I took a poll the other day. It was a non-scientific one, mind you, but the results of my queries of three different groups of 6-10 year olds on their top holiday wish-list items for 2010 proved to be quite consistent and very enlightening. If you’ve been wondering what to buy for your favorite elementary schooler, here are a few recommendations from my kid panel:
Zoobles
I describe Zoobles as a cross between Littlest Pet Shop and Bakugan toys. Small, embedded magnets allow the big-eyed plastic pets to open and close into unexpected forms and for reasons difficult for most adults to fathom—they are super-cool! Kids love to collect them, trade them, and use their imaginations to create interactions between them. At $6-$10 per character, these little pet creatures are perfect stocking stuffers!
Moon Dough
I still don’t completely understand the difference between Moon Sand and Moon Dough, to be perfectly honest, but I can tell you that there are a lot of kids out there who seem to love both! Toy makers certainly seem to get this, as they have packaged both items with colorful, fun accessories. Girls were crazy about the Mermaid and Cupcake Cart Moon Dough sets and the boys were “digging” the Moon Sand Construction sets. I hate to use these gender-specific designations…but I’m just reporting here! These sets are comfortably priced in the $10 range.
Fin Fin Friends
This one made me feel like I had been living in a cave. All of the kids seemed to know about Fin Fin Friends playsets (Tropical Island, Castle and Boutique were the favorites) and accessories (Snorkel Fish, Orca Whale, etc.), yet these toys are all new to me. The attraction seems to be in watching your own Fin Fin Friend “come alive” and “interact” with motion, lights and sounds. These “pets” evolve personalities and behaviors the more kids play and “train” them. Keep in mind—there is nothing actually living or breathing about these fishy friends—but don’t try to tell that to kids who get lost in the thrill of watching the pets respond to their actions. This one I’ll have to see for myself—as for the kids, they are already convinced that Fin Fin Friends are winner! Individual playsets are priced in the $30 range (though I did see a sale at Toys R Us for $21!).
Signe Whitson. As a mom of two girls and a child therapist, she provides a great inside view into children for parents. Her advice has been shared on many popular sites - Psychology Today, The Passive Aggressive Diaries, and many parent community sites. She co-authored a book for everyone to understand and handle the passive aggressive behaviors we all face in our lives, "The Angry Smile - Psychology of Passive Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools and Workplaces". By partnering with My Baby Clothes Boutique, she is able to expand her audience and help more parents. Finding the most adorable baby clothes, beautiful baby headbands, warm snuggly newborn hats and so much - is the mission of our boutique.
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