Toy shopping tricks: How to pick a winning present

As Hanukkah begins next week and Christmas is fast approaching, retailers, manufacturers and magazinesare inundating consumers with toy guides and rankings, perhaps overwhelming theparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who are on the hunt for theperfect present.

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Although many toy guidesare marketing tools, some "can be helpful," saidLori Parker, co-owner of Treasure Island Toys, an independent store in Toronto. "They can be great sources for different toys, unique toys," she said. "They're also great to identify what the big trends are."

Butconsumers should be careful not to just grab atoy because it's on a toptoylist, Parker cautioned. "I think when I was a new mom I fell into that trap," she said. "You have to go through [the guides] and be very selective."

Joanna Mileos, independentowner of the Granville Island Toy Company in Vancouver, is skeptical about many of the toy guides and top toy rankingsthat come out each year.

"My advice would be to look at who is voting on these toys," she said. "The manufacturer themselves?As a toy store owner, I don't consider the lists that the manufacturerscome out with, as I feel they are going to do their best to promote their own products."

Child is thebest toy guide

StevenKoschuk, a father shopping at Treasure Island Toys,said he pays no attention to toy guides or top toylists.

His 14-year-old daughterwantsfashion accessories or cash as holiday gifts, he said, whilehis 3-year-old daughterwants things she sees on TV.

"It's just this non-stop verbal train of 'I want that, I want that, I want that,'" Koschuk said.

He often decides what he'll buy her, he said, by taking a trip to the neighbourhood toy store.

"We'll go for a walk on a Saturday or Sunday, and we'll come in here and we'll kind of wander around," he said. "I'll watch her and see what she gravitates toward."

Observing a child's specific interests is the way to go, Mileos said.

"The best toy guide comes from the child," she said."Focus on the type of play your child enjoys."

Thatcan be an effective way to use certain toy guides, Parkersaid. "[If children]circle something and they circle it in three different guides and they really, really want it that's something that you have to be aware of."

Another customer,Sarah Murray, said thatas a grandmother,she feels she's "a little bit out of the loop" when it comes to what kinds of toys her grandchildren and their friends are drawn to.

"I feel like I need a bit more guidance than a mom or dad might," she said. Butinstead of turning to big-box store toy guides, Murray does her research on"websitesdevoted to parents expressing what are the best toys," as well as Montessoritoy informationsites.

"Those I tend to look at a lot just to get ideas forwhat toys might work for certain ages," Murray said.

'Play value'

MileosandParker advise looking atthe "play value" of a toy before buying it.

"Something that wouldn't have a high play value is something that's just popular at Christmas morning when they unwrap it and they play with it for a few minutes then they move on from it [and don't play with it again]," Parkersaid.

A good toy pick is age-appropriate, so the child won't be frustrated or bored, Parker said. It can alsobe played with in different ways, hold a child's interest and help him or her develop skills.

"Think about what the child can do with the toy," Mileosadded. "What kind of play will the toy encourage?Motor skills, imaginative play, logical thought, language development, social interaction?"

A toy doesn't need to be labelled "educational" to provide learning or have high play value, notedKatie MacKinnon, Parker's co-owner at Treasure Island Toys.

For example, a science kit might be educational, MacKinnon said, but wouldn't have much play value if a child canonly do one experiment with it. And Star Wars action figures can have a lot of play value, she said, because children use their imaginations and create their own stories when they play with them.

There's also a financial component to play value, Mileossaid.

"Basically, the most affordable toy is the one your child plays with the longest," she said.

If a toy costs $40 and a child plays with it for at least 40 hours before getting bored, Mileos said,that's a better buythan a toy that cost $25 but the child grows tired ofafter half an hour.

MacKinnonand Parker both parents themselves saidLegois a goodexample of a toy with consistently high play value.

"It's really something that can be played with in so many different ways and that really lasts through different stages," Parkersaid. "Some kids ...build the model then they keep the model. They put it up on a shelf and it becomes a collector's piece. Some kids like to build the set and then it falls apart and then they start developing brand-new things out of it."

Toy trends for 2015

The Canadian Toy Association, which represents toy manufacturers and distributors, says these are some of the trends this year:

1. Licensed toys based onmovies, TV or web

Not surprisingly, all thingsStar Wars are very popular this year, as the latest movie is set to be released on Dec. 18.DonnaPolimac, chair of the toy association'scommunications committee, says many toysstem from online gameslikeMinecraftor Angry Birds.

2. Collectibles

Demand forShopkins small plastic toys with faces drawn on them, as well as larger dolls has erupted this year,Polimacsays. Kids collect and play with them, and also trade them.

3. Interactive toys

One of the top picks this year is theMeccanoidrobot by Meccano,Polimacsays. Kids build their own personal robot and then interact with it. The robot tells jokes, plays games and dances."You can actually do karate with it,"Polimacsays.

4. Classic toys and games

"Old things are new again," saysPolimac. Tabletop hockey games and board games are very popular. "I think people ... are worried about a generation that's going to grow up in front of screens," she says, adding that board games teach important social skills, such as learning how to take turns.

5. Science, technology, engineering, arts and math

"These are toys that actually have some sort of learning element,"Polimacsays. "Not necessarily ABCs [and] one-two-threes-specific learning but more around innate learning."For example, a toy that teachespatterns can help set the stage for a child to learn computer code in the future, she says.There is a wide range of toys listed in this category, from a kit to make glitter clay charms to a robotic arm.