Vicky and I have watched
our children develop over the last 15 months with a huge amount of
interest. Vicky’s daughter
Charlotte was born 2 weeks after my son Will and we have been fascinated by how
different they are and how differently they play. What we can’t decide is how
much of this is just their different personalities and upbringings and how much
a boy / girl thing?
The contrast between them
often seems most apparent when they are confronted with a new pile of toys.
Will has a limited attention span and tends to examine each toy momentarily
before discarding it and moving onto the next one. Charlotte on the other hand
studies each toy with great interest and takes the time to understand what each
toy actually does. Oh, and Will seems to be immediately drawn to the noisiest
toy in the pile, anything he can bang ideally!
Research from the National
Toy Council suggests that differences in toy choices may start to emerge from
as young as 9 months with boys drawn to active, noisy play, while girls choose
more social and passive forms of play. It recommends that all children should
be given a wide variety of toys and opportunities for play, without focusing on
gender specific items.
With this in mind, we’ve
tried to ensure that our Jack Boxes contain toys that meet all of your child’s
play and development needs, regardless of their sex, from musical and bath toys to toys that challenge and develop their cognitive, social and physical skills.
We’ve already launched
Jack Boxes for children up to the age of 2 years, and will be introducing a 2
years + box soon. Take a look a
let us know what you think of our selection. If you think we’re missing a toy or book your child would
love then let us know, we’re always looking to improve our boxes!
