Are Toys A Good Investment For Our Kids?

As a mum who takes an active role in helping my kids find their strengths, talents and calling in life, I like to keep my eye out for toys that will help bring out the best from my kids. I'm no child psychologist but here I give some pointers on what toys make great investments.

Here my daughter shows her creative story-telling using dolls and figures.

My husband is a financial planner who really loves his work and loves talking about investments and wealth creation. So that got me thinking about investing in our kids. When I talk about investing in the children, it's an investment of time and of good quality products that will help them learn about the world around them, as well as help develop their skills for success in their chosen vocations later on.

Let's take my son for example. Since he was six months old, my LM really loved anything that was mechanical or engineering related. He had a fascination with wheels, gears and how things worked. How that he is four, he loves to build vehicles and machines, and wants to learn about why things are the way they are. So what I see would be a good investment for him in terms of time is taking him to science museums, engineering exhibits, imparting my engineering knowledge on him and doing science or engineering-related projects with him.

In terms of toys, what I see would be a good investment would be Lego and construction toys, good quality models of machines and vehicles that he's interested in, and science-related toys that will pique his imagination, creativity and curiosity.

So what toys make good investments? I believe it's all about matching the toys to the child's abilities, talents, interests and strengths. I'm no child psychologist; though as an engineer and a mum, I've grouped some example inclinations from experience and common sense.

Physical or Kinesthetically Inclined Kid

Give toys that develops or enhances gross motor skills, balance, agility and hand/eye coordination. Examples include bikes, scooters, sports toys, trampoline, dance or gymnastics items, motion-activated video games.

Creative, Artistic or Design Inclined Kid

Toys that exercise imagination, storytelling, envisioning, designing, creating, literacy, lateral-thinking and thinking outside the box are the way to go. Toys that encourage use of fine motor skills work well with this so kids can put their visions to paper or other media. My picks would be art & craft sets, sewing, beading, Minecraft (for the creation & design aspect), movie-making, stop-motion animation kits.

Scientific, Medical or Biology-Loving Kid

Toys that encourage curiosity, experimentation and teach about natural wonders and science. Some examples include bug kits, ant farms; good models of animals, dinosaurs and ocean creatures; human body anatomy sets; chemistry sets; microscopes, telescopes and experiment sets.

Physics, Mechanics, Technology or Engineering Inclined Kid

Toys that encourage focus, spatial awareness, design, projects, building, numeracy, problem-solving and lateral thinking would be great for kids like these. Toys that also teach cause and effect, and experimentation. My picks here would be remote-controlled vehicles, drones and robots; Meccano, LEGO and Technic, building blocks, woodwork kits, marble runs; models of engines, gears and mechanical equipment; computers, programming activities, Fisher-Price's Code-A-Pillar, LEGO Mindstorms.

Business or Entrepreneurial Inclined Kid

For me I believe there are so many skills in the carrying out of business, so I'll name a few here. Toys that enhance numeracy, finance, problem-solving, lateral thinking, resilience, envisioning and creating, customer-service and marketing. Role play as shopkeeper, restaurant-owner or consultant worker with play money and cashier;

So these are a sample few, no doubt I would have missed some inclinations or great examples of toys. Would love to hear about it in the comments.