Younger Kids  ::  Older Kids

Younger Kids

Baby Gymnastics Play Wall (Fisher-Price) Ages 6 months - 3 years, $59.99
Here's a great way to have your little grandchild moving in a non-destructive way!  This three panel play wall encourages your grandchild to move.  They can play with it sitting, crawling, cruising or standing.  It requires quite a bit of space but is well worth it.  Our testers had fun crawling through openings and playing peek-a-boo.  There are some great accessories that can go with this set including an Activity Tunnel and Ball Toss.  It's a great system for helping to develop motor skills as it encourages crawling, cruising and walking.  The colors are bright and cheery too!

Tumble Time Tigger (Fisher-Price) Ages 18 months +, $34.99  
We gave this to the toddler class at a local school and the kids both young and old were mesmerized by it.  Even the teachers thought it was great fun.  The sound-activated Tigger tumbles, does cartwheels and even handstands. Kids simply press Tigger's ear and he goes.  The kids loved the funky music, the sound effects and fun phrases.  Requires 6 AA batteries (included).

B.C. Builders (Little Tikes)  Ages 3+,  $9.99 - $29.99  
We gave a variety of these sets to a local Montessori School where they shared them with over forty kids.  The kids loved them and eventually they had to put a timer on the toy to monitor play time.  The teachers reported that "the entire Little Tykes Dinosaur Series is an excellent educational tool. They have been tested in a mixed-age group of 3's, 4's and 5's who have been learning about Dinosaurs for the past month. Besides teaching classification and identification, they are a wonderful hand-eye manipulative for this age group."  

The Koala Brothers™ - Talking Buster (Fisher-Price) – Ages 2 years and up $14.99.  
Our tester wasn't sure if her 20-month-old son would like this toy, since he does not watch the TV show "The Koala Brothers on Playhouse Disney". However, he loves to hold this soft, plush doll and can easily press Buster’s hand to activate the sounds (there are about 5 different phrases). The toy comes with a DVD which includes 2 episodes from the TV show – so this is especially recommended for fans of the show. 

My First RC Inchworm (Kid Galaxy) Ages 3+, $24.99   
According to our mom reviewer her son, "loves this one. It was for my older son, but my younger son liked it more.  He likes to motor around as much as he does, it was an immediate favorite." 

Activity School Bus (Plan Toys) Age $29.99The  According to our reviewer, "the school bus is very appealing, especially when filled with the people, blackboard, desks etc.  The toy is very sturdy and should last forever.  The wheels work well whether on carpet or tile.  The toy promotes imaginative play.  A child will be able to create many different settings around the bus or around the bus as a classroom."  One note: the bus is very difficult to open in order to turn it into a classroom and children might need assistance.

Radio Flyer Twist Trike (Radio Flyer) Ages 2 -7, $59.99
It's a tricycle and then it's a chopper with a quick flip of the quick release and a flip of the rear end of the bike.  The set adjusts to different kids sizes so it grows as the child grows.  "It's a very clever design," commented the mother of our 5-year-old tester.  "It goes fast, but safely.  It's sturdy so it won't tip and the quick release is designed well so a child can't fiddle with it!"  It really takes the use of a tricycle to a whole new level - when they've outgrown that mode it can be switched so you get years of use! 

Razor Electric Jr. Scooter (Razor) Ages 2 and up, $59.99
Our four year old tester loved this toy, and so did all of his friends! If it hadn't eventually run out of juice, I think they would have kept riding it all day. A dad of one of our testers said it was "so cool" and a mom wanted to get one for her five year old. It is durable, fun and easy to maneuver. Plus it never goes faster than one mile per hour so you don't have to worry as much as you would with a regular scooter, and it automatically turns off if it hits too hard of a bump. Good safety mechanism. At $59.99 this is a great gift for the 3-5 year old group, especially if you want a fun alternative to other outdoor electronic toys.

Older Kids

Black Belts Karate Home Studio DVD  (Spin Master) Ages 5+, $24.99
I thought about giving this to my mom who is testing for her black belt in December, but I decided that giving it to kids to play with was probably better.  The kids who tested it thought it was a lot of fun.  The set comes with a DVD that includes s 30 minutes  of karate blocks, punches, kicks and stances.  It comes with a training mat with step diagrams to make it easy and inflatable heavy bag. 

Tek Tag (WildPlanet)  Ages 6+,  $19.95  
If your grandkids like to play tag then they will have a blast playing Tek Tag.  They take traditional tag and modernize it with their touch-sensitive sensors that add sound effects, sirens and a digital display that tells you how much time or lives you have left.  Each player wears a sensor pod on his arm and aims to score by touching his opponent’s pod while defending his own sensor.  Our 8-year-old testers had a blast playing this game.  The parents of our testers liked the fact that it kept them moving!  

Hot Wheels Gorilla Attack (Mattel) 5 years and up, $44.99
According to the mother of our 5-year-old tester, "our son saw this toy in Toys R Us and really wanted it for himself.  When we got it to review he was thrilled and he was not disappointed in the set! Set-up was average for a Hot Wheels toy, and it definitely kept this 5- year- old entertained. He had a ball trying to keep the Gorilla from "munching" cars. The concept itself is fun for kids, and he enjoyed trying to beat the angry Gorilla. I highly recommend this toy for boys."  4 D batteries required. 

Bratz Rock Angelz Concert Stage (MGAE) Ages 5 and up, $59.99  Does your granddaughter love Bratz?  If so, according to our 8-year-old reviewer,  "she'll love this!"  "This awesome set comes with tons of accessories, an exclusive ROXXI doll, real strobe lights and speakers.  I just love Bratz!"  It also includes the necessary items like Guitar, Microphone, and exclusive CD.  If you want to have even more fun just plug in your stereo and play your own music! 

Remote Controlled Tarantula (Takara)  Ages 6+, $19.99
This toy is not for the faint of heart!  If the colors were more realistic you'd have some seriously terrified people, but everything else about this guy is quite realistic.  This hairy Tarantula scurries across the floor like a real spider.  Each leg moves separately and it moves forward and turns.  It's a really fun toy if you're into bugs!  Our tester used it to scare his mother and play games with the dog!  Apparently everyone but people with arachnophobia were amused!   Uses 2AAA & 3 AA batteries not included.

Spy Vision Goggles (Wild Planet) Ages 8 - 12 $12.99  
Our 9-year-old tester just loved these Spy Vision Goggles.  He could hear someone whispering, could see in the dark and liked the ultra cool look.  The Blue LED's flip out and are REALLY bright.  The glasses require 4 AAA batteries, not included.