Latest News

You play with toys, take a shower and drive a truck around. Well I'm here to tell you these things have more in common than you think. I went shopping recently and came across a toy shop. As I looked around at all the incredible furry friends, books and learning toys, it got me thinking. Where do the toys even come from? And I don't just mean from the shop I was standing in. I'm talking about how they even got there. What was used to build them from scratch? Who's hands and h

I am so grateful for the overwhelming support of our loving community. The Toy Swap day on November 17th was a great success. Families exchanged over 1000+ toys. Kids' books and teddy bears. Building blocks and cars. Sensory learning toys. We could not have asked for a better turnout! I cannot express enough how exciting it is for the team at Joy of Giving to see our vision coming to life. Toys play an amazing role in shaping our kids from educating and entertaining, to teach

Why playing with cardboard boxes is good for children: A big empty box is great for children to play with. It introduces 'imaginative' and 'creative' play too them. Your child can learn how to change the boxes structure, build something new for 'pretend' play or use their imagination to create a game. Bringing ideas to reality, kids can use a box, make it into a pirate hat and eventually start a game of pirates sailing. Cardboard boxes can also encourage physical play. Often

Have you ever thought about why you need that new toy for your child?

Kids need toys. It's as simple as that. They are amazing. As a baby, they teach you motor skills and help brain development. As a toddler, they provide education and endless playtime. As a young child they teach to share and play with others. As you get older, you can outgrow certain toys. This doesn't mean you have no toys. It simply means your toys change. As you outgrow toys, you give them to someone else to enjoy them just as much as you did. Preloved toys are special toy

Toys are so much fun! Children spend hours playing with them. Education. Skills. Growth. Toys provide endless entertainment and educational opportunities. Let's be honest, they also provide endless hours of distraction. As a parent, this is crucial to me finishing other needed tasks. But where do you start? I recently walked into a toy shop and looked around. I was so overwhelmed by the millions of options. Endless rows of action figures. Puzzles. Teddy Bears. Arts and Crafts

I walked into the supermarket recently to buy a mandarin. As I walked around to find the fruit stand filled with luscious orange fruit, it dawned on me… which mandarin would I choose? I stared at them all, man handling them to find the best one. Here’s the thing. The most juiciest. Tasty. Delicious mandarin. It’s often the ugliest looking one. Wrinkled skin. Bumps, bruises and all. So why am I telling you about this? Well that’s the thing. Often the surface doesn’t tell the w

Myth: Offering kids more toys will keep them busy for even longer periods of time. Reality: It's the opposite. Did you know that kids focus better when they have fewer toys? Children will appreciate toys more when they have less of them to focus on. They don't need a room jam packed with toys, they only need a select few. In fact, having too many toys lead to kids engaging less in independent play and in turn demanding more time from parents. No parent needs that. Therefore,

I was at the That Great Market over in Linfield the other day. It's held every 3rd Sunday of the month, attracting great numbers from all around Sydney. It's atmosphere is great. It's a place where you can meet the makers of local products, treat yourself to some yummy food, all whilst listening to the sounds of live music. It's great to see people donating their clothes to The Smith Family bins on the side of the market. I noticed two pieces of very nice looking wooden toys