Our testers agree - these are the cutest novelty toys of the season. Pictured is just one of several Sing-a-ma-jigs. Each has it's own colorful personality and tee-shirt. To activate their sounds and moving lips, you must press their bellies. But first, press the left hand and the doll greets you with words. Press again and it will sing a familiar song. Press once again and the doll sings in harmony alone or with as many other Sing-a-ma-jigs as you may happen to own. Each doll has it's own unique song. Red sings "Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?" and he sings as fast or slow as you push his belly. Blue sings, "When the Saints Go Marching In." Yellow, in an argyle tee shirt sings, "Home on the Range" and Pink in polka dots sings "Skip to My Lou." These are going to be hot, hot, hot! The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

SNAP: For kids who need to strengthen hands, this is a playful motivator. It's also a good way to learn about cause and effect since the song sings fast or slow, depending on how you squeeze it.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

This is not to be confused with an earlier GoGo Pup that was voice activated and didn't always obey. This GoGo really does follow orders since it is tethered and operated by hand. A white furry dog with curly spaniel type floppy ears and silky long white coat comes with a pink and purple collar and a long purple leach with controls in the plastic handle. Take you pup for a walk and it will follow commands to turn in a circle, walk forward, wag its tail, and even make puppy sounds. This is less elaborate than earlier Furreal animals, but one that requires no house breaking or shots and will not chew up your shoes or doors.
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

SNAP: Since this pup is tethered it will not go too far, yet kids can make things happen and are in control once they learn what actions will follow according to the buttons they push. So this is a toy that empowers kids and involves both fine motor skills and memory. Best part is, it needs no shots, housebreaking or baths.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Learning to use a pair of scissors to cut along a line is not an instantaneous skill. Doing so, just got easier with these cleverly designed plastic scissors that can be used by both righties and lefties. No little fingers have to slip into place, you grip them with the whole hand and snip away. You can buy the scissors separately or in a kit with cut out creatures that kids cut, assemble and glue into place. The sturdy patterned paper has guide lines for beginners and the kit everything (glue stick, wiggly eyes, animal print paper, frames, and scissors) they need for making a menagerie of ten animals. There are no sharp points and the scissors cut through thick paper without a problem. There are simple directions as well as yarn to hang their finished creature creations. Be forewarned: these marvelous safety scissors are capable of cutting hair, so be on the look-out for small barbers in training. They say 4 & up...we'd say 5's are likely to have more success.
         The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

The design of these scissors will make cutting a lot easier for children who would have difficulty with the finger holds in classic scissors. Don't get caught up with cutting on the lines for beginners. Just the act of cutting a line or a curve is a big deal. The scissors are sold without the kit and are a good craft item to introduce--without the structure of the kit. Use them for cutting scrap paper and making colorful collages.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Ten colorful blocks that fit into each other or can be stacked. Graphics on one side of the blocks feature the head and body of a lion, the head, middle and bottom of a giraffe, and the head and body of a zany looking zebra. Another side of the blocks can be stacked to make a giant stem of a flower. Still another side has silly looking monsters or numerals with matching objects from 1 to 10. Use them for stacking and knocking down with the youngest players. Usee them for learning about size order and nesting with older toddlers. Fun for language, part/whole games and simple counting. A lot of play possibilities here for toddlers and preschoolers. 2 & up
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Kids pick up the 12 ice cream scoop pieces one at a time with a special dandy ice cream scooper. You just put the scooper on the ice cream and place it on the ice cream cone (that's in a stand) and press the little button to release the ice cream. The object of the game is to pile up the biggest stack of ice cream before it tumbles over. Players are to count each piece as they go along and keep a tally of how many they stacked. Now the next player takes a turn. The round ends when each player has had a turn and the winner is the one who "scooped" and stacked the largest number of ice cream scoops. An alternative game, players take turns adding one scoop and winner of round is the one who does not caused the ice cream to tumble. This is a good game for developing dexterity and balancing skills. The rounds are fast with lots of opportunities to win and lose. 4 & up.  We compared this ice cream scooping game to Sky High Scoops from Learning Resources--with very different results from our testers.  One group preferred the audio prompts of hte Sky High Scoops (it asks you to pile up the plastic ice cream scoops by number or color)--our slightly older group of testers did not like the prompts and preferred the scooper mechanism in the Scoop 'em Up set.  Both are fun and really depends on whether your child likes to listen for prompts.  One parent did not that the larger scoops in the Sky High Scoops make it easier for younger players to handle.

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

SNAP: Another good matching game can be played without the ice cream cone. Use the flavor chart and have kids take turns matching the ice cream scoops to the images on the card. DO this by picking them up by hand first and then introduce the scooper. Learning how the release button works may take some time, but it is a fun learning tool that involves finger action as well as eye hand coordination.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

If you're in the painting zone with your older preschooler or early school age child, this set is fun to expand their painting experience. The set comes with five different "brushes" that will create different patterns with the tempra paint (5 colors are included).  This type of set is right on target for talking about layering colors, changing colors based on combining them and the types of patterns they can create with the brushes. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

For kids who may not like getting their hands in the paint, these brushes give them another opportunity for exploring applying paint to paper in interesting ways. The handles are wide but you can also add a foam hair curler to make them easier to grasp.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A fun exploration art kit for preschoolers.  The set comes with five rubbing plates that fit in the frame.  You can use either blank sheets of paper (the kit comes with 20 blanks) or one of the 20 coloring pages.  Depending on your young artist's desire, you can use one rubbing plate for the entire sheet or change it up as they color different portions of the sheet. The set comes with two frames and eight crayons.  A very satisfying coloring toy that provides an opportunity for exploring color and pattern.  Our suggestion is to use this as a parent/child toy to start.  For kids that draw fast, this may give them space to slow down and see what they can do.

We love this as an opportunity to encourage hand motion-- kids will get to feel the bumps of the rubbing sheets as they pass the crayon over it.  Explore and talk about the patterns all on their own. There are waves, circles, stars,etc.  Using the coloring pages will also give you a chance to talk about what colors you can use to color in the images.

For older kids with special needs who may not be able to create their own representational art work, this will give them an opportunity to produce something with the look they would like to achieve. 

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.