Gift Guide2009
From toys that stand the test of time to board games that are anything but boring, we found the best products for each grade that will build your child's brain as well as being chock full of fun. Our list of loot is kid-tested, teacher approved, and full of options for any family, so get wrappin'!
Mala Art Easel
A whiteboard on one side, a chalkboard on the other, it's perfect for beginner scribbles or magnetic letters, as children work their brains and hand muscles in preparation for writing and reading.
All-Terrain Cargo Wagon
This Radio Flyer has a controlled turning radius to prevent tipping and a no-pinch ball joint to keep fingers safe. The final touch? Big air tires, so young kids can pull on bumpy roads, or drag it through the sandbox.
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.
Pinball Painter
This activity kit adds some major excitement to the act of painting, by letting kids shoot giant pinballs at globs of paint.
Whizizzle Phonics Card Game
A bit like the game Uno, but with words rather than numbers, players must match the cards in their hand either by vowel sound, beginning sound, or ending sound.
Hullabaloo
Want a zany game that gets kids moving, encourages them to listen, think, and follow instructions, and is simple to learn? Hullabaloo fits the bill!
