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Issue Date: December 9, 2007
What are the best toys to buy?
Guest editor Claire Green of Parents' Choice offers expert advice.
Fueled by play, learning often happens when and where it may not be expected. It occurs in the playroom, where roles are defined and rules negotiated; in the sandbox, when the creator of an elaborate road system asks, "How does a bridge stay up?"; at bath time, when the tub becomes a testing ground. When kids play, they're experimenting -- probing, prodding and testing new theories.
Books can bring a favorite subject to life.
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At this time of the year, surrounded by ads for "hot" toys, parents often feel overwhelmed. Parents' Choice evaluates toys, books, music and other products for kids, recommending only a select few that appeal to children, have staying power and have been praised by parents. Here are some of the best for this year's gift-giving.
If you've noticed your toddler in the grocery cart piling cartons into towns, encourage that kind of interest with blocks and open-ended construction play sets. Contemporary colors make Brio's building blocks smart and sophisticated (ages 1 and up, $27). Lego play sets such as the Mars Command Base ($89.99) can launch storytelling abilities and an interest in science. The Fortamajig (The Happy Kid Company, ages 3-12, $69.95-$89.95) is one of the best play tents we've seen in years. It's fun, versatile, colorful and portable.
Dolls and stuffed animals give children opportunities to care for others. Broaden this nurturing play style with picture books and videos about families, play sets with family figures and playhouses big or small. To expand role-playing, try hospital play sets. Parcel out the accessories from Playmobil's elaborate hospital set (ages 4-12, $159.99), and it will grow with the child. The Pretend & Play Animal Hospital from Learning Resources (ages 3-6, $34.95) is a good choice for animal lovers. Merge the tech and pretend worlds with software and video games like Animal Genius (Scholastic Inc. for Leapster, ages 4-8, $24.99) and Pet Vet 3D: Wild Animal Hospital (Viva Media, ages 7 and up, $29.99).
Bring a tween's fashion obsession out of the closet and onto a work table. Kits such as Fashion Design Studio Set (Fashion Angels, 8 and up, $24) and ArtLab Fashion Studio (SmartLab, ages 8 and up, $19.99) teach wardrobe design and construction. Creative Cosmetics (Thames & Kosmos, ages 12 and up, $64.95) turns a teen's makeup table into a science lab.
If your preschooler's favorite word is "Why?", sit together and watch Peep Figures It Out (WGBH Boston Video, $12.95). The Peep series is at the top of the class in preschool science. Turn your kitchen into a science lab using mostly home ingredients with Stepping Into Science (Thames & Kosmos, $34.95, ages 5-8). WonderMaze by Museum Tour (ages 3-9, $44.95) lets kids contruct a maze and stick it to the fridge: The pieces have magnetic backing. If they like to turn cranks, rotate gears and pull levers, the video game Crazy Machines (Viva Media, ages 10 and up, $19.99) lets them experiment with building machines.
For the child whose nose is always in a book, give books that will help him socialize as he brings his favorite subjects to life. "The World Record Paper Airplane Book" (Workman Publishing, ages 9 and up, $15.99) puts physics in flight. Give "The New Way Things Work" by David Macaulay (Houghton Mifflin, $35) and your kid will be the one with the answers long after the wrapping paper has been recycled.
Give gifts that nourish curiosity and stimulate open-ended play. By figuring out your child's main interests and then building on them through your toy selection, you will tap into the magic that inspires learning.
Parents' Choice is the nation's oldest non-profit guide to quality children's media and toys. Learn more at parents-choice.org
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