pretend play – All The Best Toys

Little People Christmas Story Nativity Playset

We bought the Little People Christmas Story Nativity Playset this year to add to our Christmas decorations. We were surprised to see that our 1 year old played with this set for almost an hour the first day that we set it up!

We had really purchase the set as a “child safe” nativity set that our young kids couldn’t break — we didn’t really consider it to be a play toy — but that is exactly what it has turned out to be.

Just like all the Fisher-Price “Little People” toys, it’s high quality and safe for toddlers and young kids. The star above the manger lights up and plays the song, “Away in a Manger”. This set is a cute and fun way to teach your young children about the story of Christmas.

Melissa and Doug Slice and Bake Cookie Set

Pretty much any toy by Melissa and Doug is awesome and their Slice and Bake Cookie Set is no exception. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve “eaten” these cookies served up by my kids. We’ve had our set for a couple years and they don’t look any worse for the wear.

The kids love to bake and serve these cookies. They are made of wood and all the cookie “dough” sticks together with velcro and allows kids to “slice” the cookies with the included wooden knife. Then the dough is place on the cookie sheet, again, sticking with velcro. After “baking”, kids can add frosting which again, sticks on with velcro.

This toy is suggested for kids age 3 year old up to around 9 year old. Our kids enjoyed this toy from around age 2 year old and up. This cookie set makes a nice addition to our play kitchen. Who doesn’t love cookies?

Cat In The Hat I Can Do That Game

I played the Dr. Suess, Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! game with my 3 and 4 year old this weekend and they love this game…

I played the Dr. Suess, Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! game with my 3 and 4 year old this weekend and they love this game. The concept is pretty simple, there are three card types, each color coded and numbered 1, 2,or 3.

On your child’s turn, they draw three cards, one of each type. The cards are placed in a row to form a “mad lib” of sorts that provides the challenge that must be completed. It always includes a game piece, what to do with it, and an action to complete. So for example, grab the fish, put it on your head and hop up and down three times. Like I said, it’s pretty simple, but that type of silliness was a big hit for my kids.

The game is rated for age 4-8. It certainly works well for the younger kids. There is a way to keep score and win, but for the 3 and 4 year old, we didn’t keep score and the kids had fun just doing the silly things in the game.

After we ran through all the cards included in the game, we keep the fun going and made up a few of our own challenges!

Overall, this is a great game that is simple and easy fun game play. As you would expect from Dr. Suess, imagination and creativity is a big aspect of this game. If you have young kids, this is a good one to have in your family game collection since it is so different compared to many of the more traditional board games.

Kidkraft Retro Kitchen and Refrigerator in Pink

The little chef in your life will love the Kidkraft Retro Kitchen and Refrigerator! It is a great pretend play kitchen set for kids. This set includes a refrigerator, freezer, oven and dishwasher which all have opening doors and knobs that turn.

This set is made of wood and designed to last and built very sturdy. It has the same “classic” look and is very similar to a playset that is offered at Pottery Barn, but for only a fraction of the price. If you read through the product reviews on Amazon, you will see that many people have compared this set to the Pottery Barn set. Most of those reviewers have choosen this set over the Pottery Barn set and are very glad that they did. This is a great play kitchen set for kids 2 year old and up.

If you are getting the kitchen set, you may want to “accessorize” with some play food sets and pots, pans and serving dishes!

Spy Net Secret Mission Video Watch

The Spy Net Secret Mission Video Watch is a high tech “spy toy” that is an all in one high tech spy gadget.

Here are some of the top features:
-take photos
-record video/audio
-built in Lie Detector
-built in voice changer
-option to connect to computer and download missions
-full color screen

Girls and Boys age 8 year old and up will enjoy this watch as one of the best toys for hi-tech spy work!

Matchbox Mega Rig Pirates Ship

The new MATCHBOX Mega Rig Pirates Ship is great action/adventure toy for kids age 4 year old up to around 12 year old. This Mega Rig Pirate Ship can transform into 30 different ships. The boat rolls on land and can float in the water. Watch the 30 second commercial and get ready for some swash bucklin’ fun!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JWWsaIf5TY]