The chaos that was Black Friday shopping is thankfully over. No more angry mobs trampling security cards and breaking down doors to get into Primark, no more neighbours fighting each other off to get their hands on the cheapest flat screen TV and no more petrified adolescent shop assistants taking refuge from the flying fists by huddling together in fitting rooms. It was never the most ‘disabled friendly’ way to shop (although the online sales did help), but it’s all over now. Now is a time for a more civilised period of Christmas shopping, for more relaxed and thoughtful spending. And so it is that we’re beginning our series on Christmas gift ideas for less able friends and family.
This is now the third year of our Christmas present suggestions and we’ll start it in the same way we have the previous two. That is by saying that, by and large, when you’re shopping for anyone less able the fact they are less able is generally pretty much redundant. Just buy something they’ll like! However, there are some stylish things you can get that can also be useful and/or take into consideration their disability (just as disability and style aren’t mutually exclusive, nor are style and practicality).
Today, in our first post of present suggestions, we’re looking at the group of less able people for whom you probably do need to take their disability into account most – less able children. Kids are kids and enjoy the same things regardless of ability but you can’t be oblivious to the fact that some things are more suitable for entertaining less able children and helping them develop. Obviously every child is different but we’ve found that parents, doctors and other experts tend to find that the best toys are those which stimulate their senses, engage their motor skills or get them interacting with others. We’ve found some great gift ideas, designed to do one or more of the above, plus some other ideas for fun games and accessories.
Tactile Toys
A Sensory Tale is a bag full of fun that gives you a story book to enjoy along with a range of different props and toys which help to make the story come to life. There’s a range of different stories, which all come with their own bag full of soft and hard toys as well as musical instruments. We like the look of the Safari Tale which uses African inspired sensory resources to re-create the sights and sounds of being on safari on the African plains. They’re available at Rosy & Bo for £69.60.
A Texture Tangle is a really simple little toy which can provide endless amounts of twisting, tangling and general fidgeting. It’s covered in different surfaces – some bumpy, some rough, some squidgy and some smooth – meaning that, as you twist it, you explore all sorts of different textures. It’s available at Special Needs Toys – another excellent website to check out for other gift ideas – and costs £17.95.
Sounds and Sights
A big ball of fun, this Activity Sound Ball is inflated and filled with little bells that ring as they move around the inside of the ball. The transparent casing and colourful bells make this a sound and sight double whammy. It’s £27.99 which maybe belies the fact we found it at Cheap Disability Aids but considering its size it’s reasonable value and it’s a nice example of a common type of toy.
Star Turtle sounds like a brilliantly bad band name (and indeed does turn out to be a brilliantly bad album name) but it looks like a really cute and fun gift. It’s a cuddly turtle and a perfect night light that provides gentle visual stimulation as it projects a starry night sky onto your ceiling or wall. It fills rooms with a soft calming colour that will be soothing and lovely to watch. It’s another product from Special Needs Toys for £32.95. It looks very sweet.
There are loads of light up toys for less able kids to enjoy and a Dark Den is a really helpful way to make the most of them. It’s one thing to turn the lights off, when playing with these light up toys but it’s better yet to be able to go into a pitch dark cube and see the lights hitting the den’s surfaces right next to you. It takes a few minutes to assemble and lends itself to being a sensory area, a place to investigate lights and sounds or just a snug area to relax. It costs £58.99.
Other Games And Toys
A Bilibo is a seemingly simple but cleverly designed single piece of curved plastic which kids can play with in a wide variety of ways. The very nature of this toy, which has no one single clear use, makes it a way to encourage children to make up their own active games and develop proprioception, turn taking, balance and gross motor skills. It’s almost a toy for the sort of child who ends playing with the box their present comes in every other year and considering it can be anything that the recipient can imagine it to be, it’s good value at £14.95.
One way of getting kids to interact and improve their confidence and socialising is to give them a game to play with others. One example that has been recommended to us is Square Up. It has two individual playing boards and two cube shakers and the aim is to shake the shakers and then start matching your board to the face of the cube shaker first. It’s exciting and develops cognitive and fine motor skills whilst helping to improve socialisation skills. It’s £12 at Special Needs Toys.
Hot Right Now
We said at the beginning that presents for less able kids should be the same as presents for any other kids and one of this year’s hot toys is the Toot-Toot Animals Safari Park. It looks set to be one of the most popular toys around this Christmas and would be be a good gift for many less able kids as it involves the sensory stimulating sounds, lights and textures we’ve been talking about as well as being good for motor skills. More importantly, as with everything we put in this list, it looks like something kids will love.
Something (or someone) else that we’re fairly convinced is going to be a big star this Christmas is, the one and only, Paddington Bear. The new Paddington Movie is charming audiences across the country and if the titular bear is as lovely as we’re lead to believe, kids may well be clamouring for their own version to play with. The official movie Paddington toy will naturally strike a chord with anyone who’s seen him at the cinema but there are generations of different cuddly Paddingtons to choose from. One option is to head for the Early Learning Centre which besides having a Paddington is a very good place to find other toys in store, without having to wait for online delivery.
Accessories
Rosy and Bo have a collection of cool accessories for less able little ones including a range of bike or wheelchair gloves with padded palms, breathable lycra-backed fabric and nice patterns on them for £7.99 a pair. They also have some really sweet soft leather shoes in charming designs. They’re non-slip, £14.99 and rather adorable. Finally, their website is a great place to visit for patterned weighted blankets (£40). These provide comfort, increase body awareness and a give sense of security.
A final mention goes to Squease Hoodies which is a trendy top fitted with a Squease Vest. These are inflatable pressure vests, designed for people who have difficulties processing sensory information, like people with autism, ADHD, sleeping or anxiety disorders. The vest gives a comfortable hug-like pressure, helping you to cope with stress and sensory overload, avoid meltdowns, improve concentration or fall asleep quicker and is stylishly contained within these cool hoodies. We first saw them a few months ago at the Helen Hamlyn Centre so it was nice to see them on Special Needs Toys. They’re a pricey £246 but they’re very helpful apparel.
