Toy Story 3 Toys - The Best Toys to Encourage Imagination

Pixar have another hit on their hands with their latest release for 2010, Toy Story 3. Kids will love the film and will also love to bring a small part of the adventures home with them. Luckily there are a variety of Toy Story 3 toys for kids of all ages from trusted toy companies like Mattel, Fisher Price, Lego and Thinkway. Kids love to explore their own stories and use their favourite characters in new and imaginative ways. We take a look at the Toy Story 3 toys on the market most likely to inspire your child's creativity.

Following on from the critically acclaimed and hugely successful first two films, the third Toy Story film brings the main cast of the films into a different environment. With Andy off to college, the toys are accidentally thrown away, ending up at Sunnyside Daycare center. Woody, Buzz, Jesse and the gang scheme to get back to Andy's house but some of their new friends are reluctant to let them go. The following toys explore scenes from the film but allow your child to create their own stories as well.

Toy Story Lego
Without a doubt the biggest news in Toy Story 3 toys has to be the teaming up of Lego and Pixar to create both Duplo and regular Lego sets based around the Toy Story characters and scenes. If you are unfamiliar with Lego, they are the leader in construction building toys for boys and girls.

While the price point for Lego can be high these toys are made of hard plastic and so will last longer than most other plastic toys. In addition Lego is a creative toy that actively encourages children to imagine their own creations with the pieces at hand. A car can become a house or a spaceship, depending on the child's vision and the pieces can adapt to any number of combinations.

Duplo is their junior line and, with age recommendations from ages 2-6, the Duplo range features larger bricks and fewer pieces per set. The regular Lego sets feature smaller and more varied pieces in larger sets for ages six and above.

Lego has released four Duplo sets to coincide with the release of Toy Story 3 and all feature 2 inch movable figures of some of the cast. Jesse's Round Up (Set 5657 for $19.99) is a small set at 18 pieces and comes with Jesse, Bullseye and a small sheriff house structure. The iconic Pizza Planet Truck (Set 5658 for $19.99) is another small set with 13 pieces and comes with the truck, a fuelling station, Buzz Lightyear and a Little Green Alien.

Larger sets include the Great Train Chase with 39 pieces (set 5659 for $39.50) including a train engine, carriage and tunnel structure and the figures of Buzz, Woody and Jesse. This is a very fun set that recreates an exciting scene from the film and knowing how much kids love trains this is sure to be a popular set. The final Duplo set is Alien Space Crane (set 5691 for $39.99) and includes Woody, Buzz, a Little Green Alien, a crane and a garbage truck.

In the regular Lego range there are a number of highly playable sets for older Toy Story 3 fans. From smallest to largest the sets are:
Set 7789 Lotso's Dump Truck ($19.99): A yellow dump truck, Lotso, Chunk and Stretch
Set 7598 Pizza Planet Truck Rescue ($39.99): Yellow delivery truck with Buzz, Rex, Hamm and a Little Green Alien
Set 7596 Trash Compactor Escape ($49.99): Conveyer Belt, Crane, Compactor, Lotso, Woody, Hamm and two Little Green Aliens
Set 7599 Garbage Truck Getaway ($49.99): A large garbage truck, Buzz, Jesse, Lotso and Twitch
Set 7597 Western Train Chase $79.99: Train Engine with Caboose, Passenger Car and Money car with Woody, Buzz, Rex, Bullseye, Hamm and Jessie.

Lego is one of the best educational toys on the market, encouraging not only the ability to concentrate and follow intricate instructions but also creativity with sets able to be taken apart and made into anything the child can imagine. If your child doesn't have any Lego yet Toy Story 3 sets are a great place to start. You can find the sets at online suppliers like Amazon.

Toy Story 3 Mattel Toys
Mattel have made figures and play sets for all of the Toy Story films and this year they have integrated them into their Action Links series of interactive play sets which come with figures known as Buddy figures.

The small play sets all join together and interact with each other so your child can create a chain reaction of events in the order of their choosing. The small play sets retail for from $10.99 to $14.99 and include scenes such as Buzz Saves The Train, Jessie Saves The Day, Woody's Train and more. There are also larger play sets including Sunnyside Breakout for $24.99 and Junkyard Escape play set which retails at $39.99 both of which can connect to the smaller sets.

The Buddy figures that accompany these sets are also sold in 3 packs for $11.99 so you needn't purchase all the sets to get all the figures. The play sets are fun but may have a limited life for younger kids with a short attention span.

Mattel also make larger figures of Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bullseye that have various interactive and action elements. The figures are approximately 12 inches tall while their Deluxe range of figures comes in at 7 inches.

Toy Story 3 Fisher Price Toys
Fisher Price have a whole range of Toy Story 3 toys available but some of the most exiting are part of their Imaginext range which incorporates action figures with vehicles and play sets, always fertile ground for imaginative kids. The play sets and vehicles include Tri-City Junkyard (which is cooler than it sounds!), Tri City Garbage Truck, a Buzz Lightyear spaceship and the Evil Dr. Porkchop's Spaceship.

All feature the standard sized imaginext figures so can interact with other sets your child may have and are recommended for ages 3+. Their compatibility with other sets is a major boon, as figures from Toy Story 3 can interact with other Imaginext Fisher price figures like knights, dinosaurs and explorers.

Other Toy Story 3 Toys
Various other manufacturers have produced toys around the Toy Story 3 theme and the variety is endless. From ride on cars to dress up costumes there are is something for every fan. Hopefully though, this article has been able to show you a few of the best toys to let your child's imagination soar.

Inger loves stories and loves to write. As a librarian in a previous life she also has an insatiable thirst for general knowledge. You can visit her latest website which takes a look at the best shawls and wraps to add a touch of warmth and elegance to all occasions including beautiful evening shawl options.

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Using Educational Toys For Imagination

Using educational toys for imagination is an important tool in a child's development. There are many educational toys on the market that stimulate a child's intellect as well as encourage imaginative thinking. Both aspects are very important in a child's overall development. It is also important for an educational toy should hold a child's attention for extended play. Toy makers have seen and met this need by providing a vast array of imaginative and educational toys.

When choosing the right educational toys for your child, you want to make sure they can use their imagination while playing with the item. Toys that are already equipped with all of the add ons and features, take away the opportunity for the child to insert their own creative play. Sometimes the best toys are the most simple toys that require more of the child's involvement.

For example, when in comes to toy cars and trucks, you may want to go with one that requires more of your child's involvement. They will need to push the car to make it move rather than an electronic or remote control car. Something a child has to power will cause more involvement and creativity with that toy. Or toys and characters that do not talk or make sound are another good choice. Your child will make their own sounds for these toys, allowing them to utilize their imagination.

You want to select toys that encourage and develop creative thing and independence. You do not want your child to only have toys that provide all of the entertainment for the child. This will not assist your child in developing their imagination. Studies reveal that by age for half of a child's brain development has been utilized. So you want toys that will help build specific educational and imaginative skills.

There are toys that specialize in specific education skills such as math, reading and science. Some of the educational toys that help to develop a child's mathematics ability are simple sorting games. There are also toys that teach children to decipher certain patterns and sequences. Matching games and determining spacial relationships with other items also help with reasoning and problem solving.

The more interactive the toy is, the more that particular toy will stimulate your child and hold their attention. Educational toys are also a great way for parents to develop in dependant play for their kids. This way the child is occupied and their mind is being stimulated while the parent can tend to other things. So it is important to select the right toy that will occupy the child's time while sharpening their intellect and developing their imagination.

The toys should also be appealing to children. Toy makers will use many bright colors to attract the child's eye to the toy. It doesn't have to have a lot of fancy bells and whistles to draw a child's attention. Remember, to stimulation their attention, the simpler the toy the better. It is also important that the toy is well made. You want something that will last for hours of fun. And toys that are safe and will not cause injury to the child.

Using educational toys for imagination is important for your child's mental, social and imaginative development. There are so many toys on the market that will meet all of these needs. There are toy stores that are devoted to these types of toys. Many resources can also be found online.

Top North American educational toys company providing toddlers and baby toys. Please choose from a wide variety of wooden toys and help your children to develop their cognitive skills.

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