With four kids ages 5-13, we get to do a lot of hands on “testing” of the latest toys and gadgets. Some are big winners and others are such huge losers they are forgotten just days after Christmas. This year the budget is looming large and so my goal is to only buy one or two really *good* gifts for each child rather than lots of random things I impulsively grab because they look cool in the store. Assuming that other families might be sharing that goal this year, I’m going to share some of our “Winners” and “Losers” from the last year. Today I’ll start with Part I, 4-6 Years:
Winners:
Jumpstart World Kindergarten. ($8.19 on Amazon for the first 2 units + $7.95/month for each additional unit – 12 units in all). We actually got this for Zeeb’s birthday in June, mostly because he complained so much about how unfair it was that he couldn’t play R~’s 1st grader version of the game. I love these games. The graphics are really good, there’s a ton of teaching going on, the game automatically sends the parent updates about your child’s progress and it never gets old because when they master one level you can download the next for only $8. They get to play on the computer and I don’t feel guilty because it’s educational! (I still limit them to 30 minutes of screen time though.) Total Winner.
Legos. (Road Construction Set: $38; Ultimate Building Set: $48). Last year I was excited to find that Lego now has simpler building sets for ages 4 and up. Zeeb was growing tired of Duplos and wanted to use the smaller legos like his big brother. The down side is he quickly lost all the instructions so he hasn’t built the things pictured on the box since then. The upside is he builds all kinds of other creative structures on his own. And while I was worrying that maybe these were too small for his little fingers, his kindergarten teacher told me the other day, “The smaller the better” – using the little pieces helps him with his fine motor skills. There’s a reason this toy is a classic – it has major staying power and the more sets you buy, the more you can build. Definite win-win.
Loser:Fisher-Price Smart Cycle ($90).
I wanted to like this thing. I really, really did. I like the concept of excercising and learning while playing a game. And Zeeb is super addicted to the screen, so I thought it would be a big winner. The problems? (1) The batteries – it takes like 4 huge D batteries and somehow it got left on a week after he got it and they all died. Very annoying. (2) The game that comes with it is loud, annoying, and he only has to pedal about half the time – the other part he does with the joystick and there’s no exercise in that. But, we still have it out and he plays it 1-2 times a week (I just make sure to be out of earshot!). And I have additional games for it on his list this year, because I figure we ought to get our money’s worth out of it. Really it’s not a bad toy, but for the price I expected better. And since what I really wanted was a way for Zeeb to burn extra energy in the winter, my money probably would have been better spent on the FirstFitness kid’s exercise bike. The Smart Cycle is not a Total Loser, but if the budget is tight, don’t feel bad passing on this one.
Audience Participation Time: What were the big winners/losers with your kids last year? What tops your child’s wishlist this Christmas?
Next Up: Part II, Ages 6-8.
On a whim we got her an easel. It’s kind of big, and on one side is a chalkboard on the other side is a magnetic whiteboard. I was unsure, but really – best thing ever. My daughter has used that so many times and she loves it.
This is probably solely a Chloe-thing, but clothes. Omygoodness, clothes. You know, I hated getting clothes when I was little. I thought it was such a waste and a cop-out so that the person didn’t have to buy a *real* present. So I rarely buy clothes for anyone. BUT, with every box of clothing my little girl opens, it is *gasp* “It’s SO BEAUTIFUL!” I swear.
So clothes and easel are big hits for her.
Not a big hit: camera. I thought I would get her a kid camera – all the kids in the commercial had fun and she likes to use my camera. Well, I think she has used the camera 3 times in the past year (and it was one of the more expensive things we bought for her). The picture quality is crap; it looks horrible. Quite frankly, I’ll just stick with her borrowing my camera – at least she knows how to work it. I think I was more upset about the picture quality than anything else because I wanted to print out the pictures she took and make an album for her.
Leapsters! Oh my gosh, the Leapsters were the best thing ever. I got them expecting to have to do a lot of playing with the boys/explaining the games since my boys were 3 and 4 and had never really played video games. They played them for hours the first day by themselves. And I am amazed how many things they have learned without my help by playing the games. C~ is getting one this year, even though he is only two. He does still need a lot of supervision, but he still loves it and has been really jealous when his brothers are playing theirs and he can’t steal one.
Not as great–Little Leaps. C~ got it last year. Even though it has several buttons, they basically are interchangeable. There really wasn’t any way to get something right or wrong. Just push a button and the thing DVD going. And you didn’t need to push the buttons that often. It was mostly just watching the DVDs. The kids played with it, but it really wasn’t the educational experience I was hoping for. It was just kind of lame.
I wondered about that SmartCycle! I think we’ll stick with the Wii games.
We are HUGE Jumpstart World fans. And I hear they are extending to the next grade up (2nd? 3rd?) very soon!
I am afraid it is mainly girl things.
My little girl has always loved doll babies. From 2 yrs when I got her to the present 6 years old she will play for a long time with her dolls (not Barbies as much as baby looking dolls). She will take them in the stroller, put it in the bath tub, they need to get fed, they are naughty and need time outs, they are always sick and she loves to get out her doctors kit and practice on them. She also loves to play orphanage. She has pulled out a sofa from the wall and made the space into an orphanage with all the babies lined up. (Her idea I can only guess what is going on in her head)
The other big winner is the Pizza Party & Birthday Party by Melissa & Doug toys. She will go in the back room to her play kitchen and then announce she has made food for everyone.
Ikea has a very good and cheap easel. She likes that too.
Lillian Vernon dress up box. A lot of Lillian Vernon things are nice for little girls. I got several dress ups from Toys r Us and consignment shops. She loves to play make believe.
Trampoline. Probably a death trap but all the kids love it.
Swing in back yard. (Single swing from Ikea)
Small pop up tent
Movies. You never know what movies she is going to like but she will watch them over and over.
She likes spin art, play dough, Go Fish, Old Maids, Candy Land, and Sorry.
Pocket book with fake cell phone that makes noise and real makeup, and jewlery.
For most of the toys to be successful she wants interaction with someone. She wants you to ask her about her baby doll and visit the orphanage. She wants to play the board games with you. For dress ups she wants to pretend and wants you to help the story line along. I try and pick toys I am not going to mind playing.
Big losers I would say are the Bratz stuff. Everything is very expensive and we lose the feet on day one. After you set up the little scene there is not much else to do. I like Barbies and a dream house from the consignment store much better.
The Dora stuff. Again they are expensive sets and you have to set up some sort of little scene. The little parts are everywhere and after 5 minutes on to the next thing.
Any sort of computer games. Maybe we just have dull games or maybe she the kind of person who needs live person interaction. My nephew loves them but they don’t hold her interest.
Oh my goodness! My daughter Phoebe is just like craftymommy’s! She goes CRAZY over clothes and shoes! She also likes baby dolls. She has way too many now so she gets clothes for them! LOL My kids have always loved the food toys. They have the pizza set but I must admit it’s a pain picking up all those pepperoni, mushroom and pepper pieces. Last year we got the older kids a Wii. This year they are each getting an Ipod nano, a computer game plus misc books, pjs etc. Bronte is getting the grand kitchen from step 2. We already have a kitchen set from Pottery barn but I really think a new one will excite her. We got the 2 younger boys quads. Nolan’s is fisher price and Quinton’s is a more powerful one. Then they’ll get some games etc.
ps~ If you go to Amazon in July you can get great deals on the Bratz (and other toys too) I got the Bratz Kids school bus for $5.50 (reg. $45 ??) and many Bratz kids dolls to go with it for about $3 a piece…(regularly $15 ??) a piece. All with free shipping. I am an addict of Amazon because of the great prices, free shipping and the reviews. Got Helen LOTS of great books on sale and with the 4 for 3 promo.
Cool I will do this tonight for tomorrow’s post. Thanks, Beverly