Christmas Toys for 2011

Among the many responsibilities that parents have, one of those includes is choosing the right toddler toys. These toys can be very cute but turn out dangerous for your toddler. It is important to know how to choose the best toddler toys to create a play area that is both safe and fun. We've complied some ideas on how to choose the right toys for your toddler.

Toy Must Meet Safety Standards

Probably the most important point of all, please pay special attention to this. Take time to review the safety standards for the toy you are choosing and compare those against the following checklist includes:
*No breakable parts or sharp edges.
*No small parts that can be stuck in the ears, nose or mouth. Here's a rule of thumb: If the toy or any part of it can fit inside a toilet paper tube, it is too small and is a potential choking hazard.
*No strings longer than seven inches.

Choose Toys that are both Educational and Fun

Since toddlers spend a lot of their time playing, you should choose toys that are not only fun to play with but also are interactive and educatonal. Try to choose one or two toys that teach colors, numbers, alphabets, and rhymes.

Choose Durable Toys

Well all know that toddlers play rough. They are just learning to use all their body parts and this leads to unsteady hands and feet which equates to dropping, throwing, and chewing. Keep this in mind when you are choosing the right toddler toys. You might want to consider wooden or hard plastic toys that are made to withstand the rought play.

Buy Age Appropriate Toys

Buying age-appropriate toys for your toddler will ensure that playtime will be more enjoyable. This is where your parental discretion really comes into play. You know if your child is more advanced and able to grasp concepts quickly. The key is providing an enjoyable play experience, not setting the child up to get frustrated or upset.

Choosing the right toddler toys can be a lot of fun once you figure out what you want from the toy. Use these tips to pick the perfect toy and give your child both a play and learning toy (you know, kill two birds with one stone!)

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B Zany Zoo
Ages 1-3
Encourages eye/hand coordination
Aids in shape/color identification

Rapunzel's Tangled Quad
Ages 18 mos-3 yrs
Up to 45 pounds
Max Speed 2 mph

Fisher Price Interactive Baby Grand
Ages 9 mos to 3 yrs
Teaches numbers and colors
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Kitchen
Ages 6 mo to 3 years
Teaches Spanish and English
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Eeny Meeny Miny Zoo
Ages 1-3 years
Includes 25 pieces
Builds fine motor skills

Laugh and Learn Musical Chair
Ages 1-3 years
Teaches ABCs, numbers, shapes and colors

Playtime is a very important part of your boy's childhood development. Children play in various ways and girls and boys play and develop differently. There are many toys that both boys and girls can play with and that's fine. However, if you have a boy it's important that they have their own "boy" toys to play with.

Here's a few helpful tips for buying Christmas Gifts for Boys:

1. Choose age appropriate toys. Carefully read the instructions so that you are properly warned about any hazards, how the toy operates, what ages its recommended for and what accessories, if any, are needed.

2. Buy educational toys whenever possible. Combining learning with playtime helps the development of a variety of skills.

3. Buy toys that your boy is interested in. Does he prefer trucks and dozers or is he more of a Legos type boy?

There are all kinds of fun and interesting toys on the market that will provide hours and hours of fun thereby stimulating your child's emotional and physical. Now, it's time to decide what Christmas gifts for boys you are going to pack in Santa's bag!

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Air Swimmer Remote Control Shark
Ages 3 and up
4 out of 5 stars

Power Wheels Lightning McQueen
Ages 3-7 years
65 pounds max weight limit

Transformers Optimus Prime
Ages 5 and up
4 out of 5 stars

ZOOBMobile Car Designer
Ages 6 and up
5 out of 5 stars

Melissa and Doug Wooden Railway Set
Ages 3-6 years
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Tonka Toy Motorized Fire Truck
Ages 3 and up
4 out of 5 stars

Buying Christmas gifts for girls really is easy. Consider this: On any given day you can find your princess going on an adventure with Dora, preparing food in her favorite kitchen or taking Barbie and Ken on a play date. Actually, with all the choices available, you might consider shopping for girl a littler overwhelming.

So which toys are the best toys for a girl? We've put together a crash course to help you in your shopping for Christmas gifts for girls.

DOLLS

What girl under the age of twelve doesn't love dolls? And the market is flooded with dolls from the old standby Barbie doll to the Little Mommy Walk and Giggle Doll and the newest Monster High dolls. If your little girl is under age of 3, stick with plush dolls such as Happy Nappers or Dora the Explorer.

ANIMALS

Many little girls love animals just as much or more than they do dolls. What about the Zhu Zhu pet or loveable FurReal Friends puppy? Also sure to top your girl's shopping list this year is the The Littlest Pet Shop collection.

MAKE BELIEVE

What little girl doesn't dream of being a princess, a chef, or a mommy? These make believe worlds open up a whole new spectrum for buying Christmas gifts for girls. What about Princess Dress Up Clothes? If dress up really isn't her thing, surprise her with a play kitchen set from KidKraft or Fisher Price.

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Monster High Spectra Vondergeist Doll
Includes doll, pet Ferret Rhuen, doll stand, brush, diary and accessory

Orbeez Soothing Spa
Ages 5-15 years
4 out of 5 stars

PowerWing Scooter
Ages 5 and up
Max 143 pounds
Rear caster wheels for propelling

2011 Holiday Barbie
Mus have for Barbie collectors

Alex Toys My First Sewing Kit
Ages 7-12 years
4-1/2 out of 5 stars
Includes patterns & projects

Kid Kraft Retro Kitchen
Ages 3 and up
Made of wood not plastic

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Lego Mindstorm NXT 2.0
Ages 10 and up
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar
Ages 6-10
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle
Ages 8-14 years
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Lego Queen Anne's Revenge
Ages 9 and up
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Lego City Police Headquarters
Ages 6-12
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Lego Ultimate Building Set
Ages 4-12 years
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

With ever changing technology, electronic learning games are more popular than ever. Not only are they fun, but consider these benefits of electronic learning games: learn the ABCs in English and many other languages, learn shapes, colors, numbers, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills and much, much more.

But, before you jump in and start buying, we've put together some helpful tipes for you:

The Buying Basics
Electronic learning toys (sometimes referred to as "smart toys" have the following characteristics:
*They make learning fun
*They teach at least one skill
*They encourage interaction rather than watching

Electronic Learning Game Checklist

1. 4 four must have factors:
*Is it safe?
*Is it fun?
*Does it do what it is supposed to do?
*Is the price right?

2. Does the toy encourage participation?

Just because a toy is advertised as "interactive" doesn't mean that it teaches your child anything. A baby doll may be interactive in that it tells stories or talks, but it doesn't teach your child anything. When shopping for an educational interactive game, make sure that the toy challenges your child to solve a problem, explore a situation, or complete an activity.

3. Is the toy age appropriate?

This is a very important point. If you give your toddler a toy that is appropriate for a child who is ages 6 and up, you run the risk of frustrating the toddler, not to mention the fact that there might be small buttons or knobs that could break off and become a choking hazard. Moreover, a lot of electronic learning games are laden with wires and chips that could harm a younger child.

Along those same lines, you don't want to give your 9 year old a toy that teaches color and shapes. The child will become easily bored and your money will be wasted.

4. What accessories are required?
Read the fine print on these toys! Is an internet connection required? What about batteries?

5. Is an up-grade available?

Since children easily master skills with electronic learning games, it's important to see if the toy comes with expandable cartridges or additional downloadable games.

Electronic Learning Games by Age

Birth to 2 Years

As your baby begins to distinguish sounds, he is also developing hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. There are many musical toys on the market that help sharpen these skills. work on sharpening these skills simultaneously. Sunshine Symphony by Neruosmith helps develop attention and focus using classical music to stimulate senses.

By 6 months, your child is ready for an interactive musical game that teaches higher-level skills. The Neurosmith Color and Shape Ball is a large, soft ball featuring bright colors and multiple textures to help with shape and color learning as well as stimulating the senses.

Ages 3-5

Children are learning to read earlier and earlier and much of this is thanks to electronic toys that provide spoken instructions and reading help.

The Vtech - V.Reader Animated E-Book System is an interactive digital learning toy that encourages children to learn to read and improve their vocabulary and reading skills. It features brightly colored buttons and a large touch screen.

Keep in mind, though, that these interactive toys and games should never replace parent/child story time!

If you are considering introducing math concepts, look for toys that teach real-life math skills through imaginative games. For instance, with the LeapFrog Learn & Groove Counting Maracas each shake introduces baby to counting 1-10 in both English and Spanish.

One thing to keep in mind when considering an electronic learning game is how to get the most bang for your buck. Look for toys that cover many different skills, not just one specific area. Among the most touted is Kasey the Kinderbot by Fisher Price. This robot has a friendly personality, life like movements and comes with literally hundreds of activities that teach over forty different skills, including math, reading, problem solving, and hand-eye coordination.

Ages 6-8

By the time your child reaches the ages of 6 to 8, they are progressing from learning to read using reading to learn. The Vtech - InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet offers a variety of games and activities to keep your child happy, learning, and occupied for hours. Its multimedia players let children listen to music and view video, while the art-studio app allows them draw with their fingers or the included stylus. Kids can even color in the InnoTab's virtual coloring book and bring these pictures to life by tilting the tablet from side to side. Another neat feature is the calendar function which allows your child to schedule their busy days along with keeping track of addresses in the address book.

Back in the "old days", a lot of us learned our multiplication tables and math with flash cards. Today, children can learn to do math with the Math Mat Challenge by Learning Resources. This fun electronic learning game features four different games and two skill levels to reinforce numbers, counting, addition and subtraction up to the number 20

Other toys that use today's technology to engage children include the Geosafari Talking Globe Jr. the GeoSafari Talking Microscope both by Learning Resources. Both of these toys encourage independent exploration coupled with activities and quizzes to further challenge your child.

Ages 9-12

As children get older, the learning focus often switches to drills and memorization. In order to train the brain, quiz style games a great tool to help spelling, history, vocabulary history, math and other essential facts. Check out The FlashMaster and the Turbo Twist Math, Twist Spelling or Turbo Twist Extreme which covers Spelling, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The LeapFrog toys are shaped like small dumbbells and the child twists them to start the challenge. They use engaging graphics and quiz-style games and music to motivate your child to learn.

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LeapFrog My Own Laptop
4 out of 5 stars

LeapFrog My Pal Scout
Ages 6 mos to 3 years
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

VTech Winnie the Pooh
Ages 3 and up
5 out of 5 stars

Fisher Price Smart Cycle Learning System
Ages 3 to 6 years
4 out of 5 stars

LeapFrog LeapPad Learning Tablet
Ages 4 to 9
4 out of 5 stars

Learning Resources Teaching Cash Register
Ages 5 and up
4-1/2 out of 5 stars

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Angry Birds Knock on Wood
Ages 5-9

ThinkFun Zingo
Ages 4-8
5 out of 5 stars

Snap Circuit, Jr.
Ages 8-12 years
5 out of 5 stars

Bananagrams
Ages 7 and up
5 out of 5 stars

Qwirkle
Ages 8-12 years
5 out of 5 stars

Ticket to Ride
Ages 8-12 years
5 out of 5 stars

A website called Christmas Toys for 2011 provides comprehensive reviews on popular Christmas toys for 2011. Each review includes pros and cons, an extensive review of how the toy functions, what's in the box, appropriate ages ranges and lots more.