Gifts For Kids

I think this gift idea is mainly for boys. Before I had kids of my own, I never thought I’d be saying that. I still argue that boys and girls should be given a selection of toys, not based on their gender, but I have come to realize, that at least in my family and among our friends, there is a definite gender issue when it comes to the toys that the kids themselves choose to play with.

My boys hardly ever play with dolls, for example. We did get them dolls, but they ended up being dismantled soon enough. With them it’s trucks, super heroes and now weapons too, sigh. Not guns yet, actually. I’m not sure if it’s a chivalrous streak in them, or just admiring the Power Rangers, but they’re all into swords. And as my 4 yo explained to me, with swords, they need to be long ones!

So, this post is dedicated to long toy swords, and boy is there a huge selection anymore! Many of these toys are proper gadgets with lights and sensors and special effects. Any of these is bound to be a hit with young boys -

Magical Jack Sparrow Sword with Sensors

Too cool this one! It’s a set of a long sword and a ring. As long as your kid wears the ring, the sword recognizes him (or her) as Jack Sparrow and issues a vocal welcome message. No ring on finger? The sword will be concerned and say as much!

Light Up Pirate Sword With Sound

Another cool sword that makes slashing sounds when you press the button. Jack Sparrow sure did make pirate swords popular!

Darth Vader FX Lightsaber
Enough of pirates, time for a classic saber sword! Admittedly, kids today may not even know who Darth Vader is, but this saber sword with it’s durable plastic blade and amazing sound effects is bound to become a favorite with just about any kid. It has a motion sensor, so the buzzing sounds are pretty realistic and go along with the sword movement. If you don’t want to be on the Dark Side, there’s also the Anakin Skywalker Lightsaber

Note - as a mom I can tell you that sword play should ALWAYS be supervised. These are toy swords, yes, but they can still cause quite a bit of pain. Kids must be guided about proper use, and about never hitting people with their toy swords.

In my post about unique stuffed animals toys I did mention one particular brand name - Webkinz. So, what’s so special about these stuffed animals toys? In a stroke of genius, the manufacturers, a company by the name of Ganz, came up with a way to bring them to life - online!

When you purchase a webkinz toy, it comes with its own unique 8 character code. That code lets you log into the Webkinz website and create a virtual “live” pet in the form of the toy that you bought. Once inside the virtual Webkinz world, you need to look after your virtual pet and buy stuff for it, using their own special KinzCash “money”. Getting that game money is a fun challenge in its own right, involving games and tasks presented to you on the site. Trust me, it can be very addictive! It gets even more complicated with various items available for you to purchase in real life, for which you are rewarded in the virtual world.

Did I say addictive already? That’s the main drawback of Webkinz. I highly suggest talking to the parents first, before gifting a child with a Webkinz toy. Granted, not everyone gets addicted, but most do, and parents need to be aware of that particular risk.

First and foremost, Webkinz are stuffed animals. It is possible to enjoy them just for that as well, without bringing their online character to life. These are high quality products, and come highly recommended by this fan of stuffed animals toys.

These are the most popular Webkinz at Amazon.com at the time of posting this. There is a huge selection though, and prices vary from one toy to another, so browse the main Webkinz page to see it all:

Webkinz by Amazon

I came across this one today, and immediately thought “wow, this one is for the blog!”

Kids love music. Ok, kids love anything loud and noisy, and they’re musical tastes aren’t always, ummm, fully developed… They do love having their own “stereo” and with this cool round design in bright red, yellow and black, this Disney Boombox makes a wonderful addition to any children’s room.

I have to say, there is something so classic about those round lines, and the Mickey Mouse silhouette created by the black buttons, that this particular item would be my first choice for any kid, aged between 3 and 12. However, Disney does offer some other designs, with some of the more popular brands of today’s children’s favorite Disney movies. The two that you can’t go wrong with are -

The Disney Princess Jewelry Box/CD Boombox for any young lady who is into pink, fairies and princesses.

The cool and cute Disney’s Cars Boom Box where you have Lightning Mcqueen himself playing your kid’s favorite CD’s, where the speakers are actually the rotating car wheels!

Recently, a five year old girl managed to surprise me when I asked her what she would like to have for her birthday. Her reply was: “a laptop”! Her Mom - a good friend - explained later that both parents had laptops and Cloe would often watch them work on their respective sleek mobile computers all over the house. No wonder that she wanted one for herself!

With her birthday coming up, I told her Mom that I will get Cloe a laptop. You should have seen the look on her face She only calmed down after I assured her that Cloe’s lap-top will be a toy, suitable for her age, and not something she could actually surf the Internet with (yes, like many other kids her age, she CAN surf the net).

Apparently, Cloe isn’t the only child out there wanting her own fake lappie. With quite a huge selection available in the stores, it has become quite a popular toy for kids. And it’s more than just a piece of plastic too. These gadgets come equipped with built-in electronics that can supply hours of entertaining and even educational playtime.

The one I bought Cloe was this gorgeous Bratz Laptop. It is such a pretty girlie gadget, it made her mom jealous As you can see in the picture, the screen itself is rather small, but that didn’t stop the little girl and her friends from spending hours playing on it, so I’m told.

Is this an educational toy? I think it is. On top of the learning skills required for operating the games, I think that the very sense of “owning” their own computer is good for children at this day and age. I am sure Cloe will be spending countless hours on a real laptop someday, and hey, I was the one who introduced her to that wonderful world of typing!

Click here for the product page on Amazon where you can find a full review of the Bratz Laptop