We are pretty much done here (except youngest just announced that Santa needs to get her an Ever After Doll and we KNOW Santa did not get her that) for shopping, but the stores will be packed up until closing on Christmas Eve. If you have kids on your list that you haven’t found something for yet, I have a few ideas to share here.
Most are from Crayola. We received a HUGE box of new goodies from them a while ago and we really loved every one of them and Crayola is a great price point too AND not gender specific. I would basically recommend any arts and crafts as good go-to’s and so many stores carry the line…non crowded stores too like Staples!
The Family Favorite from Crayola: Paint Maker
We had HOURS of fun with this. We were all so thrilled that it worked and was easy and that the kids could then sit and PAINT with their finished products.
White paint is mixed with these teeny strips of paint (these are the only things younger kids would need help with) that depending on the combination – as seen on their chart – make different colours when placed in white paint and then shaken crazily by the hand crank. The set up holds everything and so makes it a nice tidy art toy too.
If you want to take tracing to the next level, Sketch Wizard is a bit of fun too. The idea is that with the correct placement of mirrors you can trace around any image or toy or action figure placed on the stand onto the paper below. This is better for older kids as it takes some hand-eye coordination and I had to show my ten year old the concept. They all had fun with it though.
THIS is the most used toy though. The Widescreen Light Designer is great. It does require batteries, but they last a LONG time as they are only required to shine the light through the board. The light patterns can be changed too depending on the scene you draw. The board is great because the pens are all stored on the back of it. In a tiny house, I love all toys that don’t take up space or require me to figure out storage. The Light Designer gets hauled out almost daily by any of my three kids who are aged 5 to 12. It is a good easy boredom buster.
If your price-point is a bit higher and the kids are burgeoning gamers, then Nintendo is the way to go. We had the original Wii years ago, but recently bought the Wii U and it has been a great addition to the gaming platforms in this house due to the fact that is kid friendly. My 5 year old can play with this console far easier than with Xbox or Playstation. Wii is also home to many more younger kid friendly games. All three LOVE Super Smash Bros…which just came out this fall. The house also shakes to the beat from Just Dance 2015. And again on this platform, Tara doesn’t need as much help with navigation which leads to a lot less fights and tantrums.
If you want to look at hand held gaming devices, Nintendo has been the leader in this field ever since we picked up the kids first DS’s. We have their XL’s and the 3DS’s here too, but was given a 2DS to review. This has the lowest price point of all the DS’s and again is built for the younger set. I find Tara has a better comfort level with this device versus the other models, and again there are so many age appropriate games to choose from.
The 2Ds is easy to hold and easy to figure out when it comes to what buttons to push when. The 2 screen thing boggles me, but apparently is just fine for kids. The Kirby Triple Deluxe game is not the greatest for funnest game for the 2DS, but is a good one for less experienced kids who need to learn the in’s and out’s of power-ups and more subtle game play. This game is a bit simple for my sophisticated 10 and 12 year olds, but Tara again could manage to play without getting frustrated or confused. This is a big deal for me. Plus Kirby is cute.
For older or more experienced kids, I would again recommend Super Smash Bros, ANY Mario game or that monster of a franchise…POKEMON.
My son has been apologizing to me for not doing a comprehensive review of Pokemon Alpha Sapphire or the one he bought, Pokemon Omega Ruby. The release of these games was HIGHLY anticipated and we had to pre-order and then take a very excited boy to line up at midnight to get it. It was THAT important. My son has played the Pokemon games exclusively on the DS platforms and I don’t think I have heard ONE complaint from him. The DS’s are connectable (is that a real word?) via wifi and you can apparently trade pokemons with other players. The world of Pokemon is a deep and complicated one that I am thoroughly cognizant of but I do like that it does not involve death and destruction.
According to my son you can’t see too much difference in gameplay between the Nintendo 2DS and the other DS versions apart from the 3D version for obvious reasons. For him the main difference are the other’s fold shut. For the younger set I prefer the 2DS as I find it easier to power off (Tara tends to leave these devices on and walk away).
So for the younger gamer in your life….there you go.
I will post the Pokemon review my son has promised when he get’s round to it.
Good luck on your last minute shopping.
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