Overwhelmed by numerous toy choices? "The Little Ones Top 25 Award Winning/Outstanding Toy Picks" is your guide to selecting top-notch, entertaining & interactive toys for children of all ages. Little Ones highlights and briefly reviews 25 of the best toys on the market.  The majority of the toys featured here have won prestigious toy and parenting awards based on quality, creativity, educational value and/or entertainment value. All toys have received outstanding consumer ratings and have been highly recommended.

Each product contains a short description, a suggested age level (when available) and additional suggestions for related toy categories. There are several variations of the  products listed below (for example deluxe vs. starter sets) so please visit www.amazon.com if you are interested in viewing the complete product line. 

Enjoy this fabulous collection of toys and gifts sure to please everyone on your list! You simply can’t go wrong with any of these award winners and highly recommended toy & gift ideas. Shopping and shipping is a breeze with these quality products available right at your fingertips.

Denotes award winning toy

1. Blokus Classics Game  Winner of over 20+ awards! Exciting brightly colored strategy game perfect for the whole family. Encourages spatial thinking & problem solving skills using simple rules. Ages 5-adult. For additional suggestions see toy category: Board Games & Card Games For Older Children (Ages 7-Adult)

2. Bananagrams  2009 Toy of the Year. Multiple-award winning, fast paced, educational word game for ages 7-adult. Addicting scrabble-like game that has requires no board and allows for numerous players. For additional suggestions see toy category: Board Games & Card Games For Older Children (Ages 7-Adult)

3. ThinkFun Zingo   Award winner! This exciting & educational variation of Bingo features 72 picture tiles which teach simple sight vocabulary and matching skills to pre-readers & readers ages 4-7. An instant favorite! For additional suggestions see toy category: Board Games & Card Games for Young Children (Toddler-Preschool)

4. Ello Creation System Ello-opolis: People, Places and Things Set  Outstanding 201 piece design & build system for girls ages 5-12. Award winning design inspires creativity and imagination! For additional suggestions see toy category: Building Sets & Creative Design Toys

5. Quadrilla Marble Railway, Twist and Rail  Award winning 97 piece marble run plus 50 marbles and play tips DVD. Develops spatial relation skills and critical thinking. Endless designs and entertainment for ages 4-10!  For additional suggestions see toy category: Building Sets & Creative Design Toys

6. Melissa & Doug 60-Piece Standard Unit Blocks  Sturdy large classic 60 piece wooden block set with storage box for ages 36 months-6 years. Lots of open-ended play and an excellent value! Award winner! For additional suggestions see toy category: Building Sets & Creative Design Toys

7..LEGO Duplo Ultimate Building Set – 71 Pieces  Colorful tub of building blocks for little fingers 18 months-5 years. Award winning toy provides hours of creative fun! LEGO also has a tremendous selection of building sets to delight children of all ages and interests. See Little Ones Special Feature: The Wonderful World of LEGOs. For additional suggestions see toy category: Building Sets & Creative Design Toys

8.Learning Resources Teaching Cash Register  Talking cash register teaches basic math & money skills for ages 5-9. Includes make believe cash and coin reader. An exciting way to "play store." Multiple awards winner! For additional suggestions see toy category: Let’s Pretend Toys For Girls & Boys

9.Uno Card Game This extremely popular color coded card game is easy to learn, unpredictable and fun for the whole family! Loads of excitement for ages 7-adult, (educational tool for 4+.) For additional suggestions see toy category: Board Games & Card Games For Older Children (Ages 7-Adult)

10.Madame Alexander My First Baby – Powder Blue, 12 InchAdorable, super soft baby doll perfect for tiny hands ages 1-3. Made of washable, baby-safe materials. Award winning first choice for little mommies! For additional suggestions see toy category: Dolls, Dollhouses, Dress Up & More! 
11.Corolle Special Feature Baby Doll Lila – 17" Doll   Multiple awards winner!  Precious interactive baby doll for ages 3+. Gently babbles, giggles, cries and sucks on bottle. Baby accessories included. Sure to become a favorite playmate! For additional suggestions see toy category:Dolls, Dollhouses, Dress Up & More! 

12. .Corolle Les Cheries Doll Chloé Ballerina – 13" Doll  Award winning, absolutely beautiful and durable doll! Moving limbs, eyes and hair that can even be shampooed. Comes dressed in a gorgeous ballet outfit. For additional suggestions see toy category: Dolls, Dollhouses, Dress Up & More!

13Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Folding Princess Castle Award winning, gorgeous solid wood Princess castle. Extra large castle folds for storage and is stunning with its pink and gold screened accents. This enchanting castle has turrets, balconies, buttress, flag and a working drawbridge. A perfect choice to delight all the princesses in your life! Quality & Exceptional Value! Ages 3-9. Also see Melissa & Doug Deluxe Folding Medieval Castle and Melissa & Doug Deluxe Castle Dolls Playset. Worth every penny, providing years and years of enjoyment! For additional suggestions see toy category: Dolls, Dollhouses, Dress Up & More! &Let’s Pretend Toys for Girls & Boys

14. Toysmith Battat Ready Set Go Cars  Colorful and durable set of 4 chunky cars great for little hands ages 1+. Pull back action sends cars zooming, with delightful sounds!  Award winner! For additional suggestions see toy category: Cars, Trains and Vehicles That Move!

15.  KidKraft Deluxe Garage Set Award winning interactive wooden garage set. Features winding ramp from top floor to ground, working elevator & garage doors, helicopter & helipad, car wash with moving scrubbers, 6 cars & trucks, gas station, ticket booth and more! Loads of fun for ages 3-6. For additional suggestions see toy category: Cars, Trains and Vehicles That Move!

16. Learning Curve Brands Thomas Wooden Railway – Down By The Docks Set  45 piece durable wooden Thomas the Train set includes Cranky, Percy, Bulstrode the Barge, the Sodor Bay bridge, lighthouse and more! Award winning choice for Thomas the Train fans ages 3 and up! For additional suggestions see toy category: Cars, Trains and Vehicles That Move!

17.Fridge Words Magnetic Word Builder   Outstanding & award winning educational toy teaches pre-readers and readers to build & read over 325 3-letter words. Lights, sounds & music add to the fun! Ages 3-7. (**For more information view the complete Little Ones Toy Review of this product**)  For additional suggestions see toy category:Electronic Learning Toys 

18.Play-Doh: Fun Factory Super Set  Winner of the Creativity Award, this Playdoh set includes over 35 cutters, design tools, an extruder machine, and 5 Playdoh colors. Hours upon hours of imaginative fun! For additional suggestions see toy category:  Toys For Little Fingers (Toddler – Preschool)

19. 108 Piece Super Art Set with Translucent Box by Mega BrandsBudding artists will love this 108 piece art set in a translucent storage case. Everything artists need including markers, oil pastels, watercolors, crayons, colored pencils and more! Creative play for ages 7+. For additional suggestions see toy category:  Arts & Crafts/Musical Toys

20. Aero Ace Us Jet Fighter Black Channel B Air Hogs R/C Highly recommended remote control plane that is both easy & fun to fly. Air Hogs designs a variety of well-engineered flying machines at different price ranges. For additional suggestions see toy category: Indoor/Outdoor Sports & Games

21.Wild Planet Hyper Dash Get kids movin’ with this outrageously fun, award winning game of speed and skill.  Electronic tagger calls out the instructions. Race around to tag targets as fast as you can based on colors, numbers, tagging patterns, simple addition/subtraction problems and memory tasks. It’s tricky! 4 different game modes allow for solo, pair or team play. Great for coordination.A big hit with kids and adults! Ages 7+ For additional suggestions see toy category: Indoor/Outdoor Sports & Games

22. Pacific Play Tents See Me 6′ Tunnel Pacific Play tents & tunnels are the leaders in playtime FUN!! Children absolutely LOVE this 6 foot play tunnel made from the finest quality 70 denier nylon and sturdy steel construction. Padded inner wires protect little knees plus the tunnel collapses flat for storage. This tunnel connects with other Pacific Play Tents/Huts for additional adventures. For additional suggestions see toy category: Indoor/Outdoor Sports & Games

23. Snap Circuits SC-300  Multiple award winning electronics kit makes building simple circuits and devices fun & easy. Over 60 snap on parts can create 300+ exciting projects with lights, sounds, motors and more. Hours of experimentation for ages 8-14. For additional suggestions see toy category: Discovery Toys & Science Kits

24. Qwirkle Award winning wooden tiles game develops logic and strategy skills. This challenging family game has simple instructions that require players to match tile shapes and colors to earn points. Ages 8-adult.  Puzzles, Memory Games & Brain Teasers

25. . ThinkFun Hoppers  Leap into fun with this award winning variation on Peg Solitaire. Develop problem solving and strategy skills while hopping frogs across their lily pads. Game includes 4 levels of play, 40 challenge cards and storage tray. ThinkFun remains a leader in educational products and games! For additional suggestions see toy category: Puzzles, Memory Games & Brain Teasers

For more information, please see:

The Little Ones Holiday Gift Giving Guide and

Little Ones "Twelve Weeks Before Christmas"  Holiday Toy Series: This holiday series is designed to help parents and grandparents make smart choices by featuring outstanding/award winning "toys that teach," accompanied by reviews which highlight and explain the educational benefits and specific skills children receive from these types of toys.

Visit www.littleones.com for our selection of  Great/Award Winning Children’s Books, Little Ones Recommended Toys & Gifts, and Children’s Educational DVDs along with teacher tips, parenting articles, family fun and much more!