Seems the school bus has shrunk a little, but it's still one of those perennial favorites. This season it has been updated for the Sesame Street gang. But it only comes with two characters, Count Von Count is the driver and Elmo is there with his backpack. If you want more passengers, that will be extra, please. It can hold three figures and since loading and unloading passengers is so much a part of the fun, we suggest you bring them home with the bus. Passengers can get on through the door or the open roof top. To open the door, press the purple button on the hood. No batteries needed for this roll and play vehicle. They say 18 months & up, we think it will be enjoyed more by 2's and 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: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Fans of Chuggington will enjoy playing with the small train playing pieces on the long game board that is set up with three color coded tracks. Without looking at the picture, one mystery animal card is put into the safari park at the far end of the track. Each player is also given a "guessing" disk that will be used at the end of the line. Now, players take turns hitting the spinner and moving whatever train the spinner is pointing at. If the train lands in a station along the way the player gets to pick up an animal to put into their freight car. There is no race between the trains and no one moves just one train. When all the trains reach the safari park players put their special guessing disks on the animal that they think is the mystery animal. Now the mystery animal is revealed. If you guess the animal you win the round. There's a good chance that no one will guess. But this is not a game so much about winning as it is about playing. They say 3 and up, we think 3's will need a partner to handle the tiny playing pieces. It's a good cooperative kind of game that we think kids of 4 and 5 will like best.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Lift the gaily-painted wooden letters to uncover a surprise object that begins with the sound of each letter. Under the A is an airplane. Under the B a ball, etc. Favorite Dr. Suess characters are painted on the wooden frame, as well. Best of all, the raised letters are chunky enough for little hands to lift out and hold with ease. 3 & up.
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

This is a matching game with jumbo dice and reversible playing boards, so you can play two different games. There's a shape matching game on one side and building matching game on the reverse. First person to win four in a row gets to take a piece of an four-part intergalactic figure to match his space card. Winner is the player who collects all four pieces. Or, play the harder game. Flip the cards and the die with playing pieces that look like part of the intergalactic building pieces. This second game is harder, calls for looking closer at the shapes and details. But we think kids will like the novelty of building these little figures as they play a game of chance. There is no strategy or reading required.  The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011.

An imaginative spaceship playhouse. Of course, with the space programs going in a different direction, imaginative play may be all earthlings can do these days. This four story setting has an elevator in the center and lots of play figures, a medical area, treadmill, computer stations, vehicles, and solar panels. It's more sci-fi than science since they included aliens with the astronauts. We think space minded parents will have to give kids some back stories to play with this mini setting that would have been their dream toy in the heyday of NASA. It's almost like looking at Back to the Future. 

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

With it's long grey trunk and short legs, this cuddly velour elephant looks like it stepped out of a storybook. In fact it is based on illustrations from the book Monkey See, Money Draw by artist/writer, Alex Beard. With stitched features, this is safe enough for all ages. It feels about he right size for a toddler since it is 20 inches big but light and easy to grab.

Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

For the very youngest Mickey Mouse fan in the making, this totally soft plush huggable has a jingly rattle safely inside, crinkles in the ears, and all stitched features on the outside. His red trousers do not come off and are made of velvety velour. A companion Minnie Mouse ($17) is also available. Surface washable only. Infants and 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: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

There are countless ways to play with this 34-piece block set. Kids can simply use them for building in an open-ended way or use the numerals to mark other bock structures. Ideally, they will also be used for playful math activities. All of the wooden blocks have numerals, dots, number words and pictures on their various sides. Some are cubes, others rectangles. Use them for simple matching games, dominoes, or number facts. Several of the blocks also have chalkboard finish that kids can draw on with the chalk included in the set. The set comes with a cloth bag for storage. 3 & up.

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

SNAP Activity:

Put 3-4 numeral blocks out. Use a drum or clap your hands. Can the playr find the numeral block that matches the number you clapped. Listening and connecting the beats to the symbol for that number is a concrete way to reinforce number concepts and counting.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A seven-piece set of dollhouse sized play figures. Dressed in soft fabric clothes and yarn hair, these little figures are bendable and can actually stand on their own feet (not the baby, of course.) There are mom and dad, gram and gramps, brother and sister and baby. Perfect props for dramatic play in doll houses or block props. Sets are available in both African American and Caucasian finish. 

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Ready for a jog or a stroll, this new stroller has a lift out baby carrier or can be used for carrying a sitting up baby on top and a sleepy little doll in the rear. It has a sun shade that pulls down and Scaled for up to 17" doll, this pink fabric stroller folds up and a safety strap to hold the doll passenger secure. The pink tires have treads for easy rolling. This is a pricey little stroller 21" high, scaled fairly low for small preschool play.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.