Site Glossary

Glossary of key terms used on our website:

ABS
ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is a common type of thermoplastic (a plastic which becomes pliable when heated above a specific temperature and returns to a solid state once cooled). ABS plastic is durable and significantly stronger than polystyrene type plastics.  ABS is generally recognised as a low-hazard plastic that is suitable for cold food storage and subsequently recognised as a safe plastic for use in children's toy applications.

Age Group
The age demographic to which a toy is marketed towards.

Articulated
Having two or more sections connected by a flexible or moveable joint.

Accessories
The various accoutrements that come packaged with, and are intended for use with the primary toy purchased.

Auditory
Pertaining to hearing and language processing skills, acquired as one hears and perceives sounds and interacts with their environment.

Baby Toys
Any child in the approximate age group of 0 - 18 months. The term Baby Toy(s) refers to toy products that have been specifically designed for use by children in this age group.

Backing Card
The cardboard backing to which a toy is sealed or attached for retail presentation. This retail packing material is usually discarded once a toy has been opened. Backing cards are usually intended to be removed before passing the toy to a child for hands-on play.

Blocks (also Building Blocks, Toy Blocks)
Wooden pieces of various shapes that children use as building toys. Blocks depicting letters of the alphabet are referred to as Alphabet Blocks. Building blocks can be used to improve a child's hand-eye coordination, fine-motor skills, concentration and logical thinking skills. They can also assist with colour and shape recognition.

BPA Free
Bisphenol A known as BPA is a chemical used in some plastics to help make them clear and/or shatterproof. Some studies have indicated that BPA chemicals may be linked to the onset of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease and could also be associated with disruption of the body's hormone system. Plastic toys that are marked as BPA FREE do not contain the Bispherol A chemical.

Cognitive
The mental processes of comprehension, judgement, memory and reasoning.

Cooperative Play
When children plan, assign roles and play together, this is referred to as cooperative play. Children playing in an organised manner towards a common end goal.

Collector
Some one (of any age) who buys toys because they enjoy them, whether used or in mint condition.

Detachable
Parts of a toy that are intended to be removed / re-attached at some point during play.

Dexterity
A term commonly used to describe the application of motor skills of the hands and fingers (and thumb).

Die-Cast
A toy that uses metal contents (in place of wood or plastic) in certain areas of its construction.

Dispatch (Dispatched)
The point at which a parcel is sent off from Send A Toy to its destination. The actually delivery time will vary depending on your postcode, however, as a general guide most parcels arrive 2 - 5 business days following dispatch.

Educational Game
A structured or semi-structured activity, undertaken for entertainment but also considered to be an educational tool offering a child educational benefits.

Educational toys
Educational toys are toys that constructively promote the intellectual, emotional and or physical development of a child. Educational toys can be used to teach a child a particular skill or educate them on a particular subject. The majority of toys on the Send A Toy website have been designed with a child's learning development in mind.

EN71
European Union standards for safety of toys.

Fair Trade Toy(s)
Children's toy products that have been produced under recognised fair trade conditions. (Fair Trade refers to an  organised social movement that aims to help producers in developing achieve better trading conditions).

Fine Motor Skills
The term fine motor skills refers to the co-ordination and control of small muscle movements in the hand and fingers (and thumb).

Generation Quality
A toy that is considered to be both high quality and classic in design so that it can be passed from and enjoyed by one generation to the next.

Gender Neutral Toy
A toy that is equally suitable ( in appearance, colour and function) for a child of either gender.

Gross Motor (Skills)
Refers to the movement of the large muscles in the arms, legs and trunk in activities such as walking, running, jumping, throwing, and maintaining balance.

Hand Made (Hand Crafted)
A product that has been produced by human hand as opposed to production machinery.

Hand-Eye Coordination
Refers to the control of small muscle movements in the fingers (and hands) in coordination with the eyes.

Heirloom Toy
A toy that, due to its classic design and quality make, can be retained for play from one generation  to the next.

Infant
A very young baby, typically less than 12 months of age.

ITSA Award
ITSA Toy Awards are voted by ITSA ( Independent Toy Specialists of Australia) members and are awarded annually. ITSA awards specifically recognise products that represent the ITSA ideals. Each product chosen for an ITSA award must offer consumers excellent play value, product uniqueness, superior product packaging and presentation and value for money.

Knock-off
An unofficial or unauthorised reproduction of a legitimate toy, usually made with inferior materials and of inferior quality.

Memory
The mental capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information.

Newborn
A child that is within a few weeks of birth

Phthalate Free
Phthalates are chemicals used to soften PVC plastic and are often found in plastic toys. Some studies have shown that phthalates can build up in the body, causing damage to the development of reproductive organs. Toys that are marked as Phthalate Free do not contain Phthalate chemicals.

Plan Toys
Plan Toys is a wood toy manufacturer located in Thailand. Founded in 1981, Plan Toys produce an educational line of children's toys entirely out of rubber-wood. Using rubber wood trees to manufacture wooden toys once the trees productivity has declined is considered to be an environmentally friendly wood resource. Plan Toys also use preservative-free rubber wood, formaldehyde free glues, recyclable packaging and water-based colours in their toy manufacturing process.

Preschooler (Preschooler Toys)
Any child in the approximate age group of  3 - 5 years. The term Preschooler Toys refers to toy products that have been specifically designed for use by children in this age group.

PVC
Polyvinylchloride. A common form of plastic, often used in the manufacture of dolls and action figures. PVC plastic is softer and more flexible than ABS plastic. PVC plastic is a thermoplastic, which means is softens when it  is warmed and hardens when cooled.

Rubber-wood
Rubber-wood is a sustainable by-product of the latex industry's harvesting of trees.

Series
A specific subsection of a line of toys
 
Social Skills
A social skill is a learned behavior that facilitates interaction and communication with others.

Soft Toys (Plush Toy , Stuffed Toy)
A toy that has been manufactured from fabric or other plush textiles and stuffed with soft fibers such as cotton, wool, synthetic filling or beans.

Specialty Toy Store
A small toy store that seldom carries the same toys as mass-market outlets, focusing instead on limited-run, import toys or toys that are difficult to find in mainstream toy shops.

STEAM

STEAM stands for (S)cience, (T)echnology, (E)ngineering, (Arts) and (M)athematics. 

STEAM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating children with a cross-disciplinary approach in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

STEM
STEM stands for (S)cience, (T)echnology, (E)ngineering and (M)athematics.

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating children with a cross-disciplinary approach in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

STEM Toys | STEAM Toys
Select open-ended toys that children can construct, manipulate, engineer, explore and experiment with. Toys that guide children to higher level thinking, be forward thinkers, ask more questions, teach important skills for life simultaneously as children play can be considered to fall into the STEM and/or STEAM learning tool category.

Swing Tag
A piece of cardboard (or similar) that is attached to a toy, in the absence of a retail box or other form of retail packaging. Swing Tag's contain necessary point of sale information pertaining to the attached product and should be removed from the product before a child commences hands-on play.

Table Top (Table Top Play)
Organised play that occurs at a table, bench or related location.

Tactile Toy
A toy pertaining to or that encourages the sense of touch. Tactile toys are toys that increase tactile awareness via the sensation of touch and texture.
 
Teether
A gum soothing tool for infants and toddlers who are going through the phase of teething.

Toddler (Toddler Toys)
Any child in the approximate age group of  18 months - 3 years. The term Toddler Toys refers to toy products that have been specifically designed for use by children in this age group.

Toy Safety
The practice of ensuring that children's toys, especially toys intended for use by young children, are safe according to predetermined safety standards.

Tween (Tweens)
Tweens is a term used to describe children that are in-between being a child and a teenager. The approximate 'tween' age group is 9 - 12 years.