We grandmas want the toys we buy to be winners, toys our grandchildren will play with again and again. The best place to look is the Oppenheimer Toy Awards at www.toyportfolio.com. I like to go to the platinum award winners first. Oppenheimer paired with the Today Show and presented some of the best of the best this year. I loved most of their selections. In addition, Oppenheimer Awards gives us modern twists to old classics for the entire family. Here are the best for the holiday season 2015 that this Grandma loves and, for more information to make an educated selection for your grandchildren, the descriptions from www.toyportfolio.com:
FOR NEWBORNS AND UP:
Stick with Sassy and eeBoo and you cannot go wrong for newborns and babies. Here are the newest:
Sassy Crab Chime and Lobster Jitter
“Our newest infant tester was excited with Sassy’s all fabric Crab and Lobster toys that can hang on baby’s carrier, stroller or car seat. From the start, little babies notice eyes, especially big eyes and these toys have bull’s-eye style eyes that will attract even a very young baby’s visual attention, as will the high contrast black and white patterns against the bright red and yellow critters. Crab has a gentle chiming sound to listen for and a tug on lobster’s colorful loops will start it jiggling and jittering! The easy-to-grasp handles are just right for young babies to hold onto and because they are soft, there’s no worry that the baby will hit herself in the face with hard plastic while exploring the toy. There’s so much here to explore with all the senses. It’s one of those toys that doesn’t cost a lot; but offers tons of action and discoveries. A great example of a toy that’s perfect for the age group but will not break the bank.” Buy at Amazon.
eeBoo Noisy Ball
“A classic fabric ball shape with lots of wonderful added-on sensory interest. They call it a noisy ball, but it’s not too noisy. It has a quiet jingle if you shake it and a squeaker and crinkle sound depending on where you squeeze. The soft velour like plush is done in a rainbow of colors, with easy to grab sections. Use it for tracking with baby even before he can take hold of it. Before you know it, this will be a favorite for active roly-poly play or crawling after on hands and knees. Happily, it is also machine washable. A perfect gift for fun filled socializing games. This is really ideal for parent-child interactions. At first you’ll be showing your baby what you can do with the ball, but eventually your older baby and toddler will engage you! “ Buy at Amazon.
FOR BABIES:
Remember they grow quickly and outgrow the small baby toys and think this wonderful toy for one year olds, even if the baby grandchild cannot use it right now. Fisher Price does it right in this age group:
Fisher-Price Bright Beats Smart Touch Play Space
“Designed for infants and toddlers, this touch-sensitive light bar responds with music, lights, and songs. Talk about making things happen, the play space also includes a ball run, a spinner, and roller ball that provide lots of lessons in cause and effect. As baby grows from sitting to standing to toddling, the play space also has age appropriate games that invite exploration. We could have done without the alphabet and counting games for toddlers who are barely talking. That said, we know babies are going to like the making-things-happen aspect of this toy. This was tested with a range of ages and as we expected, it did well with older toddlers. One of our families felt that the toy did not always respond to the touch which made it less than smart – but they still enjoyed the toy. Another tester with a 22-month old tester tried using it for a climbing toy. She was beyond the game play of the toy as it was designed. Marked for 6-36 months; we think the truth is between that time; more like 6-18 months.” Buy at Amazon.
FOR TODDLERS TO PRESCHOOLERS:
Again, Hasbro, International Playthings, and Fisher Price are the go to brands for this age group. Elmo is always a hit and this is the 2015 version:
Playskool Play All Day Elmo by Hasbro
“This season’s interactive Elmo is larger and softer than usual, which makes him cuddlier than Elmos of the past. There are two modes of play: a setting for toddlers with simplest games and another for preschoolers, a nice feature, although his speech tends to be less clear than previous Elmo dolls. There are no accessories to put on and take off. All the action is built into the doll. To activate, just squeeze Elmo’s big soft orange nose and he plays eight games. Of course, Elmo is “the boss” of all, telling kids let’s play pat-a-cake, hop and count, freeze dance, guess colors, red light/green light, and animal sounds. Elmo also takes naps and sings a lullaby before he goes quiet until someone is ready to wake him up and play some more. Marked for 18 months to 4 years. The sweet spot ages are probably just between those– as in 2’s to late 3’s.” Buy at Amazon.
ELC Frankie Frog and his Flying Machine by International Playthings
“Twist the propeller and this jolly plane will roll along with Frankie Frog at the controls. Unlike a plane for older children, this one goes slowly enough for toddlers to play with safely. The propeller makes a nice ratchety sound when it is wound up. Freddy has movable head, arms and legs that make a pleasing clickable sound; he can stand or sit and wears a sporty pair of yellow goggles. Like other vehicles and figures in this collection, they have a nice feel and heft. Not too big and not too small for beginning pretend play. A special toy for 12-36 months, but will be most enjoyed by younger toddlers.” Buy at Amazon.
Mega Bloks Scooping Wagon by Fisher Price
“Loaded with twenty big mega bloks, this tot-sized red wagon has a big easy grip blue handle with a buildable section. Toddlers can wheel their blocks from one place to another and enjoy filling and spilling them, often as much as building with them. This little wagon has a scoop at the bottom BUT it only sort of works sometimes, and not very well. You have to PUSH the wagon rather than pull it over the blocks for it to scoop the blocks up. The fact that it did not work in both directions bothered parents more than the kids who still enjoyed the toy. Parents also wished that it came with more bloks! That said, this is a big toy keyed into toddlers love of locomotion; their own and anything with wheels. Marked 12 months to 5 years, we would say– a good choice for steady on their feet toddlers 18 months and up. Not likely to be of interest past 3.” Buy at Amazon.
John Deere Monster Treads Lightning Wheels Vehicles by TOMY
“These scale replicas of John Deere farm vehicles are free rolling with the added attraction of wheels that light up when they roll. Choose either a John Deere Gator or tractor; both are motion activated but have an on/off switch to conserve the 3 AAA batteries; the light-night wheels are exactly what makes these Monster Treads stand out. 3 & up.” Buy at Amazon.
SCHOOL AGE
Educational Insights Design & Drill BrightWorks
“We love this amazing drill and bolt set with the added glitz of a light-up board and translucent bolts that glow when they are drilled into place. Think Lite-Brite meets Bob the Builder. The power drill has a see-through body so kids can see the gears turning as the bolts go in or out of the board. BrightWorks comes with eighty bolts, a drill with two bits, and a guide with 12 patterns. We like that the whole kit is gender-free (both a boy and girl are featured on the box) and can help develop eye hand coordination, making patterns, counting, and problem solving skills. Requires 3 AA batteries, not included. Marked 3 & up, but we think it will be enjoyed more by 4’s and 5’s.” Buy at Amazon.
Fisher-Price Imaginext Ultra T-Rex
“For dino-haulics of a certain age, this Ultra T-Rex will be a heavily promoted and therefore a heavily desired holiday gift. This is no toy for the timid. It walks, it stomps, it roars and goes from crouching to standing at full height-2 ½ feet tall! But that’s not all; it opens its toothy jaws and closes them with chomping sounds. Sound and motion are blended with lights on its spikes and eyes that will scare off any little sisters or brothers. T-Rex can even fire boulders from its chest and claws (they do not go far; they sort of fall to the ground so they are not a safety problem as so many projectile toys can be.) Okay, it’s true, this is a novelty toy that will probably gather dust before long, and end up in the landfill; that said, we have to admit, dino lovers are going to be wowed by this gy-normous motorized plastic-saurus. It will come to life with 4 AA batteries. Marked 36 months to 8 years. We say 5-7 is probably prime time for this one. “ Buy at Amazon.
“OLDER” GRANDCHILDREN
The older grandchildren will want Itunes cards, so do not knock yourselves out trying to figure out a toy or game they want. Or, if you are feeling really generous, the gift they covet are Beat Studio headphones, preferably over the ear. Check with them if they want wires or wireless. Buy at Amazon: GAMES FOR THE FAMILY TO ENJOY IN 2015
This Grandma could not wait to be able to play board games with the grandchildren. The new versions follow what our grandchildren now are into now. These too are recommended Oppenheimer Toy Award Winners that this Grandma loves:
FIRST GAMES/PRESCHOOL
Yes, this Grandma bought these for the toddler grandchildren early, of course, because our grandchildren are brilliant:
Dora the Explorer Candy Land by Milton Bradley and Duck Duck Goose by Hasbro
“Fans of Dora will enjoy this variation of the classic color matching game that incorporates Dora and her friends. Still top rated, Duck Duck Goose, a fun, easy-to-learn color concept game. Buy at Amazon.
Sesame Street Chutes and Ladders by Hasbro “The Sesame Street gang has now joined forces with the classic games Chutes & Ladders. The game play remains the same with the same possibility of being sent back! Maybe it will hurt alittle less if you’re going backwards with Cookie Monster, Elmo, Ernie and Abby Cadabby. Our testers agreed that this was a fun use of the Sesame Street gang to spice up an old game. 3 & up.” Buy at Amazon.
SCHOOL AGE
UNO games are the best. Here are some versions recommended by Oppenheimer Toy Awards:
Uno Moo! By Mattel
“A preschool color/face matching game. Each player takes five animals from the barn and hides them behind a cardboard “fence.” Players take turns matching either the face or color of the animal on the hay loft. If they have a match their playing piece bumps the one in the hayloft into the barn. If they have no match they must draw more playing pieces. There are some other little detours to winning-a skunk that means you have to take two critters and lose your turn–the winner is the one who gets rid of his animal playing pieces first. They say 3 & up, we’d say 4’s and even 5’s may have some trouble with matching the faces and the many little ways you can fall behind in this game of chance. Still, our testers thought it was a fun game.” Buy at Amazon.
UNO Attack and Uno Blitzo by Mattel
“Uno Attack comes with 112 cards in a launcher that looks like a cardholder in Las Vegas. If you don’t have a card to play, you must push the button on the launcher, which randomly shoots out more cards. Testers liked the unpredictability of the launcher. Also recommended: Uno Blitzo is a completely electronic version of the game where the object is to turn off all four of your electronic cards by following the commands. Our testers enjoyed both variations. 7 & up.” Buy at Amazon:
UNO Spin by Mattel
“Right off the bat, we loved the sound of the click play board as it spins. The spinning board adds interesting twists to the game (as you play the regular game of trying to discard all of your cards), including trading your hand with another player, showing all your cards to your opponents, or a variation on war. 7 & up.” Buy at Amazon. ENTIRE FAMILY, INCLUDING AS A GIFT FOR GRANDMA
Remember Monopoly and the pieces when we were children? This year Hasbro, for Monopoly’s 80th anniversary (before our time, of course), has come out with a version of Monopoly with the original pieces we know and love. It is being advertised as a gift for us grandmas, as well as the whole family. I agree.
Monopoly 80th Anniversary Edition by Hasbro
“Need a gift for Grandma or Grandpa for a family celebration? This version of the original game comes with retro cards and money, wooden hotels and houses, and tokens that were used by grandparents, parents and kids from the 30’s to the Millennium. A perfect choice for keeping some of the crowd quiet and engrossed at your next family reunion. There is a fancier version of this with golden playing pieces. Game play and playing pieces are otherwise the same. 8 & up.” Buy at Amazon.
Happy Holidays! Here comes family.
Joy,
Mema
#Monopoly80thAnniversaryEditionbyHasbroBeatStudioheadphones #BrightBeatsSmartTouch #DesignampDrillBrightWorksFisherPrice #eeBooNoisyBallFisherPrice #MegaBloksScoopingWagonbyFisherPrice #SesameStreetChutesandLaddersbyHasbroUnoMooByMattel #JohnDeereMonsterTreadsLightningWheelsVehiclesbyTOMYEducationalInsights #SassyCrabChimeandLobsterJitter #DuckDuckGoosebyHasbro #UNOSpinbyMattel #ImaginextUltra #PlaySpaceELCFrankieFrogandhisFlyingMachinebyInternationalPlaythings #TRexDoratheExplorerCandyLandbyMiltonBradley #UNOAttackandUnoBlitzobyMattel
Comments