By Sandy Eller
Even when my kids were little, I knew there were certain toys that I would save for my grandkids, no matter how many years down the road that would prove to be. Our entire Lego collection, all of our Fisher Price play sets with the original Little People, dozens of Matchbox cars, those adorable clamshell Polly Pockets—I saved them all. Fast-forward a bunch of years and, once again, I am hearing the pitter-patter of little feet when the dividends show up and I feel validated as those toys come out once again—so much so that I am kicking myself for not saving more of them. And so, in my never-ending quest to keep my pint-sized visitors entertained, as well as my hopes of cementing my position as a cool Bubby, I hit the internet, hoping to find some new toys to add to our collection.
What makes a great toy? I think that the answer to that question is different for everyone, but for me, the best toys encourage kids to use their imaginations, require minimal parental intervention, are interesting enough to keep the kids entertained on a Shabbos afternoon so that the adults can get in a good nap, and aren’t a major headache when cleanup time rolls around. Check out some of these terrific toys that will hopefully keep your kids enchanted for hours—and if you are lucky, they might just allow you to join in the fun.
Magna Tiles (Valtech). If you haven’t heard of Magna Tiles, you either spend no time with small children or are living under a rock. These flat plastic geometric pieces with magnetic edges were invented in 1992 and have taken the toy world by storm, with numerous knockoffs hoping to ride the Magna Tile wave. Because the magnets connect no matter which way they are facing, even toddlers can become miniature architects as they lay the tiles flat, stack them, or build vertically. From simple construction to complex structures, the sky’s the limit with Magna Tiles, as kids learn about math and science while stretching their imaginations. Chances are your kids’ schools have Magna Tiles, your kids’ friends have Magna Tiles, and your kids are probably going to come home one day asking for a set of their own. You can start with one set and add to it over time, allowing your kids to continue expanding their horizons.
Malia’s Beach House (Build and Imagine). Think of this as a fusion of Magna Tiles, paper dolls, and a doll house, only about 20 times better. The pieces, mostly squares and triangles, are printed with rooms and scenes and can be configured in a zillion different ways. The two dolls in the set are sturdy and magnetized and come with a full wardrobe of magnetic clothing, giving little fashionistas lots of different options. Because the pieces are basic geometric shapes, they can be set up any way you want, giving you the flexibility to construct this dollhouse in a multitude of ways. Build and Imagine makes several other sets and all are compatible, giving you the option of creating a McMansion of your own. I am not embarrassed to admit that both my older sister and I were mesmerized as we played with this one.
Better Builders (Guidecraft). Yet another great magnetic toy that encourages creativity and analytic thinking in kids as young as 18 months old. This one contains magnets that are so strong they come with a warning to keep the pieces away from computers and pacemakers, but are deeply embedded for kids’ safety. The chunky pieces, perfectly sized for little hands, come in a variety of shapes, including rods and elbows in both longer and shorter sizes, with colorful steel balls that serve as the connectors between the magnets. The enclosed activity guide gives great suggestions for possible constructions, but you know as well as I do that your budding engineer is going to dream up something unique, leaving you to wonder if you should start saving up now for your child’s tuition at Cooper Union.
Wooden Railway Set (Melissa and Doug). Every kid should have a train set, and who better to put together a dream setup than the folks at Melissa and Doug, renowned for their great kids’ products? With 132 pieces, this set is massive and has just about anything budding conductors could want: two railway bridges, a turntable, dozens of pieces of track, traffic signs, workers, and plenty more. Putting the set together is tons of fun as you figure out how to lay out the track, with its many twists and turns, and all of the assorted accessories. Once you have everything the way you want it, then comes the best part: playing trains! The cars attach with magnets, and both the young and the young at heart will have fun transferring cargo from one car to another and rolling the trains across the track. A true classic that has stood the test of time for years, a train set is a great addition to any playroom, and this one, compatible with other popular railway systems, is sturdy, well made, and will provide your kids with hours of creative play time.
Squigz (Fat Brain Toys). When you think of building toys, you likely contemplate Lego or blocks, but Squigz, featuring suction construction, takes you in a whole different direction. Featuring a variety of soft silicone pieces in mega-cool colors and shapes and varying numbers of suction cups, Squigz don’t allow you to build all that far vertically, but they do give you great arches and other fun angles. While they don’t hold together for hours on end, Squigz do stick to any hard surface including walls, refrigerators, bathtubs, and yes, human foreheads (don’t ask me how I know that), letting kids think outside the box. Squigz are also squishy enough to make them baby-safe, and they make a satisfying popping noise when you pull them apart that kids will love, making cleanup time more fun than ever.
Castle Logix (Smart Games). A seven-piece wooden 3-D puzzle geared to kids ages three to eight, Castle Logix is a series of logic puzzles that will challenge children to use their brainpower. Each of the four wooden castle blocks are pre-drilled with several holes and feature differently oriented pictures front and back. Completing the set are three towers attached to wooden dowels of varying lengths which are used to assemble the castle in dozens of ways. A one-player puzzle, perfect for independent playtime, Castle Logix comes with a booklet presenting 48 different configurations for your child to copy, ranging in difficulty from starter to master. While the starter ones were on the simple side and I had no trouble mastering the junior challenges, the expert ones had me thinking a little bit, and the master-level puzzles required some serious effort on my part. Thankfully, the booklet features solutions for each of the challenges on the back of the page for those castles that have your child (and maybe even you) stumped.