The Best Toy - your top recommends!!

[mrsbornkuntry]

Have to agree with you about the army men- DS 9 gets more excited about a bag of those things from the dollar store than just about anything. He loves to build battles all over the house.

Now I'm off to check out Geoboards.......sounds interesting!

I'm not sure where you get the geoboards, ours came with a homeschool math curriculum and I guess the kids had used them at school because they were really excited about them and they get alot of play time so I guess a school supply store maybe.


I forgot about Imaginext, my boys love the pirate sets.

 

[holden]

My DD5 is a "no toy" kind of kid. She plays dress up, makes up "shows", does arts/crafts, and pretends all day. An ideal toy for her would include: scissors, paper, wrapping paper, crayons, markers, tape (lots of it), dress up clothes & shoes, and her Kit doll (which she carries everywhere she goes but doesn't "play" with per se).

 

[luvmy3]

Snaptricity - my 6yo's all-time favorite toy (for now)

I was looking at this for my 8 yo ds but dh would rather him have real circuits and stuff, uuhh men
It looks like alot of fun and they can actually learn something too, I may just get it anyway.

Favorites here are
Anything Star Wars especially the battlepacks unleashed. They are small figures with no littl epieces to get lost.

Little green army men (they have tan too!) You can also find them from different wars, we have Revolutionarym WWI (or II) etc

Legos

Nascar cars matchbox size

 

[brandylouwho]

for DD 4 I'd say art supplies, including stamps (getting alphabet stamps for Christmas), scrapbooking scissors, glue and stickers. Also-matchbox cars--so versatile and easy to take a few with you when you are on the go.

DD1 plays with dolls & stuffed animals daily, especially with the Dr/vet set & the Little Tykes Teddy Bear Nursery. Also loves her ball popper toy ( I forget the formal name) but she thinks the balls popping out are hilarious.

and the most used, but annoys the heck out of me toy--Little Tikes Push & Ride Doll Walker. A simple little ride on that they fight over.

 

[java]

Just an FYI in case anyone is in the same boat as me. My DD is allergic to milk, and we found out AFTER she was soaking in these tablets that they have milk in them.

Well thanks for posting that. My guy broke out in a rash after using them and I assumed he was allergic to the dye but maybe it's the milk!
My guys love those little chunky figures that they make now for star wars, indiana jones and spiderman. They are called Galactic Heroes. They play with them all day long.

And Hot wheels cars along with the wooden garage. In fact they are getting another garage since they play with the one they have all the time and I found a bigger one that'll fit more cars.

And Leapfrog used to make this globe- I don't know if they still do. It was electronic and you can click on the places with a pen- and it talks to you. Tells you facts. You can play find the country games. really it is a GREAT toy. My kids love it. And it is educational! My son's then 3rd grade teacher was impressed when he showed her where Uzbekistan was.

 

[Leader of the Club]

--Bags of little green Army men, very cheap, but they have been on all kinds of missions in my house and they fit in pretty much all of the bigger vehicles, including Star Wars ones, lol.

OMG! We go through tons of those things. We find them in the laundry, the puppy's mouth, the car, the puppy's mouth, beds, the puppy's mouth, my bag, my work, the puppy's mouth. You get the idea! My boss came into work one morning to find an entire battle scene set up in the sterling silver jewelry display cabinet. OOPS!

And, they are educational! My kids recreate actual battles with these guys. If there are any jobs out there for war historians, let me know. My boys are quailified!

They have nicer quality sets at Hobby Lobby. We usually have grandparents get those for Christmas.

And for older kids, my 11 y/o loves making his own green army men now from the model kits they sell at Hobby Lobby. He saves his money, waits for them to be on sale or for a 40% off coupon rotfl: ) and buys one every month or so.

 

[solfan68]

Geotrax - Initially got daily use, but several years later gets occassional use, especially at Christmas. Be warned... Once you and your kids start to dream up various layouts you'll find yourself on eBay or at Toys R Us looking for just One More track pack to complete your latest creation.

Nintendo DS - for kids of all ages (if you get my drift). Whether its Pokemon, Brain Age, Mario Kart, or Elite Beat Agents... its a safe bet that everyone in the house will have their favorite. Santa was kind enough to bring one for me and for DS6 last year. And nowadays mommy is hooked on all kinds of brain puzzles. Best part is that pre-owned DS games can be obtained reasonably at shops like Gamestop, or via rental at Gamefly.

 

[Poohbug]

Boys--Legos (of course)
Light sabers
Under 7 year old boys:
Fisher-Price Imaginext Pirate Ship and Castle (with extra knights, prison guard, etc.) We supplement with playmobil pieces...
Dress-up costumes (pirates, jedi, cowboy, etc.)

I like the Imaginext toys too. I love that they pretend play and no screen involved. My boys also love legos, leapfrog. My oldest just got a nintendo DS and he loves it-only has one game tho and would love more games.
We also have the racetrack with the shake n go cars that they like and a playhut set that is great in the winter-we set it up in the living room or downstairs and they can get some energy out crawling through the tubes and making forts.

 

[mombare]

My 6 year old dd is getting a ream of computer paper, a stapler and extra staples!! The kid drives me nuts!! Days go by that she doesn't play with toys, but rather makes things with the items listed above...
Other favorites around our house include those that have already been listed (army men, Leapsters, Hullabaloo, etc.)

 

[luvmy3]

And for older kids, my 11 y/o loves making his own green army men now from the model kits they sell at Hobby Lobby. He saves his money, waits for them to be on sale or for a 40% off coupon rotfl: ) and buys one every month or so.

Is Hobby Lobby a hobby shop or a craft store? I would love to find some make your own little army guy kits for my ds. He loves those army guys and he is just getting into model kits (star wars, of course). I didn't even know such a thing existed and I don't have a Hobby Lobby in my area, but maybe I could find them at MIchaels or AC Moore.

 

[AndreaDM]

My 6 year old dd is getting a ream of computer paper, a stapler and extra staples!! The kid drives me nuts!! Days go by that she doesn't play with toys, but rather makes things with the items listed above...

Wow! I thought I was the only one doing this! My almost 6 year old DD will sit for hours cutting and stapling paper. We NEVER have any paper when we actually need to print something. Other hits are Webkins, LPS and anything dress-up or make believe.

 

[mom2faith]

I have to second the dress up clothes/old halloween costumes. My DD will wear them all the time. She gets to daycare and puts on a princess dress, gets home and puts on another one. I bought a ton of halloween leftovers when she was little that are paying off now.

 

[Colinsmom]

can you tell me more about this?

It's a very nice quality science set where they can do various experiments with electricity and circuits. My 6yo kindergartner has no problems building experiments himself. Everything snaps together (yes, with snaps like on clothing) so is easy to put together and take apart. They have them a number of places online, plus at local independent toy stores (like Learning Express, which is actually a chain). We have the set that was about $40 but he wants one of the bigger sets from Santa!

 

[Colinsmom]

Another idea for the 2-3yo set: at Target, there is a Parents Magazine animal hospital/vet set that both of my boys loved playing with. There are 3 animals and the little kennels are unlocked with a set of plastic keys (hours of entertainment there alone), plus there are vet supplies. It's very durable and the kids just love it.

 

[meb7]

My 4 yo's love the imaginext stuff as well. And the Geotraxs.

I was looking into the Star Wars Galatic Heroes too. After this I think I will pick some up. Where is the best place to get them? Are there any deals out there?

 

[Chim Chiminy]

American Girl anything!
DD got them for Christmas last year, as did two of her best friends and it has been non-stop play with the dolls.
They are 9 and 10 year olds BTW.

Best thing is that the dolls still look great, clothing still looks great. We couldn't be happier with the quality.

For boys, we have never been disappointed with LEGO. Some older Matchbox sets we had good luck with, it has been a few years though.

Craft sets and supplies.

Leapster Leap Pad and L-Max, both well worth the investment.

A marble run from some Italian toy company. And a building set of gears from the same company, wish I could remember.
Bought those a tag sale for $1 each and later saw them in a catalog for $$$.
They have held up now for eight years and still get played with.

 

[lindsmom]

Magna Tiles and Kid K'nex - not the regular k'nex, they're tough to use. The Kid k'nex are friendly for the under - 10 set.

and magna tiles, I have 3 sets. Very cool.

 

[NotUrsula]

A marble run from some Italian toy company. And a building set of gears from the same company, wish I could remember.
Bought those a tag sale for $1 each and later saw them in a catalog for $$$.
They have held up now for eight years and still get played with.

The Italian toy company is Quercetti. Absolutely great toys that hold up forever. I often find them at Marshall's.

Also Italian, and great especially for the littler kids, anything by Chicco. The quality and design is unbelievably good.

Oh, and if you have boys who are looking for trucks, or construction vehicle toys, Battat trucks and especially Bruder trucks are terrific, much better than Tonka for the most part. Again, you can often find them at Marshalls. Battat is an American company, Bruder is German.

 

[cole6179]

Geo Trax! How did I forget about those. My kids LOVE them. We started w/a small basic set for my dd's 2nd bday. We have added sets here and there for birthdays and holidays and have a ton over the last 3 years. I can't wait to add more this Christmas. (and a bigger storage container) They will sit forever and play their trains.

 

[piratemamaof3]

going w/ those that buy paper/staples/scizzors my DS 7 love tape. I need to get some for his stocking b/c I can never keep it. He tapes the doors his face, clothes any thing he can find. Just the reg. scotch tape.
The younger 2 just got inot playmobil very sturdy and over all great value I think.
legos
fav. computer game for every on in the house if Roller Coaster Tycoon. They all love it and will play on it forever if we let them.


as for the Star Wars Galatic people I have seen sets of them at Walmart, Kohls and Toys R us that come w/ several people and then one larger item like the snow creature or a plain. Target has a set of 3 people for $10 but they are Christmas themed (light on the gun, candy cane or tree instead of light saber, very cute) The younger 2 love them also. They now have Indiana Jones, Super Heros, Transformers of they same kind.