Little Leaps Grow-With-Me Learning System (LeapFrog) Ages: Baby mode, 9 months+, Toddler mode, 24 months+; $39.99
"I was hesitant to try this system with my infant because I've always stayed away from electronics until they were older, but this Little Leaps system is great,” reports our mother of four. “The station features big buttons in primary colors and standard shapes that the baby can tap. I like the fact that it also has different textures on the buttons. My infant and I enjoyed playing and she liked seeing the animals and moving to the music. I really like the fact that you could switch over the controllers to a joy stick later. It makes it much more versatile. My older kids enjoy their Leapster—a product that I love, so why not let the baby have fun too!" Product includes: 2-in-1 Wireless Activity Controller, Interactive Learning Disc with 3 Learning Games, Storage Case, Setup Guide, Learning Activities Guide.

Peek 'N Play Discovery Dome (Playskool)  Ages 3 months - up, $39.99
"My 7-month old absolutely loves this toy, as do the other kids in her play group" reports our mom-tester.  "She loves to open and close the door and crawl in and out of the tent.  I like how easy it was to assemble, the directions were clear and easy, and it folds easily for quick and convenient storage.  The colors of this tent are vivid and eye catching.  It comes with several toy pieces that attach to the play dome.  Both inside the tent and outside the tent have fun and engaging activities that encourage your child to experiment and practice both fine and gross motor skills. This toy is a hit at our house!"

Learn and Groove – Alphabet Drum (Leap Frog)
This toy is great for different ages. "My one year old loves the bright lights, and music. I push it and he crawls after it and thinks it is the greatest thing ever. My three year old loves to hit the drum and hear the alphabet or the music. I would recommend this toy from 6 months on" our mom tester reports.
 

Busy Zoo (Parents) Ages 12 months and up, $49.99
Once again another toy favorite from Parents Magazine. According to our mom tester, "my 13 month child loves this toy and I love it too. What is great for me as a parent is how there is no assembly need. You just lift it out of the box and it is ready for play. What my soon-to-be toddler seems to enjoy are all the bright colors and things that move, twirl  and activities that stimulate her mind. All the sides of the wooden cube have items that promote language, thinking and problem solving skills like the alphabet spinners, peek-a-boo doors, and other great activities. The top of the cube is her favorite part, because she loves to stand and there are so many things that capture her attention and of course her busy hands!  This is a GREAT gift that kids of all ages seem to enjoy!"
 

The Comfy Easy PC System (Imaginative Minds ) Ages 1-5, $79.99
Every child wants to be just like mom and dad and use the computer at home and this toy allows them to do so. It's perfect for a toddler because it is easy to use with huge bright colorful buttons, a telephone handset to simulate phone calls, and three different levels that produce different images on the screen. All a parent has to do is plug it right into a USB port, pop in the disc and your child is set for learning about shapes, colors and music. It is great toy for wandering little hands who want to play with a "adult toy" yet the software is easy enough for very young children, something hard to find in this computer age. It also comes in different languages, for those parents who want their children to be bilingual at an early age.

Lamaze: Spin and Stack Rings (RC2 BRANDS) Age: 9 months - 2 years $24.99 
"My daughter really enjoys playing with the colorful rings. Each ring has a different, colorful, tags which she loves to touch. As my daughter gets older I think she will enjoy stacking the rings and I will be pleased because it is ideal for helping her with coordination."  

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! 

Elmo Sing & Giggle Tool Bench (Fisher Price) Ages 3+, $38.00  
"This toy was such a big hit that the testers didn't couldn't wait for it to be totally assembled before playing with it! For those children out there who love Sesame Street (or at the very least, hammering) this is a terrific tool bench. It stands at just the right height for little hands to drill, saw and turn the gears, plus you can buy additional tool sets to add to the fun. Our two year old tester who received this had to fight off his four year old brother (who already has his own tool bench) in order to play with it!
 

Teddy Ruxpin (Back Pack Toys, Inc.)  Ages 2+, $69.99
"They brought him back!" our mom-tester said gleefully! "The original interactive toy is now available again. Any toy that encourages reading is a big hit in our family! We read to our children every night, they are read to at pre-school and now during playtime a chance for one more story to be had! I think the fact that their new teddy bear is "brought to life" with the ability to read stories makes it magical for them. Teddy Ruxpin is a winner in our house." Includes "The Airship," the first story in the Teddy Ruxpin Treasure Series

Quizard The Learning Wizard (Fisher Price) Ages 3+, $38.00  
"This interactive game was a complete hit with my 3 and 5 year old!" reports our mom-tester. "Quizard" the doggy wizard,  asks the kids questions about the animal card he is holding in his magic mirror. They press the "yes" or "no" button to answer the question and have him guess until he figures out the animal. "My children problem solved together, took turns answering the questions and laughed at all the sights and sounds this toy has to offer! I love any toy where my kids cooperate and enjoy an activity together!! Furthermore, at breakfast this morning I heard the two of them playing their own version of the game, asking questions to see if the other could guess what they were thinking. This is a great toy!"

Ages 4 - 8 

V.Smile Jammin' Gym Class (VTech) Ages 4+, $29.99
V.Smile Art Studio (VTech) Ages 5+, $29.99
Our testers really love the Vtech V.Smile  system, and when we gave them the V.Smile Jammin' Gym Class and V.Smile Art Studio  to try out, they were thrilled. "The V.Smile Jammin' Gym Class is just the best," reports our mom-tester. "Not only do the kids play it constantly, but all their friends want to play too. The kids comment to me that it's great because they get hot and sweaty! I just love the fact that it makes them move. The activity mat plugs directly into the V.Smile TV Learning System, and the kids play a bunch of games that have them running in place, jumping, and bouncing. The V.Smile Art Studio is great because it has a bunch of activities including animation, free draw, coloring, and more. Both these additions to the already great V.Smile system make inside time fun and educational. They also make AWESOME rainy/snowy day activities."

Vtech V.Smile (VTech) Ages 3-7 years $59.99
"This was a winner the minute it was plugged in," reports our mom tester. A mother of two, she explained that she's often discouraged by the lack of educational play in her family’s PlayStation system and was thrilled that the V.Smile had the "game" feel, but "educational" properties. Her daughter, age 6, commented that many of the games were "too hard" but she was "working on them." Her youngest child at 4 had difficulty, but is persisting. The system has great controllers with large buttons and a large joystick, and you can even switch the positioning if you're left-handed. The games are on "Smartridge” game cartridges and are based on popular characters. Skills include language, math, problem-solving, and much more! "This is one gift both the parent and child will be thrilled to receive," reports our tester.

Barbie B-Book (Oregon Scientific) Ages 5+, $59.99
Our 5 year old tester was thrilled to get this! "This laptop looks like a purse when closed; a very fun feature! Hours of fun with 40+ different games and learning lessons including topics such as math, memory and music. If your child or grandchild enjoys hand held computer toys, this one will be a hit! The only drawback is the size of the screen is a bit small, and some of the pre-programmed games and lessons may need assistance by an adult. However, I am always a fan of a toys that teach, so I would highly recommend Barbie-B-Book this holiday season."

Crayola Story Creator (Crayola) Ages 6+, $25.99
"I really like this toy because it helps children build their imagination and self confidence by enabling them to write, illustrate and narrate their very own stories" says our mom tester.  "You can record two 60-second stories and draw pictures to accompany them which you can play again and again. If you change your mind, it is so easy to re-record and start over. Plus, I love hearing my little boy's voice tell a story that he has made up and recorded on his very own. I never realized how much he thought about castles and princesses and dragons! He loves drawing and recording different stories every day so the he can show them to daddy every night when he gets home from work and read them again before bed. My only complaint is that you can only keep two stories recorded at a time and I would love to be able to keep each and every one of them to go with each story book he creates."
 

Superman Laptop (Oregon Scientific) Ages 5+, $49.99
"Starting up this laptop is a lot more fun than mine!" says our mom reviewer.  "Wave you hand over the top and it lights up, plays the Superman song and flips open."  Although it states 5+, I think that this is definitely for older kids.  Reading is definitely a prerequisite for using this toy so it can prove quite challenging to most five-year olds, as it did for mine. Although we could play some of the games together, most were above his age level and too challenging.  Some of his older friends, that are able to read really enjoyed this.  I anticipate that in a year or so, he will find this toy more interesting as the games become more suited to him. All in all a good toy, just not for 5 year olds.

Limited Edition Vintage Ant Farm (Uncle Milton) Ages 6+, $14.99
"Bug lovers will just love this Ant Farm" states our mom tester.  "I remember Ant Farms when I was a kid so it was a lot of fun to get this to review for my son.  The set which comes with tunneling sand, a manual requires you to send off for a live tube of ants, but it's worth the wait.  It's a great way to teach kids about these insects!" 

Ages 8 and up

MummyMaze: The Tomb Treasures Maze Book (Mazeology Press) Ages 8+ , $19.99   
According to our mom tester, "the is a very clever concept and extremely imaginative."  We had two 3rd graders open this book and "attack".  The girls worked on it for an hour or so.  They loved the idea of needing to complete the mazes in order to begin the next one.  At the end of each maze there is a clue as to how to begin the next maze.  Secret codes and puzzles to solve along the way.  Only downfall is the answer key in the back of the book is too accessible!!  They cheated and took a peek much too often.  They should seal up the answers in an envelope or provide them online with secret codes along the way through the book.

FLY Pentop Computer  (Leap Frog)  Ages 8 and up $99.99   
Our tester had this to say about the FLY Pentop Computer, "What I like about the fly pen is its map, calculator, fly tones, and buzz phrase game. The map is fun and easy to study with because I can touch a state and it tells me the capital, and it is easy to be quizzed on a geography test because it has a game that asks me the capital of the state or vice versa. The calculator is awesome because I can just draw a calculator when I don't have one, and it even tells me what I punch in so I don't mess up. Fly tones is my favorite program because all I have to do is draw a keyboard or set of drums and then tap them to make music and I can even record the music and make it my start up sound. The buzz phrase is fun because it can tell me jokes or my fortune by just writing the command and then tapping it twice and it answers any yes or no question in the fortune telling program. Overall, I think this is a great learning tool and a very fun gadget for kids!" Included with the Pentop are Earbuds, a Carrying Case FLY Launch Pad Guide, 17 Games, 35 FLY Paper Pages, 3 Interactive FLY-FX Cards, Interactive Map, 1 Silver Face Plate and  1 AAA Alkaline Battery.  You'll want to purchase the FLYstyle: Speaker a $14.99 accessory so you can hear it better.