Kids Keep Creating with YOXO Toys

It's TV trance face. You know - when your kiddo's eyes glaze over and pupils dilate to allow as much TV in as possible. Ugh, I hate TV trance face - but many times it's a necessary evil when looking for a quick fix to keep them entertained while I get dinner ready, or try to - God forbid - go to the bathroom alone. I tried the unique looking YOXO toys in an attempt to avoid TV trance face, but keep the kids entertained and playing independently while using their imaginations.

At first I wasn't sure how much of a hit they would be, they didn't have a power button and seemed relatively simple - but the simplicity of the toy is where it's beauty lies. The toy requires the child to engage with it, not the other way around. We had the two two-year-olds and my six-year-old at the table. I did have to initially show them how the pieces fit together, but after a quick how-to they were off and creating. Before I knew it they were having races to see who could build the tallest, the widest, the one with the most circles - and the google eye stickers were a hit. I liked that the pieces were easy to pick up and that if you did step on one it didn't send you through the roof. That night I was able to get our baked chicken and potatoes on the table without too many interruptions. 

If you're looking for parent-child interaction there are several instructions that can be followed to create the robot, dragon fly and several other creations. YOXO toys are neat because you can use every day items around the house as your expansion pack, string, paper towel rolls, a cereal box - all these items can be incorporated for play. I also loved that they were made in the USA - a badge that can be hard to come across in any form of toy. The two-year-olds (who are closer to three) did quite well with them, but my six-year-old really took off with them. YOXO has won several awards including the 2014 Creative Play of the Year Award from Creative Child Magazine, and was a Gold Winner in the National Parenting Publications Awards.  It's a gift I plan to buy for our next birthday party and you can pick up YOXO at Target, the kits we used cost around $20.