GIFT GUIDE 2009
Kindergarten Gifts
Gifts for a 5-Year-Old or 6-Year-Old
From toys that stand the test of time to board games that are anything but boring, we found the best kindergarten products for a five-year-old or six-year-old. Our list of loot is kid-tested, teacher approved, and full of options for any family, so get wrappin'!
Bug Hotel
With a solid wood frame, yellow mesh walls for easy breathing, and a porthole stenciled with flowers, this toy makes for a wonderful bug getaway, and a great way to introduce your child to insect life, up close.
Kids' Favorite Card Games
A fun, back-to-basics toy sure to bring many hours of family fun, and lay the foundation for sportsmanship, turn-taking, and patience: skills which do not come easily to five-year-olds.
Decorate-Your-Own Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle
This puzzle-painting kit is an exercise in uncomplicated fun, and contains everything your child needs to paint a puzzle design that can be taken apart and put back together again and again.
Now I'm Reading Games: Word Dominoes
The set comes with a short story that introduces rhyming word families and a pile of colorful cardboard tiles. Sort of like Scrabble for beginners, each player must build words using the tiles in his hand, slapping a "fr" on an "og" or a "w" on a "ow".
Ducks in a Row
Along the lines of tic-tac-toe, but a bit more involved and quirky, this game works logic and spatial reasoning skills, while it teaches kids to think ahead. Like checkers, players move one square at a time: up and down, side to side, or diagonally.
