A set of 72 colorful matching cards for the classic game of concentration with unusual illustrations featuring kids playing all sorts of sports. A good opportunity for developing knowing and naming language to match the images as well as visual perception is seeing matches. This is one of a series of matching games with different themes. Kids who are crazy about dinosaurs will like this Dinosaurs! Matching Game and for expanding language skills look for their Animals! Matching Game. The sets come packaged in sturdy boxes that have magnetic closures. All three sets are handsomely illustrated by artist Micah Player. These are marked 3 & up, though we think slightly older kids will enjoy them more.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Five plastic baskets come with fruits and veggies to sort by color. There are stick-on color labels to put on the basket and five pieces of food in each color. These are well-proportioned props for pretend stores, and kitchens that are also useful for building knowing and naming language skills as well as possible games of counting and making patterns. The set comes with 30 pieces that will find their way into all sorts of pretend play and learning games. 3 & up.

SNAP GAME: Put three veggies in a row. Have/help child name them. Have child turn away a you remove one. Can he tell which one is missing? Try it another way. Have child turn away while you add a fourth piece. Can he tell the name of piece added?

SNAP GAME: For kids working on beginning sounds put down three or four of the foods and say, I'm thinking of something that starts with the same sound as bird, bug, bobby...if that doesn't do it add another clue it rhymes with Hannah....did they find the banana?

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Ten sturdy cardboard blocks to stack or nest in size order. They are illustrated with baby faces, each with a distinctive expression. There is a space to slip in a photo of your baby, as well. Our eight-month old tester loved examining the babies and their adorable faces. She also liked knocking down the stacks we built for her and peek a boo games we played by nesting one block over another. 8 months & up.

Age: Infants, Toddlers. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

This is a challenging kind of concept game played with felt triangles that that can be rearranged in a multitude of geometric patterns to form different shapes. The set comes with a flocked board that the felt sticks to and 100 different patterns that challenge visual perception, dexterity and problem solving skills. This can be played solo or cooperatively. Once they begin to play with the pieces kids will also like inventing their own shapes and patterns.  The set comes with 72 felt triangles in nine colors, a flocked board and 100 practice Images to reproduce. 5 & up.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

O-o-o La La! Two cardboard paper dolls come with sturdy reversible setting---a pastry shop/ cafe and two sheets of stick-on clothing and accessories. The pastry chef comes with work clothes and accessories, as does the customer. Of course, the playfigures are interchangeable and can play different roles. Like all the paper dolls in this charming series, the dolls are multicultural. The art in this set was designed by illustrator, Lizzy Rockwell. 5 & up.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Ten colorful nesting blocks by storybook illustrator, Melissa Sweet, are covered with birds, bugs, and other wildlife. The top of each is emblazoned with a numeral. Knowing and naming all these creatures will be a challenge to most toddlers and preschoolers. Yet, there's something to be said for stretching the vocabulary beyond the usual farm and zoo animals. For starters these will be fun to put in size order and knock them down. This is just one of the many handsome Tot Towers from this maker. Also charming in this nest and stacking format, a set of Alphabet blocks or a Read To Me set with short sentences about each item pictured. 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. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

15" soft-bodied dolls with vinyl heads, arms and legs available in five different skin tones with various hair and eye colors. Beautiful clothes and accessories available. Each doll comes with a 5" Bitty Bear. The additional outfits also come with a book and a coordinating outfit for Bitty Bear. We also recommend the Bitty Baby Twins. New for this season, extra outfits and pj's for the baby and matching clothes for the child. Though they are not anatomically correct, there are boy dolls available in the collection for big brothers as well as big sisters.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2012.