting toys such as colored blocks, cards and textured bags help develop the feel and grip in a child’s hands.

With the right type of toys, you can help your child develop an advanced level of fine motor skills that will last them a lifetime!



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The toy industry is a very prosperous ones as children will always want toys to play with and their parents will, more often than not; have to abide by the child’s desire. It is only a norm that children will want toys.

Toys are often developed and enhanced to suit the ever changing needs of their main customer which are of course children. Technology has also helped enhanced toys and today, toys are safer as they are smarter.

In choosing for toys, it is crucial that parents don’t just buy any toy that their children would like to have. A parent should choose toys that would promote the well-being of the child (and this is deemed as responsible parenthood), and there are many toys of this kind that are out in the market. Parents should be keen in buying children’s educational toys so that their sons and daughters wouldn’t grow up to be attached to material things as source of happiness. The choice of toys should be those that would aid in the various aspects involving a child’s growth and development.

You can follow these simple guidelines of buying toys that will aid your children in his or her learning experience:

• Go for toys that cultivates learning and interactions

You should be encouraging your children to play with toys that develop their motor skills. Toys that are able to make them relate to other siblings doll house, tea set and ones that gets the child to build or craft will be the toys that fall into this category. Even toys that can be worn such as fun costumes and party theme hats will stimulate their fantasy or imagination and role play are also good for your children.

• Let your children choose from the variety of choices

When you provide your children with more choices of toys, they will be happy to choose. However, be sure that the kinds of choices you offer are all educational toys. Don’t worry that your child would be bored easily of educational toys because they will be highly engaged to them and entertained as well. There are many types of educational toys such as identify pictures, also those that teach science concepts and arithmetic. After you have identified which are the ones that your child are into, focus on buying those.

Toys that reflect the values presented above are the two below. They are great for nurturing the learning potential of a child :

• Toy musical instruments

Miniature guitars, toy xylophones and pianos, flutes and drums are all toy musical instruments that will provide amazing result for the growth and development of a child. There have been studies conducted that links exposure in early ages to music and music producing to academic excellence in later years especially in math and science.

• Chalkboards

Children loves to draw and scribble. This is why a chalkboard is an ideal toy for them to do just that. Not only will it improve their writing skills and imagination, chalkboard is a good way to introduce to them the alphabet as most would have alphabets and pictures on the top part of the board.

You can have all the good educational toys in the world for your child but it is really your presence and your willingness to spend time with them will make it an enjoyable learning experience for you child.



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If you are searching for the right educational toys for your preschooler, you may be overwhelmed with all the options available. Toy manufacturers are now busier than ever, working hard to keep up with the latest trends and styles, and competing to make their toys the best and most popular among small children. Though the decision of what to buy your child can be difficult, here are several suggestions that may help you.

When choosing an educational toy, you want to be sure it will serve its educational purpose. You want your child to learn something while playing with a particular toy, and for that to remain a popular one with your preschooler for a reasonable amount of time. This is why you should choose carefully.

When selecting educational toys, it is also important to keep your child’s interests in mind. Remember, it isn’t the educational factor that will interest your child, rather the fun the toy will bring. Encourage your child to play with different toys and learn new things, but always try to give preference to the more educational preschool-level toys, whether they teach basic math or reading skills, color recognition, or just stimulate different parts of a child’s developing brain. After all, these simple, educational games can often be the most entertaining.

Chalkboards are among the most popular toys for preschoolers. They are also among the oldest. And since many modern chalkboards are double-sided– with a chalkboard on one side and a magnetic board for plastic letters on the other, this toy can also serve a dual purpose. By playing with it, your child will be able to learn the letters of the alphabet with the magnetic letters, and then be able to practice those letters on the chalkboard once this is accomplished. It also allows for free-hand drawing and hours of creative fun.

Toy pianos are also among the most popular and most beneficial toys. As shown in recent studies, children who learn music, even on the most basic level, tend to perform better in math and science-oriented subjects, and also tend to score higher on scholastic exams. Aside from that, this kind of toy is a great way for your child to be creative while making his or her very own music.

Blocks have long been among the most basic, yet most fun toys a child can own. There are many types from which to choose, from blocks that interlock, to those that simply balance on one another. Your child will have hours of fun building towers, houses, or just simply learning to stack and count.

No matter which educational toys you choose, be sure they are age-appropriate for your child. Check to be sure they don’t have loose parts that could be harmful to your child, and that they aren’t too complicated for his or her age and education level. You do not want your child to become discouraged by playing with a toy he or she does not understand. Also, play with your children. If you show an interest in the toys you buy, they are more likely to do the same.



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All toy companies are eager to grow sales in a stagnant $22 billion market, they want to know which toys are “hot” for the year. Invariably, the toy trends for the year are strongly influenced by movies being released that year. This year, there are some awesome icons vying for our attention – Indiana Jones, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and Batman. Aside from these superheroes, the hot toy trends for 2008 also include dinosaurs, robots, musical toys and of course, web connected toys!

Aside from these, “Electronics and the Internet. That’s what kids are obsessed about today,” said Jim Silver, editor and co-publisher of Toy Wishes magazine. “They have an iPod, they are on Facebook and some are e-mailing by age five.”

1. Web Connected Toys

IToysWe all know and love Webkinz, the pioneer of the “virtual toy” revolution. Webkinz is still doing very well and now has been joined by several other toy manufacturers. Russ’s Shining Stars, TY Girlz, Barbie and now even TY’s Beanie Babies. Aside from dolls and plush toys, there’s a brand new preschool game which nicely incorporates play and technology. It’s called Me2 from IToys. Also worth noting is Clickables, a wonderful line of toys from Technosource. Clickables integrates the virtual world of Disney Fairies with toys for girls. There are a lot of other web connected toys and dolls. My collegue, the Doll Collecting guide, has a great article up on the virtual doll trend.

2. Dinosaur Toys

Dinosaurs have been around for a while now, (remember the very recent Pleo?), but they certainly made their presence felt at the Toy Fair! Here is one dinosaur which was hard to miss – Kota the Triceratops from Playskool. This friendly creature is pretty tall at approximately 40 feet and is equipped with sensors, which when activated, make him move his head, tail and horns. Kids will enjoy sitting on this playful (and very pricey) creature. Another dino in the spotlight comes to use from Mattel. D-Rex, a remote controlled dinosaur with a lot of different sounds and realistic motions aims to fascinate kids this year.

3. Indiana Jones Toys

HasbroIndiana Jones is really something to look forward to this year. The movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is slated to be one of the hot movies of 2008. It’s no wonder then, that Lego, Hasbro and the rest have jumped onto Indy’s bandwagon! The plot of the movie isn’t yet revealed fully. Still, Lego had some wonderful sets based on Indiana Jones. The Indiana Jones LEGO sets include Indiana Jones Temple Escape, Indiana Jones Race for the Stolen Treasure, Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb and Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase. Some of Hasbro’s Indiana Jones offerings include Mr Potato Head: Taters of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones Sound FX Whip and of course Indiana Jones action figures.

4. Science and Nature Related Toys

Jakks PacificI noticed a large variety of Science Kits and nature themed toys at this year’s Toy Fair. Elmers (the glue company) had some really cool science kits represented by Bill Nye, the science guy. Scientific Explorer had a lot of fun kits to offer where kids can experiment with fascinating stuff like bubbles, perfumes, volcanoes and more. The biggie in the science category is none other than EyeClops from Jakks Pacific, which has updated versions(read night vision and higher magnification) available. Also, Uncle Milton of the Ant Farm fame had some cool Indiana Jones based products to show.

5. Batman – The Dark Knight Toys

MattelThe new Batman movie, The Dark Knight is slated to be released later this year. Mattel has a host of Batman related toys and action figures up their sleeve. The Stealth Batmobile and the Wayne Tech Tri Fire Blaster are must haves. Apart from those two, there are a lot of pretend play options and Batman action figures from Mattel. Lego also has some great Batman themed construction sets for release this year.

6. Speed Racer Toys

MattelSpeed Racer is another big movie franchise on which Mattel has a great lineup of toys. I know that Hot Wheels has a Morph Mach 6 vehicle and an interactive helmet to offer as well as the Speed Racer Sky Jump Track Set among other toy vehicles. The movie should spark off a craze for racing and toy cars which is going to be huge. Lego also had some great Speed Racer kits on display at Toy Fair. Personally, I think this is THE franchise to watch out for.

7. Animated Toys/Robots

Fisher-PriceOk, so by now everyone must have heard of Elmo Live, right? Well, the animated toy trend seems to be very prevalent this year with Elmo Live, Hasbro’s Biscuit, Playskool’s Kota the Triceratops, Tomy’s ISobot and more. While I’m on the topic, let me mention that I just previewed an adorable duckling from Hasbro’s Furreal Friends line – it’s too cute for words. Just like me, it seems like everyone enjoys seeing animated animals nowadays!

8. Iron Man Toys

HasbroHasbro has a fantastic line of action figures based on the Iron Man. This is another movie franchise for this year which is going to be popular with Marvel fans.

9. Green Toys

It’s no wonder that everyone is focusing on healthy and safe play this year. The “green” theme is predominant with many toy firms promoting their eco-friendly products. One toy manufacturer which I really liked was Plan toys from Indonesia which had a wonderful lineup of natural wooden toys. There were some toys made out of recycled milk bottles from a company called Green Toys. They had tea sets, gardening sets and beach sand sets on display which looked very appealing. I also noticed the Kapla line of wooden construction planks which falls into the “green” category as well. 12. Classic Toys – Lots of Anniversaries!

10. The Incredible Hulk Toys

HasbroThe Hulk was at a lot of places at Toy Fair 2008. I specially loved the Kid Designs line of Hulk laptops and learning toys. Hasbro has a fantastic lineup of Hulk toys including the much awaited Hulk Smash Hands, a plush animated Hulk toy, conventional Hulk action figures, a Hulk power glow electronic mask, a Hulk dart blaster and much more. Looks like “green” is popular in more ways than one!

11. Musical Toys

KID Designs For the last couple of years, toys based on musical instruments have really grown in popularity. Remember Piano Wizard, Piano Made Easy, I Can Play Guitar, Guitar Hero and the other toys on similar lines? This, along with musical toys based on celebrities like Hannah Montana and hit TV shows like American Idol practically dominated the musical toy scene. This year, the trend continues with some more Hannah Montana toys, new DVD games based on American Idol (KIDDesigns has an awesome American Idol DVD game) and much more. Stay tuned. (pun not intended)

12. Keyboard for toddlers, Wallcrawler Spiderman

The portable DVD player is made to withstand a kid’s abuse. It features a 3.2-inch color TFT screen, rechargeable batteries with a two-hour lifespan, an anti-skip buffer, grip handles and a stand for hands-free viewing. The player, which plays DVDs and CDs, comes with a battery charger and wall power unit, a video output jack, and a headphone jack.

13. Wall Crawler Spider-Man

“Wall Crawler Spider-Man” is a standout innovation from Hasbro. The remote-controlled Spider-Man toy, which incorporates vacuum-pump technology, actually crawls ups and down walls.

Last, but not the least, classic toys are very much in the forefront. This year, many classics were celebrating their anniversaries. Hasbro’s My Little Pony celebrated their 25th anniversary with a lovely birthday party at the Hasbro showroom, complete with a cake cutting! Cabbage Patch Kids celebrates it’s 25th anniversary as well. The LEGO brick celebrates its 50th anniversary with a commemorative gold brick. Other brands celebrating this year include Scholastic’s Clifford, the big red dog, the Toy Company’s Wham-O and Mary Meyer (who is turning 75 this year). We’ll wind up with congratulating Hasbro’s Mr Potato Head who is turning 80 this year. Way to go!



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The first time you look through the toy department you may be struck by how much more expensive toys are today than you remembered. Toys don’t have to be expensive, though. And with toys, expense has nothing to do with quality. We’ve all heard the story about the parents who bought their child an expensive toy, and all the child wanted to do was play with the box. A good toy for one child isn’t necessarily a good toy for another child. When you purchase a toy, you need to consider your child’s age, gender and personal preference. Here are some examples.

As you are getting ready to buy a toy for your little one, keep it in mind that the toys you pick need to be age appropriate for your child. Children go through various stages of development at different ages. Toys need to stimulate the child’s mind during play.

Choose interactive and fun toys for infants and toddlers.

Infant Toys and Toddler Toys should stimulate and entertain children from the ages 12 – 24 months or 1 – 2 years. Educational infant toys from famous manufacturers such as Leap Frog, Fisher Price and other infant toy makers are very popular. Infants and Toddlers love toys which make noise, which are colorful and interesting.

Children’s Toys And Preschool Toys From The Ages 3 to 4 Years

Preschoolers love toys that stimulate the imagination, offer a challenge and are basically fun to play with! This year, innovative use of technology has ensured hours of fun for this age group. The top toys of 2007 for preschoolers include a wide range of choices like R/C vehicles, toy pianos, games, bikes and much more.

Kids Toys And Kids Games For Kids Aged 5 to 7 years

Kids between the ages of 5 to 7 years have to be kept busy with suitable kid’s toys and kid’s games. Girls usually love doing some sort of art or craft activity, and boys tend to prefer playing electronic and video games



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