If you’re the parent whose kids have already presented you with a list as long as your arm, Christmas shopping should be a breeze! For everyone else who needs a little inspiration for their Christmas shopping we present some of our favorite things of 2012 for kids. These are all tried and tested in our homes; toys the kids totally loved and played with for hours!
Beat the Parents:
From $19.99
My husband bought this for my son for his 7th birthday. It quickly became our favorite game to play together. There are questions the kids ask the parents such as “Who wrote the music to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?” (Mozart) and parents have questions they ask the kids “What is the yellow part of an egg called?” (Yolk). I have yet to beat my son at this game and he loves beating his competitive mom at trivia. – Melissa
Jenga:
From $19.99
An old school board game, we love playing this with our kids because they sabotage each other, get all daredevil about pulling pieces out and cheer like crazy when someone collapses the tower. It’s great for all ages. My kids are also begging for Santa to bring them the new Angry Birds Star Wars Jenga Deathstar (I dare you to say that 3 times fast). – Voula
Beyblades:
From $24.99
To say this is my 7 year old son’s favorite toy would be an absolute understatement. He has collected nearly every Beyblade, plays Beyblade video games on their website, reads the Beyblade books, watches other kids customize their Beys on YouTube and enjoys the Beyblade Metal Masters cartoon. This is the one toy he will sit and play with for hours. If you are wondering what the perfect gift for a boy aged 5 and up, start with a battle arena, 2 Beys and you are good to go. My son has gotten all the neighborhood boys hooked and they carry their Beys from house to house battling it out. – Melissa
Tegu Blocks:
From $32.00
We discovered these gorgeous magnetic blocks last year at our local science centre. The Tegu blocks are made with sustainable materials in Honduras. My 3 year old loves creating things with them, especially on our fridge. Last year Tegu introduced wheels for their blocks so now your creations can be mobile! – Melissa
Lego Friends
Sets from $15.00 and up
I’m sensing a block theme here… When I was a little girl I loved Lego and am thrilled that both my kids do too. My daughter was the envy of the neighborhood earlier this year she received a Lego Friends set called Olivia’s House for her birthday. She and daddy loved building it together and she’s spent countless hours playing with it during down time. And since the sets all complement each other she’ll be getting Stephanie’s Pet Patrol in her stocking. -Voula
Coming soon: our favorite things for Moms and Dads!
