A dear family member of ours sent their Christmas presents early for the boys. The gifts included not only fun toys for our oldest son, but a few learning toys for him as well. I was very excited when I saw them!

One of the learning toys was Telly the Teaching Time Clock. It displays both digital and analog time.  There’s even a quiz option in which the child can look at the digital time and move the hands on the analog part of the clock to match the time. The clock “speaks” to the child and gives three chances to get the answer right.  It also features a nightlight.

I think my son is going to love this gift! He’s already interested in learning how to tell time and I’m sure that this is just what he needs to be successful with that goal. When my oldest son outgrows this gift, it’ll be great for baby boy.

Also included in the bag of goodies was an All About Today Activity Center.  This gift made me all kinds of happy!  Our son often gets confused about his schedule for the day.  Things go so much smoother when he knows what’s going to happen.

The activity center has slots for days of the week, special events, seasons, and weather.  It also includes a question of the day to encourage conversation. Now all I have to do is make sure that I remember to change it every day! 🙂

I like the idea of buying a learning toy and a fun toy for children. If you are buying a gift for a child with special needs, please consider a gift that will help them in an area that they may developmentally struggle with. I guarantee that their parents will thank you for it!  It may not be the gifts that I mentioned above, but it could be something that would complement their therapies, such as a trampoline, weighted blanket, iPad, play-do or some other form of assistive device. If the item you would like to purchase is expensive, consider going in with a few other people to help spread out the cost.  If you aren’t quite sure about a learning gift that would be appropriate, ask the parents.  I’m sure they would have lots of great ideas for you!

What are your gift buying ideas for a special needs child?