Top toys for 2015: Perfect gifts for little Jedis
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Version 0 of 1. What makes a toy good? Stephanie Oppenheim and her mother, Joanne, have been asking that question for decades. They review thousands of toys each year (tough job!) and give a thumbs up to the best, as judged by kid testers and adults who know a lot about how kids learn and play. The big trend now is STEM toys (science, technology, engineering and math) for both girls and boys. “We love that girls now see themselves as builders and problem-solvers,” says Oppenheim, whose own two sons are now grown-ups. Another biggie for 2015: toys that require apps downloaded to a smartphone or tablet. The downside? They can be expensive. “This is also the year of ‘Star Wars,’ ” Oppenheim says, with several space-themed toys on the list. Check out these and other top choices below and online at kidspost.com and www.toyportfolio.com . Quick Cups Spin Master, $19.99. Age 6 and older. The game is on! Be the first to stack or line up five colored cups to match what’s on the picture card, and you win that card. Collect enough cards and you win the game. Face Chase R&R Games, $14.99. Age 7 and older. Match the hair, eyes, nose and mouth on your playing cards to the quickly changing faces on the game board. First person to get rid of all his cards looks like the winner. Family Trivia Purple Cow, $12. Ages 6 and older. Can you name all your cousins from oldest to youngest? Test how much you do know about yourself and your family in this fun card game. Wonky: The Crazy Cubes Card Game USAopoly, $19.99. Age 8 and older. This wobbly tower you’re building is bound to fall, but will it be on your turn, or can you make it happen on someone else’s? Squirmy fun for the entire family! Dragonwood Gamewright, $14.99. Age 8 and older. Nasty trolls, angry fire ants, fire-breathing dragons . . . what’s not to like in this frightful forest? Are you brave enough to stomp and scream your way out? Dimension Thames & Kosmos, $39.99. Age 10 and older. Race the timer and other players to complete this 3-D puzzle, matching the pictures on task cards. But be careful: You lose points for every mistake you make. Dinosaur Challenge Simply Fun, $24. Age 10 and older. Each player gets three dino information cards and must decide which of their reptiles would most likely survive a lava flow and other natural disasters. Project Mc2 Dolls MGA Entertainment, $19.99-$24.99. Ages 6 to 12. The four girls in this doll collection love science. And you will, too, after you help them make a volcano, a glow stick, a lava lamp or a skateboard. All of which actually work! Rainforest Animals Lego, $14.99. Age 6 and older. Beginning builders, get ready to make a parrot, fish or chameleon with this Lego Creators starter kit. If animals aren’t your thing, check out the new Vehicle Transporter ($24.99) and Beach Hut ($29.99) — both for ages 7 to 12. Mighty Makers: Up, Up and Away K’nex, $19.99. Age 7 and older. Ava needs your help to build her airplane and take to the skies with her pet bird, Jay. More than 100 colorful parts and pieces ought to be plenty to get you both soaring. Mighty Makers: Inventor’s Clubhouse K’nex, $49.99. Age 7 and older. Pulleys and star snaps and wheels, oh my! A motor and 528 pieces make this kit a girl inventor’s paradise — if paradise has a zip line, because this clubhouse does! Note: Younger children will need some adult helping hands. Poe’s X-Wing Fighter Lego, $79.99 Ages 8 to 14. Battle the forces of evil with this new addition to Lego’s “Star Wars” collection. Once you build it, let one of the three mini-figures take it for a spin! Want even more “Star Wars” stuff? Then join Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in the throne room, as shown in Death Star Final Duel (Lego, $79.99). May the Force always be with you! Roominate Amusement Park Roominate, $60. Age 8 and older. Build the rides, hook up the lights and motor, and enjoy amusement park thrills right in your bedroom. A Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, pirate ship and cotton candy make it feel like summer never ends. Gel Stick & Texture Art Faber-Castell, $24.99. Age 6 and older. Paint. Blend. Smudge. Unleash your inner artist with these colorful gel sticks and a paintbrush that will turn your artwork into watercolors! Paper, stencils, glue included. Feathery Friends Cardboard Tube Craft Kit Mudpuppy Press, $19.99. Age 6 and older. You’ll get all googly-eyed when you see what awesome birds you can make. Kit includes feathers and felt, patterned paper and five tubes — but you can always find more in the bathroom. Not into birds? There’s also a Monsters version. Bwahahaha! Holiday Snow Globes Creativity for Kids, $21.99. Age 6 and older. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow as you create your favorite winter scenes. Kit includes three globes and figurines plus special clay so you can make your own figures. It’s So Me! Word Wear Horizon, $9.99. Age 7 and older. If you believe, as we do, that you can’t have too many beads, this is the kit for you. There are nearly 1,000 beads and cords to make an endless string of bracelets. But open the package very carefully or you’ll spend the first hour picking them all up. Nancy B’s Black Light Illuminator & Journal Educational Insights, $16.99. Age 8 and older. Mix science and sleuthing for hours of fun. Learn about counterfeit money and spy codes, make gelatin that glows, and write secret messages in invisible ink. Twine Design Creativity for Kids, $14.99. Age 8 and older. This kit should be on every young weaver’s holiday wish list. Turn your string art into eight pieces of eye-catching, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Chocolate Pen Skyrocket, $29.99. Age 8 and older. Forget pencils and ink pens. This pen writes in colored chocolate! Whether you use one of the kit’s 50 molds or make your own design, the result is sure to be sweet. Smithsonian Museum Triceratops Skullduggery, $24.99. Age 8 and older. Hard to believe, but this fierce horned creature was a snack for a Tyrannosaurus rex. This series of build-it-yourself kits includes a T. rex, too, along with sharks, horses, a human skeleton and spaceships. The Brick Bounty Lego, $99.99. Age 7 and older. Yo-ho-ho! There’s a new ship in the Lego pirate armada. With 745 pieces, building the Bounty might be rough sailing for young buccaneers, but old seadogs will love it. Magformers Walking Robot Magformers, $109.99. Magformers Walking Dinosaur $219. Age 5 and older. These magnetic toys will catch your fancy and not let go! But you might need a hand building them. The robot kit (45 pieces) is a good first step. The dinosaur has 81 pieces. Magformers has lots of other kits, so there’s something for everyone. The Mine Lego, $109.99 Age 8 and older. Join the Minecraft frenzy. Don your armor and prepare to venture into the dark. But beware: Danger lurks around every corner of this multi-level, 922-piece set. Max Traxxx Tracer Racers Infinity Loop Set Skullduggery, $119.99. Age 6 and older. The racetrack glows in the dark, and the two remote-controlled cars leave a streak of light as they whiz past. Remember to slow down for the curves! Stikbot Studio Zing, $19.99. Age 8 and older. Lights! Camera! Stikbots! If you have or can borrow an iOS or Android device, get ready to pose your bendy little Stikbot actors and make a stop-motion video to share. An adult will need to download the free mobile app for you. Tousignant is a freelance writer and frequent KidsPost contributor. |