(Jakks Pacific $25.00) If you're in the Harry Potter zone, these are amazing props for pretend. They make the appropriate wand sounds and there are 11 spells to learn. If you and your friend both have a wand you can play wizard tag. There are wands for Harry, Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore. 8 & up. Ages: Tweens Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2018 Click here to purchase the product from Amazon.com

(Sassy $8.99) Designed for beginners, this ring stacker comes with eight different colorful rings. There are skinny ones, thick ones, big ones and little ones. They all have interesting textures and although they are not all the same size, they will fit on the post because the hole in the middle is the same size on all. Unlike size order rings and post toys for older toddlers, this is easy enough for the younger child. These rings will fit on the post, on a wrist and probably

(Curiscope $29.95) Get a guided tour of your insides with this tee shirt that's used with an app to introduce kids to their inners. It’s a STEM toy that dives virtually in and gives them a visual tour of the bloodstream, the intestines, and lungs, among other parts. You do need a smart devise and a friend or parent or maybe a big mirror to go exploring. We think this is a good one for tweens, but be sure to order a shirt big enough. The sample we had marked Youth M was too ti

(vetch $49.99) Oh, wow, if you have an aspiring singer in the house—this is the gift of gifts! It’s a sturdy karaoke machine with all the bells and whistles they could want. There’s a strobe light that flickers on the ceiling with many different lights, built in music and lyrics on a song sheet, OR load it with your own music from itunes on any smart phone. There’s even a magic music button that turns down (mostly) the vocalist and lets the in-house singer take over while the

(Creativity for Kids $20.00) Decorate the butterflies and flowers with glitter fist and let them dry. Next load the batteries into the underside of the base and then use the clay, fairy dust, and gemstones to decorate the base inside the stand. Now comes the assembly. First bury the end of the twinkle light wire in the base and now you are ready to add the butterflies and flowers. There is no right or wrong way…only be sure to space them out. Kids may need help fastening the

(eeBoo $14.99) A challenging STEM toy for the early school years. A colorful 100-piece puzzle that reinforces the names and positions of the heavenly bodies in our Solar System. It's a big 18 X 27 inches when assembled. It also includes other facts about the planets and their moons. Ages: Early School Years Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award 2018

(eeBoo $15.99) We loved the very picture-bookish cast of animal characters in this classic concentration game. Stephanie Graegin’s animal pictures are distinctive and will appeal to young players. Don’t be surprised if your preschooler remembers where the matches are better than you do. 3 and up. Ages: Preschoolers Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2018

(eeBoo $13.99 each) Want to see your own reflection? Bring home eeBoo’s Grown Up Pretend Play kit that contains all the standard accoutrements of adult life—business cars, bank card, credit card, driver’s license, museum membership card, library card, checkbook with 25 checks, play money, wallet, glasses, keys, coffee mug, tea cup and cell phone. There’s even an ATM Machine! Okay these are mostly just cardboard cutouts, but the raw material is there and for kids who love pret

(Osmo $19.99) This season Osmo has gone totally Disney. Their Super Studio Mickey Mouse and Friends gives kids step by step directions on how to add to pre-made Disney scenes. Their drawings (more like decorative elements) are added to the image and appear on the screen. After each of the characters are added to, they can all come to life in an animated adventure. Of course, kids need to do all the drawings before they get to the payoff adventure and this will take time. It’s