Shop for all your grandchildren without going broke! 

Infants | Toddlers | Ages 4 - 8 | Ages 8 - Up

Ages 4 - 8

20Q  (Radica)  Ages 8 and up, $9.99  This is my favorite pick for a gift under $10.00.  It's a riot.  We keep ours on are table and it is often played during dinner.  Since our kids are younger than 8 we ask them to think of something then read them the questions.  We are always amazed that it gets the right answer.  It's great for tweens, teens, parents, grandparents -- just about everyone.  Don't be scared off by the age suggestion - give it to a younger child to encourage play with their parents.  They will all thank you - it's great! 

 Aqua Pets (Wild Planet) Ages 6-12, $9.99  Don't let the name fool you - these aren't real pets, but your kids will treat them like they are.  Our 6-year-old tester had a blast with her two aqua pets.  She positioned them across from each other, and according to her mother has them "singing" all the time. Her daughter said they were "really cute" and she likes to keep them on her beside table.

Flip Flop Boxes (Creativity for Kids) Ages 6+, $9.99  Our tester reports that these are great for ages 4-8 - "very girly. Decorate a pair of boxes in the shape of flip flops to hold little treasures on your dresser or maybe to surprise a friend! Easy to follow directions, plenty of inspiration: textures, glue, colors, and fabrics.

Puppettos (by Manhattan Toy Co) Ages 3 - 12, $4.99  These cute little finger puppets are great for pretend play.  Our teacher reviewers report, "we love the puppetos puppets! They are absolutely adorable. The children have been playing and playing with them since e put them out. They were a huge hit! We especially liked the frog prince and princess -- too cute! The other teachers really liked the firefighters, which will fit right in with the fire truck visits at the school!"

Shapes & Colors (Ravensburger) Age 3-6  $ 9.99 According to our teacher reviewer, "This is a terrific, fun game to help children learn shapes. Shapes and Colors is geared to younger children (3 to 6 years old), and use the two dice with shapes on one die and colors on the other. Children and grandparents can choose a game board and then try to roll the dice to fill in the shapes on their cards. The game is self-correcting, always a nice touch! Up to 4 people can play.  The game pieces are cardboard, but small and sturdy enough that they won't be easily damaged. I love this  game!!!!!!!!!"

XP-6 Spy Watch (Wild Planet) Ages 6 and up, $9.99. 
Part of the extensive Spy Gear series, this multifunction watch is more than just make-believe. Its features include an alarm, settings for other time zones, a pop-up telescope, and a magnifying glass. Kids can also set the "motion sensor" alarm and place the watch around a doorknob or treasured toy to alert them if anyone moves it. There are several buttons for setting time, alarm, and other functions, but these operations are not intuitive and require some fast button-pressing. That means this is best for a child who is willing not only to read instructions, but will remember to keep the instruction sheet for later reference. 3v watch battery is included. Labeled for ages 6 and up, and tested by a 7-year-old but we'd recommend at least age 8 to get the most out of it.

Wee Bead People Kit (The Bead Shop) Ages 7 +, $5.95 According to our tester, ages 7 and up can get into this by following the directions, otherwise parental help is a big need. Many options and results, lots of fun for the detailed, patient child.  Makes 5 pins.

The Storybook Game  (Fundex) Ages 4+, $7.98  This game comes in a little metal lunchbox and according to our teacher tester, "is a really way to help children use their imaginations to make up a story by using picture cards. It also helps with memory. Play is similar to the alphabet game 'My grandmother packed a trunk and in it she put . . .' Do you remember that game where you begin with the letter A and recite something to do in the trunk and it builds as each person adds another letter/object? In this game, the children pick cards and make up a sentence to the story. The nice thing is that they pass the cards to the next player who uses the previous person's card to help him remember what the other's player's sentence was."  Our teacher incorporated this into class time by setting this out for center time during the week. The cards have a nice mix of boy's and girl's favorites (astronaut, butterfly --) so there are pictures that both genders will enjoy making a story about.

Key Chain Conversation Pieces  (BasicFun) Ages 4 +, $3 - $5.00: Key Chains and Back Pack Clips are all the rage.  These miniatures are perfect replicas of the real thing.  The Clip Craft is great for car rides, restaurants and grandma's house.  It has a tiny scroll of paper with pictures, pencils and a sharpener.  The Monopoly set has breath mints in cool shapes to keep you feeling fresh all day long! They average under $5.00 and come in tons of styles from The Incredibles and Astro Boy to Winnie the Pooh and Lord of the Rings. as well as mini versions of games like Disney's Winnie the Pooh Checkers.  This website ultimatekeychains.com/ has a lot of them.

NAMiTS (NAMiTS) Ages 5 and up.  $9.95  Invented by a mom these extremely durable, waterproof cards are portability and fun. I clipped them to my car so that we could play while going on long drives.  You ask a question form a NAMiTS question using the first card in one of the color-coded sections of the card deck, then get your child thinking.  For example: "Name things that are...sticky."  The game is small enough to fit in a pocket or purse—it can be clipped to a backpack or simply left on a table as an "invitation to play."  

Slammin' Eggs (Basic Fun) $5.95 Okay, mom's may look the other way, but a bunch of kids tested these by throwing them against my wall and had a blast!  When it hit the wall it splatters like a real egg and then it re-forms to its original shape.  After a while the "yolk" will break and inside is a collectible character.  A lot of fun at a little price! 

Crayola Twistables (Binney & Smith)  You can never go wrong with crayons as a stocking stuffer and these are just the best!  They twist up for continuous use, they are in fabulous new colors like metallic and rainbow!  You never have to sharpen them or peel down paper and they are much more sturdy.  They come in a plastic barrel.  They are the perfect size gift to mail and send to your grandchild - and kids of all ages love to color - even parents! Ages 3+, $2.99 per pack.

  Groovy Girls (by Manhattan Toy Co)  Ages 3 - 12, $9.99  Again this year Groovy Girls make the top of our list for toys under $10.00.  These dolls are durable, well designed with great clothing and nice soft, realistic bodies.  There are a ton of accessories that kids will just love including pets, cars, places to live and more.  Our 5-year-old tester and her friends played for hours with the Groovy Girl products - and their mothers were thrilled. Click here to find actual  Groovy Girls and accessories.

Travel Lite-Brite (Hasbro) Ages 4+, $9.99 This little travel set works very well on the road, but even better as an "at grandma's activity."  The pieces are small and can fall out in the car, but are great to bring along, or to use on a plane.  Our tester had a blast making all kinds of fun flower designs to decorate her room.  Her mom like the the built in drawer and fact that the light has a built in timer. 

Where is My Elf Hat?  At only $6.99 this is not only a great gift, but one that keeps giving and giving for quite a few years!  The is a way to celebrate Christmas all the way up until the actual day.  Your grandchild gets their own personal Elf (you or their parents) who visit them regularly.  The Elf communicates their wishes, stories etc. to Santa and leaves little letters for your grandchild behind.  Our little tester was stunned when she found out that an Elf had visited her while she was out. The mother of our tester thought it was a really sweet tradition, and although she liked writing the letters, she loved watching the reactions!  Online at http://www.elfhats.com

Calendars - (Mead) - Calendars make wonderful gifts that you can give your grandchildren either at Christmastime or at the beginning of the new school year.  This one is perfect for fans of The Incredibles movie, however Mead also makes calendars that cover everything from Mother Nature to Disney Princesses.  Most retail for under $10.00

i-Top (iToys) Ages 6 and up, $10.99 -- Okay, I know this is just over the $10.00 mark but it's fun and worth the mention for the extra 99 cents.  The iTop isn't just a top - it's scores light up. You can compete with friends to get higher scores, you can used it as a fortune teller. It folds flat, goes in your pocket and was tested by many - that all had a blast!  It has four digital games and eight functionalities - not bad for $10.99.