Gifts For Kids

My boys love building blocks of all kinds. My 6 years old in particular, is natural born architect who loves building very complex structures. He can go on for hours, delicately balancing blocks and stacking them up. And yes, I can go on for hours talking about my talented kids ;), so I’ll stop now.

If you have a little architect in need of building materials, then the a Kapla blocks set is the perfect gift for him or her.  These blocks look very simple. They’re all the same shape, four inches long, one inch thick, made of plain wood. The trick is the precise laser-cut which makes them such reliable building blocks, allowing kids with some patience, to build magnificent structures. There are even Kapla Blocks books with ideas for things you can do with these!

Highly recommended for young architects - click here to get these blocks from Amazon.

The Green Angle:

Well, these blocks come in a natural wood shade, but they certainly are green. Actually, you can get them in colors too, all water based and toxin-free. The blocks are made from pine wood, grown in sustainable woods and Kapla is committed to recycling every possible part used in their production. You could mention this along, as you gift this wonderful product - young designers love saving the earth!

My son got a real cool gift yesterday. “Cool!” is actually a quote in this case! It was a moving and roaring dinosaur which captured his heart right away. A big one, a predator with big scary teeth, and a long red tongue that moves inside its mouth - doesn’t get more cool than that, you gotta admit!

The kids are playing with it today, and in our particular case, my boys, aged 4 and 6.5 are addicted, while their 4.5 yo niece isn’t showing too much interest, past the very initial “wow”. So, if you’re looking for a gift for boys aged 4-8, this comes highly recommended by this mom - a moving dino!

Here are two options, both of them available by Amazon (just click the image to get to the product page).

The Fisher Price Motorized Roaring T-Rex Dinosaur

What I like about this model is that it’s scary enough without being too realistic. With very bright colors (it has a version in red as well), and a distinct shiny “plasticky” appearance, this one is just the perfect dino for younger kids. It looks like a toy, but it roars and moves its head and it does come with a remote control.

Discovery Exclusive Remote Control T-Rex Toy Dinosaur

My second recommendation is for slightly older kids. This one is a beautiful and very realistic T-Rex by Discovery. It looks so good, one of the reviewers on Amazon mentioned that this “toy” is used as a decorative item in their living room! It is a big bad dinosaur though, which not only roars and moves his head, but actually walks too. All operated by a remote control, shaped like a dinosaur bone too, this one is bound to be hit with kids of all ages… and their parents too!

Why frogs? Well, why not? Also, I am Jewish and it being Passover, frogs are actually a bit of a seasonal theme, so even a better reason for doing frogs today. Stuffed frogs are the best, and no, not as a recipe. It’s not kosher for one thing I’m talking about sweet plush stuffed frogs to play with. Think about it, in nature, a frog’s skin isn’t very appealing to us humans. It’s…. well, slimy. Not the kind of feeling you want on a toy for kids, really. But what if you take that sweet froggy face and body, and turn them into a furry doll?

And when it comes to plush toys, Webkinz make the best gifts for kids, by far. By virtue of providing a long-term interactive experience, thanks to their online presence, this is a gift that’s suitable for older kids, not just babies or toddlers. Every age group can find something fun to do with a webkinz stuffed frog.

There’s quite a selection of them too. If you need gifts for several kids, a webkinz frog can be a wonderful theme, without repeating the exact same toy for every child. They cost around $10 each, so well priced too, I think. Here some of the models you can get - all frogs, all plush, all Webkinz:

The Webkinz Love Frog
This is actually the most popular webkinz frog on Amazon.com. Pink and romantic, it’s perfect for little princesses!

Webkinz Tie Dye Frog
This bright yellow and green amphibian is second only to the love frog. It actually looks as active as a kid, doesn’t it? And it has the online personality to match.

WEBKINZ - Bullfrog
This cumbersome looking frog is actually a favorite with young children, and is just as soft and plush as the other Webkinz, and just as fun to play with online.

Being a mom, I’m also a girl, I guess! Is that why I’m so happy to be writing about dollhouses today? I adored playing with doll houses as a little girl, and I still enjoy them today too. As a matter of fact, my boys enjoy dollhouses too, and they can spend hours playing with the miniatures and creating additional items for the imaginary “little people”. They don’t play with dolls per se, but the concept of miniatures appeals to them to no end.

When it comes to popular dollhouses that will make great gifts for little girls, two brand names stick out in the huge variety of available miniature real estate - Mattel’s Barbie and Melissa & Doug’s creations.

Take the Mattel Barbie 3-Story Dream House Playset. This one is bound to appeal to almost any girl between the ages of three and twelve, if not older. Personally, I wouldn’t get it to any of my nieces. I am just not a big fan of too much pink and of gifts which my boys wouldn’t play with. And I suspect this is just the kind of toy to which they’re respond with “yikes, Mom, it’s for girls!”. That said, it is the best selling dollhouse on amazon.com and for a good reason. It is top quality and Barbie fans will absolutely love this one.

Still in pink, but more to my own taste is the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Folding Princess Castle. Another huge seller on Amazon, this one is a classic wooden dollhouse, so less of the Barbie plastic feel to it. It’s still pink, but this huge castle holds more appeal, I think. It’s large enough for several kids to play together, and it folds for easy storage too. My choice in the pink department:

As for the boys, well, I found a gorgeous “dollhouse” that they would absolutely love playing with. It’s the Plan Toys My First Dollhouse and guess what… no pink in sight! Simple and beautiful, it’s eco-friendly and made of recycled rubber wood. It’s sturdy and durable and instead of being overly decorated, it leaves room for a child to imagine and create his own vision. You can add the Plan Toys Doll Family to this house and a lovely country-style family it is, with nothing pink in it! They actually have more variations on this family, so look them up on Amazon. This is my choice of a dollhouse for both girls and boys -

What are the top selling toddler toys? Well, Amazon.com, probably the largest and most popular online store, provides a good indication, I do believe. Since they have a category under Toys & Games dedicated to ages 2-4, which to me marks the toddler age span, I went over there to bring you the Top Five Toddler Toys and don’t think this is just a matter of copying and pasting either. Apparently, someone on Amazon got confused and so quite a few of the products on their best-selling list aren’t really for toddlers. See, if you visit their 2-4 category, you’ll find a bunch of products which , by their own admission, are for kids aged 4 and older… so I went ahead and filtered out these.

Here we go… the REAL Top Five Toddler Toys on Amazon. If you’re looking for gifts for a little one, around those ages, one of these ought to fit the bill!

1. Webkinz Plush Stuffed Animal Tiger Snake - I am not sure how computer oriented your average toddler is, but obviously enough of them are computer oriented enough to put a webkinz at number one! Or maybe they just like stuffed toy tiger snakes? Webkinz are indicated for ages 36 Months - 12 Years, so I guess slightly older toddlers can enjoy the hug factors, with Mom or Dad helping them out with the online version of their new pet. I agree, it’s borderline for toddlers, but can’t argue with the popularity factor.

2. Fisher-Price T.M.X. Tickle Me Extreme Cookie Monster - Nothing beats the Cookie Monster! Perfect for this age span, this one laughs, speaks funny phrases and rolls over from side to side. Sounds like a bubbly character and a good match for any active toddler. Or it can just be hugged!

3. Hasbro Playskool Busy Ball Popper - Amazing how a seemingly simple toy like this can provide toddlers with hours upon hours of entertainment. Beautifully designed, it would be a welcome addition in any kids room. Recommended for ages 0-36 months, I agree that this one would please the younger of the toddling crowd.

4. Radio Flyer Classic Red Tricycle with Push Handle - Truly a classic for this age group and hence recommended for ages 2-4. Older kids may find these too “babyish”, while younger babies are not ready for these. However, at two years old, the toddler is just ripe for sitting up on her tricycle and getting pushed around by an adult, while later on, she or he can learn the fine art of pedaling and propelling oneself forward.

5. LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table - Another classic here, that will grab the attention of any baby who can stand up and use her hands. Slightly younger than two would be fine too. In fact, as soon as the baby can stand and toddle over to the musical table, they’re ready for it! And from my experience, expect older siblings as old as 8 to show a marked interest in this wonderful toy. Hard to resist all those colorful buttons and handles that make cool music and pressed, pushed and pulled.