Rainbow River Stones; Wee Blossom; $159; www.weeblossom.com or www.munchkinfield.com; ages 3 and up.

 

This brightly colored set of six large plastic molded river stones mimic the shapes of natural ones. Their top surfaces have non-skid patterns to add interest and grip. When children walk barefoot on the stones, they can imagine themselves outdoors, walking on the stones formed by water and earth. Hopping from one stone to the next helps children gain confidence in movement and practice balance and coordination.

 

The stones are lightweight and easy for children to move, carry and stack themselves. The set includes two river stones each of three colors/sizes that can be placed individually to make a path or stacked up to three high for more challenge.  The stones nest together and come in a durable nylon carry bag.

“It’s fun to pretend there are sharks and alligators and yucky seaweed in the river and we have to jump across without falling in and getting eaten. But if you do fall in, you have to eat the seaweed!”
- 6-year-old boy
 

$24.99; www.hasbrotoyshop.com; for ages 7 and up. Players simulate a baseball game by bouncing metal balls on a mini trampoline into target holes that represent bases, outs, strikes and home runs. Unit keeps score and builds excitement with lights and sound.

Funny Phone Early Listening Game, Learning Resources, $34.99; www.learningresources.com; ages 4 and up.

 

A silly interactive phone helps sharpen kids’ listening skills while dishing out tongue twisters, jokes and more. Pick up the retro-style phone receiver and dial a number from the pull out phone directory. As children dial, each number gives a different, goofy sound effect and then the caller listens to the challenge and responds. Some challenges are for geared for an individual player, while others invite everyone to play. When the challenge is answered correctly, players feed the Funny Phone a token. The object of the game is to be the first to feed all your tokens!

 

There are over 300 questions in all, so play is different each time the phone is answered. Children quickly realize they have to listen to the whole message before responding; a boon to helping kids hone their patience and listening skills. 

 

Battleship, Hasbro, $15.99; www.hasbro.com; ages 7 and up.

 

The new clear plastic, two-sided battle grid brings players head-to-head in a high-tech-looking version of this classic sea battle game. Players face each other on opposite sides of the grid and launch a hit-and-miss assault on each other’s fleets. Call the shots: Charlie 8! Foxtrot 11! The play hasn’t changed much, but the ships and the battle arena have been nicely updated. Hit or miss, the nostalgia is unavoidable and the fun is intact!
 

Elmo Tickle Hands, Fisher-Price, $30; www.ticklehands.com; ages 18 months and up.

 

Elmo has danced, tickled and giggled into the lives and hearts of children everywhere, but this innovation allows children to feel like Elmo in an interactive way never before experienced. The contagious laughter of Elmo accompanies the vibrating tickle of Elmo-like hands. Children don furry red paws and tickle others while they feel the vibrating tickle themselves. One glove has the electronic tickle component, while the other is purely kid-charged.

 

The set includes a short instructional DVD in which Elmo teaches children the “Tickle Hand Groove” – which gets kids off the couch, movin’ and groovin’ to Elmo’s funky beat. 

$89.99; www.LEGO.com; for ages 6 and up. Play tabletop cops and robbers! Every detail of the design and size is well thought through. Set includes many fun accessories (trick walls, handcuffs, cells, etc.); the seven figures and three vehicles increase playability long after the HQ is built.

For more LEGO building fun, check out:

LEGO Creator Beach House
A World of LEGO Mosaics
Port of LEGO City
Model Town House

$129.99; www.fisher-price.com; for ages 3 and up. This brontosaurus-like dinosaur is nearly child height and grunts and roars when moving. A wireless remote makes it clomp forward, turn left or right, open its mouth, blink its eyes and stand on its hind legs. The spikes light-up along its back and it can spit a ball or bone from its mouth.

For more fun with dinosaurs, check out:

Fossil League
Imaginext T-Rex

Family Fun Winner! 

$34.99; www.gamewright.com; for ages 8 and up. A fun twist on bocce, this game is played by throwing a multi-sided ball and having players throw their bean balls and hoops to land the closest to the target ball. During play, a wrist-mounted scorekeeper gives additional rules on “how” to throw (stand on one leg, roll it off your head, toss with eyes closed, yell and toss, etc.). The target ball awards bonus points for special circumstances, such as for the object farthest away. 

Large Rag Doll Grenadine, Corolle, $35; www.corolle.com; ages 0 and up.

 

This classic beauty will win the hearts of your little ones. Impeccably designed in ultra-soft materials, she stands out as a bold beauty in magenta. Her embroidered facial features are simple and safe. She has a permanent velour hat and matching removable jumper dress. Innocent eyes will captivate; puff-ball slippers will delight. This doll can be an active playmate by day and a cozy companion at night. 

Flapdoodle, Imagination Games, $19.95; www.imaginationgames.com; ages 6 and up.

 

Most of the play is in the cards, simple path game board and cardboard character pieces. You never know what will be on the cards, but many of them can be ridiculously educational in ways you’d never expect, such as making rhymes, naming five things you can eat that are green, or saying a sentence that no one has probably ever said before. Others, though are just plain goofy, like guessing how many fillings another player has, giving three good reasons you think it’s okay to stay up past bedtime, or performing stunts like, “Find and wear four hats simultaneously.” Imagination and creativity help you answer questions, and luck plays a role in advancement, too.