We love this time of year!  Your kids pull on last summer's play clothes--and they soon discover how much they have grown.  During the course of the year, you'll also notice that the "growing up" goes way beyond the notch on the family growth chart.  A year older also means that they'll approach play differently.  Your now sure-footed toddler is ready to just go, go, go. Your four year old can now play a game that would have been frustrating and tear-producing just a year ago.  Your five year old who enjoyed pretend play with his whole body may now have a new found fascination in miniature play figures.   Here are some of our new favorite toys that promote active play.  Click here to read the article. You can also watch Stephanie with MSNBC's Tamron Hall on NBC's TODAY SHOW from June 17th by clicking on the video below... 

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Are you finding that your child is having trouble with math? science? geography? reading? sticking with a task? How to help without causing conflict in your house can be tricky. The key is to remind your child that learning can be fun - and give them opportunities to be successful learners in more playful settings.  Stephanie was on NBC's TODAY Show on April 6th to discuss some of the toyportfolio.com's top  solutions with Ann Curry. Click here to read the article. Watch the Segment, by clicking here.  

Watch Stephanie's bird calling (right before the segment).

The good news is that there are great toys this year for every budget. Our Platinum and Gold Award list is chock full of construction sets, props for pretend, dolls, games, remote control vehicles (and bugs) and craft kits.  If you missed Stephanie's segment on NBC's TODAY Show, you can watch it here.  To read about the products featured in the segment, click here. Of course this is only a small selection of our award winners--please be sure to take a look at all of our winners for 2010!  For a behind the scenes look at the segment, read Stephanie's blog.

Watch Stephanie's segment by clicking here. She shared the toyportfolio.com's picks for the Best High Tech Toys for 2010 with Al Roker. This year's recommended list includes video cameras, bugs, and a red eyed snake!  Click here to see the toyportfolio.com's list of Best High Tech Toys of 2010. You can also read Stephanie's behind the scenes at the Today Show blog by clicking here.

Stephanie shared some of the early front runners for top toys of 2010 on NBC's TODAY Show on Friday, March 5th.  Click here to watch the segment. After attending the American International Toy Fair in New York last month, the toyportfolio.com kicks into gear for a new season of toy testing with their testers throughout the country. As the toys start rolling in, we'll be posting reviews as we go- rather than making consumers wait until the end of the year.  Toys that receive an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award during the Spring and Summer, will be nominated for the year-end Platinum Awards.  Read Stephanie's blog for a preview of some promising toys.

Stephanie appeared this morning on the Today Show with Natalie Morales and shared some of the year's best educational toys that help build important skills - featuring products from Lego, Blue Orange Games, Playmobil, Leapfrog, Silver Dolphin, Eeboo, I Can Do That Games, Briarpatch, Gamewright and Citiblocks. 

You can watch her here! The full article with details on all the products she demonstrated can be found at our site.

Whether you have a crawling baby or a video game addicted tween, it's important to carve out space where you get to play together!  As silly as it sounds, with everyone's busy schedules play time often gets taken off the "to do" list.   While we spend so much time making sure that everyone is doing all their "work"...the time we spend laughing with our kids  is just as important.

Looking for ideas for outdoor fun? Whether you are the "it" house in your neighborhood or if you're planning a family get together, we have some great games and equipment that can bring everyone together.

To watch the segment, click here.

You can also read her daily blog about the good, bad and ugly in toyland.

Have a question about what's age appropriate? Join the discussion! Click here to view her blog.

The beginning of the school year can be exciting for kids - new school supplies, seeing their friends..but it's also about the work.  Research shows that kids often slide backwards during the summer months.  The good news is that during the first few weeks of school, you're kids are also reviewing.  Since most of us are not trained educators, it's hard to know how to help without trying to step into that teacher role - that inevitably ends in tears. Here are some suggested games and activities that are fun to play - and at the same time reinforce academic skills. Read more.