65 Children's Gifts that Help Avoid Vision Problems
Posted on Thu, Dec 08, 2011 @ 08:00 AM
Concern about the impact of video games on visual health has led The Vision Therapy Center to create its 2011 Easy-On-the-Eyes Holiday Gift List. It contains 65 gift ideas that can help kids avoid vision problems, including computer eye strain.
The list consists of toys and games that promote visual skills such as hand-eye coordination, visualization, and space perception. “We created the list because so many children are spending too much time on video games and small electronic screens,” said Dr. Kellye Knueppel, developmental optometrist and owner of The Vision Therapy Center.
By spending excessive amounts of time on hand-held video devices and home gaming systems, there is a potential for vision problems such as focusing issues, poor eye teaming and even nearsightedness.
“If you have an existing vision problem, these hand-held video games will likely make the condition worse,” said Dr. Knueppel. She recalled a patient with strabismus (a crossed eye) who was making great progress, but regressed after receiving a Game Boy for Christmas. “He played it all the time, and he wound up taking a huge step back in only one week.”
Dr. Knueppel believes that preschoolers should not play on an iPhone or small screen video game for longer than 15 minutes per day. Older children and adults should be limited to 30-60 minutes per day and should take breaks every 15 minutes. All children (and adults) should try to balance their gaming and computer usage with outdoor activities or sports that include a ball.
“You need to interact with objects in real space, especially different distances away from you,” she said. “That’s how you develop and enhance your depth perception (ability to see 3D), eye teaming, tracking and other visual skills.”
The 2011 Easy-On-The-Eyes Gift List is arranged by visual skill and includes ideas for pre-schoolers through adults. Remember that learning and enjoyment is usually best when the child can accomplish the activity relatively easily about 80-90% of the time, and is therefore challenged 10-20% of the time.) Choose toys based on developmental age rather than actual age.
Building toys – Develop eye-hand coordination and visualization/imagination.
1. Building Blocks
2. Legos/Duplos
3. Lincoln Logs
4. Tinker Toys
5. Erector Set
Fine motor skill toys – Develop fine motor skills including visual skills and manual eye-hand coordination.
6. Light Bright
7. Pegboard and Pegs
8. Coloring Books and Crayons
9. Dot-to-Dot Activity Books
10. Finger Paints
11. Playdough/Silly Putty/Modeling Clay
12. Chalkboard (24” x 36”)/Easel
13. Bead Stringing
14. Sewing Cards (craft)
15. Paint or Color By Numbers
16. Sand Art
17. Stencils
18. Bead Craft Kits
19. Models (car, airplane, ships, etc.)
Space perception toys – Develop depth perception and eye-hand coordination.
Within arm’s length:
20. Jumpin’ Monkeys
21. Fishin’ Around
22. Operation
23. Pick-up Sticks
24. KerPlunk
25. Jenga
Beyond arm’s length:
26. Oball (good for kids who aren’t very good at catching)
27. Ball (any kind!)
28. Pitchback
29. Toss Across (tic-tac-toe)
30. Ring Toss
31. Nerf Basketball
32. Dart Games (velcro)
33. Ping Pong
Visual thinking toys and games - Develop visual thinking including visualization, visual memory, form perception, pattern recognition, sequencing and eye tracking skills. These skills are important basics for academics including mathematics, reading and spelling.
34. Color Blocks and 1” Cubes
35. Parquetry Blocks
36. Attribute Blocks
37. Make N Break Game
38. Jigsaw Puzzles
39. Rory’s Story Cubes
40. Card Games (Old Maid, Go Fish, etc.)
41. Dominoes
42. Checkers
43. Chinese Checkers
44. Perplexus
45. Qwirkle
46. Battleship
47. Labyrinth
48. Blokus
49. Connect Four
50. Rush Hour/Rush Hour Jr.
51. Perfection
52. Tactilo
53. Bingo
54. Memory Games
55. Chicken Cha-Cha-Cha
56. Simon Flash
57. Bop It
58. Hyperdash
Balance and Coordination toys and games – Develop large motor skills.
59. Hoppity Hop
60. Jump Ropes
61. Sit and Spin
62. Slip ’n Slide
63. Trampoline
64. Stilts
65. Twister
For a free poster detailing how to avoid computer eye strain (Computer Vision Syndrome), click here!
The Vision Therapy Center has helped over 2,000 people overcome vision problems since 1995, and has Wisconsin vision therapy offices in Brookfield and Madison.