Captain America Mask & Shield is Great for Pretend Play #HasbroHoliday

I remember when The Boy was initially going through the evaluation process. The doctor handed The Boy a toy car. Instead of "driving" the car and/or making "vroom vroom" sounds, The Boy, held the toy car close to his eyes and started spinning its wheels. And the doctor said, "I see he has no pretend play skills."

It's pretty hard to imagine a kid with no pretend play skills. It's the kind of thing many parents take for granted. Pretend play needed to be taught to him. And four years later, it is still something we work on.  (Though I am happy to report that The Boy has a collection of cars that he "drives" all over the apartment.)

But lately, The Boy has taken an interest in Super Heroes. And since The Husband is a huge comic book/super hero fan - I love that they have that shared interest. 

We were really excited to receive a this cool Captain America Hero Mask ($8.99 - 5 years & up) & Captain America Triple Blast Shield ($19.99 - 5 years & up) from Hasbro.

The Boy really loved putting on the mask and looking at himself in the mirror. The cool part about the mask is that it adjusts to fit adults - so Mom & Dad can get in on the fun too. He ran around the apartment with his mask and shield pretending to be Captain America. The Husband set up some action figures on a book case and The Boy was able to use the Triple Blast Shield to knock them down. He really got a kick out of that. And it was great to see how far he's come with his pretend play skills. 

For more information be sure to visit www.hasbro.com. They have super cool holiday gifts for kids of all ages. 

I am also really excited to host a great giveaway*. 

One of you could win this Captain America Mask & Triple Blast Shield too. And I'm making this super easy. All you need to is leave a comment below telling me: 

Which Marvel hero toys and action figures are 

YOUR kids requesting this holiday season?

* Giveaway is open to U.S. residents
* Must be 18 years & older to enter
* Giveaway ends Friday, December 14, 2012 11:59pm EST
* Winner will be chosen randomly via random.org & I will email the winner by Sat 12/16 

This is part of a product review campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Hasbro; complimentary products were provided.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

8 Great Gifts under $25 for Kids with Autism by HASBRO

While at LATISM, I had the opportunity to meet several brands - one of them being HASBRO.  I got to check out some of their toys and I instantly fell in love with the Play-Doh Diggin' Riggs Buster The Power Crane. (I knew that was a must have for The Boy. With Christmas and his 7th birthday coming up - it'll be a wonderful surprise for him.) However I was surprised to discover that many of the toys we have in our home were part of the HASBRO family.

When it comes to toys, we just can't buy anything - we need to make sure that The Boy can benefit from it. Play skills don't come naturally to many children with autism - it really needs to be taught. 

But there is no need to break the bank when buying gifts. So I'd thought I'd share some of our favorite HASBRO toys all under $25.00.

Playskool Sesame Street Bert & Ernie Figures - $5.99 
18 months - 4 years old
There are other great figures (Elmo, Big Bird, Grover, Cookie Monster etc.) but right now The Boy really loves his Bert & Ernie. They are the perfect size for small hands and great for imaginative play. We love recreating our favorite scenes and making up new dialogue. 

Memory Disney Princess Edition - $8.99 
Memory Game Match and Motor Speedway Disney Pixar Cars 2 Edition - $8.99
For 1 or more players - 3 years and up
We have been playing Memory games with The Boy since Early Intervention. We started off slowly, with 2 or 3 sets and as he got better - we increased the number of possible matches. It has helped with both concentration and turn taking skills.  

Don't Break the Ice - $8.99
2 to 4 players - 3 years and up
This is The Boy's favorite game! It's fantastic for fine motor skills - holding the mallet and setting up the game - and great for turn taking/socialization. The Boy loves when all the ice cubes fall - he doesn't care that it means he lost the game, he's just having fun. I have to admit, I really like playing this game too.  

Scatterpillar Scramble - $19.99 
2 to 4 players - 4 years and up (choking hazard - not for children under 3 years old)
The Boy's former Occupational Therapist used to play this game during her sessions. Holding the tongs helped his pincer grasp and eye/hand coordination.

Play-Doh Diggin' Riggs Buster The Power Crane - $21.99
3 years and up
Because what kid doesn't love Play-Doh? And for kids with autism and sensory processing disorder, Play-Doh is always the perfect gift. When I saw this at LATISM I knew that it had to be on The Boy's holiday list for sure. He loves Play-Doh and cranes - this is really the best of both worlds. Play-Doh addresses sensory needs, fine motor skills, strengthens hand muscles and encourages imaginative play.  When in doubt - anything Play-Doh is great gift.  

Gator Golf - $22.99 
1 to 2 players - 3 years and up
The Husband loves playing Gator Golf with The Boy. Gator Golf is not only fun for everyone but it also helps strengthen hand muscles and core, increases concentration and helps coordination.   

SIT’N SPIN - $24.99
18 months to 5.5 years old
I regret that I jumped on the SIT'N SPIN band wagon too late. I should have purchased this as soon as The Boy was diagnosed. It's a great toy for sensory seekers! Not only does the SIT'N SPIN encourage balance and coordination but it also strengthens core and hand muscles. 

Remember: when buying toys for kids with autism - try not to focus on the age. Think of where the child is developmentally. For example, even though The Boy will be 7 in January - there are many toys in that age category that are too advanced. So I look at toys that are within the 3 - 5 year old range.
    
*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.