June Item of the Month for OCC Shoeboxes ~ Toys

Samaritan's Purse has suggested items of the month for packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and for June, that's toys!  These are such fun items to pick out and pack in a shoebox!!!  I often, in my mind try to sort toys between active/moving ones like jump ropes to work off energy with, and quieter ones like a BB maze they can use to play with in quite times-and send at least one of each.   

While it's easy to think of toys as sheer frivolous fun items.  I recently read a couple articles about the importance of toys to the development of children.  One was about the improvement of the school environment in a school in India.   Another was in The Guardian about a study that showed children learn best though 8 years old by play.  So, while we often view toys as unnecessary or just fun, they may actually help the child develop...and be fun! 😀  As my mom used to say, "Play is a child's work."  

Here are some great stories of how much toys meant to some children who received shoeboxes.

• David -and- A Toy Car (actually led to career choice)
• Vladimir -and- The Toy Car
• Désiré -and- The Yo-yo
• Kojo -and- A Yo-yo
• Nanor -and- A Doll
• Denis -and- A Cowboy
• Nadia -and- A Doll
• Alina -and- A Music Box

Photos Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse.

If you want some ideas of toys, here's what we collected in 2018:

If you would like advertise for toy donations, check out  our: Toys for Shoeboxes Collection Poster