Holiday Gift Buying Guide for Children

by Lisa Ann Pierce, WAMM

Many of you will be braving the blue and pink aisles of toy stores this season, attempting to find holiday gifts for young loved ones. Everywhere you turn will be toys that promote violence and stereotypes. How can you navigate the morass and find creative, nonviolent gifts? Here are a few suggestions:

Choose Nonviolent Toys

It isn,t always easy discerning what toys are in the best interest of the children you love. www.ZanyBrainy.com offers shoppers some help by suggesting the following distinctions between violent and nonviolent toys. We recommend that you also watch out for harmful stereotypes, particularly about girls and women, people of color, and disabled and disfigured people.

A violent toy . . .

• promotes violence and aggression as the best way to settle disputes
• depicts violent actions as fun, harmless, and "cool"
• encourages children to act out aggressive scenarios
• fosters aggressive competition
• depends on "enemies" that need to be "destroyed" by children.

A nonviolent toy . . .

• encourages children to build and create, rather than destroy;
• stimulates creativity and imaginative play;
• promotes cooperation and problem solving;
• is open-ended and encourages children to create their own scenarios, rather than reenact television plots;
• helps children to learn new skills and develop their talents.

Look Beyond the Usual Toy Retailers

Consider hand-making a gift for a child, or looking to less-than-obvious sources, such as Ten Thousand Villages, a St. Paul store (1051 Grand Ave.) that sells fair-trade gifts handmade by Third World artisans. Or, check out the sustainable living folks at Real Goods 1-800-762-7325 or www.realgoods.com . This year they are offering some "crazy kinetic" wind up toys--no batteries required. They also sell solar wooden model kits and a "Two Potato Clock" that help to teach children about energy and renewable energy sources.

Locally, good retail stores for nonviolent toys include Creative Kidstuff (St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Minnetonka), Zany Brainy (Edina), and Imaginarium (Ridgedale and Rosedale malls). Or, contact Shari Grunes, a sales representative from Discovery Toys (612-822-8122).

If you are into e-commerce this holiday season, make sure you check out www.ZanyBrainy.com If you log on and complete a short survey about violent toys, they will offer you a coupon good for 20 percent off your next on-line purchase. They are also conducting a violent toy trade-in through December 24, 1999. Mail in a violent toy and they will send you a creative toy in return. For more information--and an easy, pre-addressed printable mailing label--go to their Web site.

Don,t Forget Books!

There are many excellent books for children and youth promoting values of nonviolence. We have taken the time to review a few for you, and you will find those reviews in 5 Books for Children and Youth

Best wishes to you and the children in your life this holiday season. We know that no matter the gift, what children really crave is our love and our efforts to make this world better for them.

On behalf of the children, we thank WAMM members for another great year of activism for social change.