Hudson Valley Parent has reached out to some of our favorite toy companies to offer a pretty fabulous Holiday Toy Guide Giveaway this year! A range of toys for all ages will jump start your holiday gift shopping this year with some of the hottest toys on the market. In addition to the giveaway, we've been asking readers to share their child's favorite toys- the toys that get played with all year round, not just on Christmas Day. Shopping by age below will bring you to our extensive reader generated top toys and browse below through the awesome toys you can win this season!
Chase Me Casey™ (6-36mo): Catch him if you can! Chase Me Casey™ is an adorable little monkey that skates, spins and wobbles across the floor, encouraging your little one to dance and crawl after him. When your child gets close, Casey reacts with playful sounds and silly and encouraging phrases. Five colorful shape buttons on the playful monkey’s shirt introduce letters, numbers, body parts, music and more. The chase is on!
Crayola Kids@Work Action Blocks 150-piece Hex Box (2+): Little builders can start developing STEM skills and fueling their imaginations with the all-new Crayola Kids@Work Action Blocks from Amloid. This new twist on classic building blocks inspires hours of creative construction fun– it’s interactive, cognitive, and imaginative play all-in-one! Each sturdy and stackable block has a unique feature and function—spin, rotate, turn, twist, expand, and build while identifying colors and developing fine motor skills. The gear blocks add movement while the tri-post blocks allow advanced building, both up and out! Give the blocks some added personality with a sheet of unique, funny-face decals included in the box. When playtime is over, simply put all the vibrant and iconic Crayola-colored blocks back in the oversized hex box for easy storage. Compatible with other block systems.
Kids@Work 250-piece Big Block Bin (1+): Endless creative play awaits with the Kids@Work Big Block Bin from Amloid. Little ones can build with 250 sturdy and stackable building blocks that come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Enhance budding builders’ cognitive and fine-motor skills as they continuously create new structures. Not only do the building blocks have stacking capability, but the bins can also be stacked on top of one another for unique room décor. After playtime, the block bin’s wide flip top and hefty storage make it easy for little hands to partake in clean-up time. The bin includes (250) bright and durable Kids@Work building blocks. Compatible with other block systems. Big Block Bins are available in red, green, blue, and purple. Available in-store at Sam's Club
Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Mickey Magical Wonderland (1-5): Go where the magic never ends with the Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Mickey Magical Wonderland! Hop into the car with Mickey Mouse and experience this magical town. Ride on the Ferris wheel, slide down the ramp to push the boat back and forth, spin the gears and open the peek-a-boo windows to promote motor skills. Little drivers can also activate five SmartPoint® locations and listen to Mickey Mouse say fun phrases and encouraging words. It’s a magical place!
OOZ-O'S from Horizon Group (6+): Create squishy, slimy spheres with OOZ-O’S™! Simply combine the included ingredients to form oozing slimy spheres that are ready for popping, squeezing and squishing to reveal sparkling colorful goo inside! OOZ-O’S™ themes include Unicorn, Mermaid, Galaxy and more! Each kit includes an OOZ-O’S™ Maker, 3 colors of paint, and embellishments or toys to go inside. Creating OOZ-O’S™ is a fun, hands-on way to introduce kids to chemistry and express creativity. Adult supervision required. Giveaway for Mermaid.
Rescue Runts (3+): Rescue Runts need a home to call their own! The super soft plush puppies arrive in their crate packaging with matted fur full of fleas, dirty paws, bruises and bumps, tears in their eyes and downturned ears. Care for your Rescue Runt using the included grooming kit to pick out the fleas, remove the cast, clean the dirt from their paws, wipe away their tears and brush their messy fur. Perk up their ears to complete the transformation from ragged runt to perfect pet! Choose a name and write it on the collar to make the adoption official.Rescue Runts include one pet, a brush, collar, tweezers and towel.
Pai Storybooks (3+): Makes reading a unique, interactive, and extremely fun experience when paired with the free Augmented Reality app. The rich, detailed illustrations will come to life in 360-degree animations. Kids can customize the characters in the story with the special AR coloring cards. A gift like this encourages a love of reading and thoughtful stories teach kids positive lessons.
Kidvelope’s Space Rescue Mission (6+): The first of many collaborative Kidvelope mission adventure games played offline and online, specifically designed to help kids build connections with family members who live far away. Kidvelope’s robust activity kits help kids and family members learn more about each other through hands-on creative activities, fun back and forth mailings, digital games, and phone conversations – kicking off a multimedia experience between the generations! Kidvelope combines the best of “old school” communication, creativity and humor with innovative digital elements that inspire imagination, self-expression, and thinking skills.
SLIMYGLOOP Mix'Ems by Horizon Group (3+): SLIMYGLOOP™ Mix ‘Ems are a fun and easy way to capture the excitement of slime making and mixing. As one of the hottest trends in the market, Mix ‘Ems allows you to create your own combinations of SLIMYGLOOP by providing pre-made glitter SLIMYGLOOP and fun embellishments like glitter, figurines, foam balls and more! This product is mess-free and extremely safe- just mix in your components and play! Available in Unicorn, Confetti, Gragon, Galaxy, Mermaid. Giveaway for prehistoric set.
Pendulonium™ STEM Challenge (5+): Physics fundamentals become playtime fun with the Pendulonium STEM Challenge from Learning Resources. This hands-on activity set challenges kids to send the included launch balls flying toward goal cups and targets with the help of a three-piece adjustable pendulum. What seems like a collection of simple tasks will actually challenge each child’s engineering, problem solving, and critical thinking skills as they play around with early physics concepts such as force and momentum in search of the ideal solution.
Snot It (6+): Snot It is the gross game of boogey fun – can you collect the most boogers? To play, fill the booger bowl with the foam boogers, put on your glasses and let the snot drip! Spin the spinner to find out how many boogers you need to pick up, wind the spinning booger bowl, then try to pick up the right colored boogers from the bowl using only the snot hanging from your glasses – no hands! If you pick the right combination of boogers, you get to keep them all. If you don’t pick what you spun, you must put them all back. Beware the purple booger! If you grab one, try to scream “SNOT IT!” before any of your opponents do. The first player to yell keeps the purple booger, while the last player must return one of their boogers to the bowl. The player who collects 10 boogers first wins the game!
Go-with-Me ABC Backpack™ (3+): Embark on a learning adventure with Mr. Pencil and the Go-with-Me ABC Backpack™. This one of a kind toy lets toddlers interact with the alphabet in awesome ways. Using the write and erase board, kids can practice letter writing and drawing with Mr. Pencil. The screen shows how to write each letter step-by-step and then shows how to turn each letter into animals. Inserting the 26 letter pieces into the letter spaces teaches the letter name, letter sound, an animal that begins with that letter and more. Little learners can play seven different activities and when they’re done, the plastic backpack holds all the pieces inside. Clip the backpack closed and wear like a real backpack for learning on the go. Draw, learn and get going!
DigiArt Spirals & Sounds™ (3-6): Create unique spiral art designs with DigiArt Spirals & Sounds™. Place a piece of letter size paper (not included) inside the electronic art board, choose an animal stencil, then use one of the five included gears and the marker to make fun and intricate spiral patterns. Place an animal stencil in the board and press the talk button to hear creative encouragement, fun facts and a silly rhyme about the animal. Roll a gear inside the animal stencil to trigger funny sounds. Switch to music mode to hear 20 cheerful melodies while you create. Let your creativity soar with spirals!
GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Globe(™) (ages 4-6): Junior jet setters can explore the world with Wildlife Warrior Bindi Irwin! Updated version of the bestselling Talking Globe provides a high-tech, hands-on, interactive introduction to geography.
Product Features + Benefits:
- High-tech globe with dual swivel and smart stylus
- Featuring the voice of Wildlife Warrior Bindi Irwin, who has been traveling to faraway places since she was a little girl
- Includes Explore, Find It, and Measure It Modes - over 10 hours of interactive audio
- Features continents, U.S. states, animals, and nature
- Touch the pen to 2 locations to find out how far apart they are
- Globe measures 12.6” in diameter
- Part of the award-winning GeoSafari Jr. line
- Pen requires 2 AAA batteries (not included)
Cat Crimes (8+): “Who’s to Blame Logic Game” is a single player puzzle with a loveable cast of characters! Each of the 40 challenges presents a crime and a series of clues to help solve it. Stashes easily in backpacks or the car for road trips.
Laser Chess (8+): “Beam Directing Strategy Game” is a license of the game Khet for two-players that combines the spatial thinking skills of chess with the high-tech fun of laser beams. Promotes STEM learning, light and reflection physics.
Shadows in the Forest (8+): “Play in the Dark Strategy Game” is a thrilling, immersive play experience that brings a distinctive twist to game night – you play in the dark! Promotes cooperative play, strategic thinking, light and shadow physics.
Cinco Linko (8+): Cinco Linko is a super-simple five-in-a-row tile game that you can clip to your bag and play on the go, no matter where you're headed. With no game board required, any flat surface can be your playing field- whether it's the coffee table at home, the ray table on an airplane or even the sand on the beach. All you need is a flat surface, some willing opponents and a burning desire to win! Available for purchase December 2018 at Walmart.
KLUTZ Maker Lab: Gumball Machine Build a Machine that Really Works! (8+): Perfect for any budding engineer with a sweet tooth! Make your own gumball machine with a book of step-by-step instructions, adjustable ramps, custom snaps, and bumper guides. Then, keep the ball rolling with other gumball-related science experiments using simple machines. It's a ball of fun!
STEM at Play™ MAGNETS! (8+): Explore the science behind magnetism! Use real lab tools and materials to perform amazing experiments and experience what it’s like to think like a scientist or an engineer. Kids will float magnets, move trains, create compasses, and more, becoming an expert in all things magnetic. The fact-filled guide is chock-full of pictures and information needed for hours of experimentation in your very own home laboratory! STEM at Play™ kits bring science concepts to life through hands-on activities designed to spark interest, inspire confidence, and prompt creative critical-thinking skills while fostering collaboration between children and adults. STEM at Play™ kits provide materials to support scholastic goals while keeping at-home learning fun.