Keep Little Bodies and Brains Working – Holiday Toys for 4 to 7 year olds

When it comes to gifts for 4 to 7 year olds, my motto is always “Keep their brains and bodies working”. I say this having a four year old, and knowing many children in this age range that tend to find their way into trouble when they aren’t busy and stimulated. It’s not that they mean to be naughty, dipping the cat in paint, and playing with the tub of flour from the pantry just seem like really interesting things to do. And usually, the trouble that they find themselves in, if we really look at what they are doing, is just to investigate this big interesting world they are just discovering. What we need to do as parents, grandparents, friends, and family, is direct and guide that creativity and wonder into projects and activities that won’t mess up the house, ruin the carpet, or mentally scar the house pets for life.

Some of my favorite toys of the year are directed at this set of kids. I have reviewed and blogged about the Tag reading system many times, and I have to tell you, after a few months of testing this one in our own house, it is a winner. My daughter can’t get enough of this toy that not only helps her to read, but she can also play games with all the books. I appreciate the books being hardcover books too because they are withstanding the beating that both my kids can lay on. Another learning toy that is pretty interesting is the Vtech Kidiart Studio. This studio comes with a desk, and a digital camera. Kids can take pictures, and then edit them at the desk, adding their own touches like frames, drawings, and graphics to the pictures. They can do all this using the touch pad on the desk and hooking up to your TV. It’s a toy any budding artist or graphic designer would love.

Digital cameras have also come a long way in the last few years. Both Fisher Price and VTech have affordable options for digital kids’ cameras. Both the Fisher-Price blue and pink cameras also have the added bonus of coming to your door in Amazon Frustration-Free packaging. No need to cut through a pesky (and dangerous) clamshell package on Christmas morning. Just open the box, pull out the camera, and start snapping pictures!

Make believe toys are always a good choice at this age. The king of the pretend toys this year is Kota the triceratops. We have one of these in our office, and even the adults who see it are hooked. Kota roars and makes very expressive faces; it’s hard not to love him.  Active kids can also hold onto the bar on his back and bounce away on the springy back. The other big Dino toy this holiday season is the Fisher-Price Imaginext Spike the Ultra Dinosaur (you can see the Tiny Toy Testers review here). Spike uses a very kid-friendly remote control that is perfect for small hands. If you have a Star Wars fan, the Star Wars Clone Wars Voice Changer Helmet will be perfect for re-creating the action from the movie or TV show. The Playskool Helmet Heroes in Police and Racer are perfect for active pretend play as well. Both girls and boys will enjoy the Melissa and Doug kitchen, and because it is wooden and painted with classic colors, it will look nice in your house as well.

Games are always good for keeping brains and bodies active. Two of my favorites are Hyper Dash and The Cat in the Hat I Can Do That (you can see the Tiny Toy Testers review here). Hyper Dash keeps little bodies active by placing colored disks around the room and then taking the tagger around the room to tag the disks are they are called out by the tagging wand. They tagger also times the players so they can race each other or themselves. The Cat in the Hat I Can Do That game is a fun game for families to play together. It also encourages active play as players are challenged to complete tasks with the included objects.
Science toys are also a good way to allow and encourage your child to investigate their world. They Eyeclops Bionicam shows kids what all kinds of everyday object look like up close. This year, the Eyeclops is even better because it comes with a full color screen and a battery pack so you can take it into your backyard and explore even more things up close.

Dolls were always on my list when I was a kid, and I don’t think too much has changed, little girls still love dolls. What has changed is the dolls themselves. Some of the hot doll toys this holiday are the Chou Chou Mommy Make Me Better Doll and the Little Mommy Gotta Go Doll. Both dolls are interactive dolls that are a little more fun than the traditional baby doll. The Mommy Make Me Better Doll comes with lots of accessories that allow your child to play doctor for their sick baby. The doll cries and her cheeks turn red, but she is soothed by your child’s actions to take care of her. The Little Mommy Gotta Go Doll is perfect for your child who wants their doll to interact with them. When you feed her, the Gotta Go Doll uses her little potty to “go”. She also uses her little sink to wash her hands , and as an added bonus, come in the Amazon Frustration-Free packaging so you don’t have to struggle taking her and all her little accessories out to the package.

Comments

[Crystal on November 21, 2008 at 12:55 PM]

Fingers crossed that Uncle Jeremy comes through on Kota for us!