(Clixo $29.99) We're suggesting you start with the smaller 18 -piece set of Clixos. It's a magnetic building set with lots of discovery built into the flexible pieces. There are no small magnets to worry over and the set comes with some starter ideas for making a ball, a crown, a bendable snake, and a helicopter. We like the open-endedness of the pieces that call for imagination and flexible thinking. We think older preschoolers and early school age kids will get it. We have

(Corolle $39.99 each) Once again, Corolle has done a charming group of multicultural dolls in various skin tones and genders and with open /close eyes. New this season, Bebe Calin Maria has light tan skin tone and is dressed in a pink velour pajamas trimmed with a tiny flower print. She wears a matching headband. We love Corolle’s adorable new boy baby, Bebe Calin Marius, with slightly darker skin tone, a boy baby in a grey onesie outfit. The dolls in this collection are bald

(Mindware $45.95) For Qwirkle fans this Deluxe Collector"s set is made with plastic playing pieces instead of the original wooden tiles. The shiny tin collector’s box is sturdy and makes a playful gift for the whole family. The original set of wooden tiles ($19.99 sans tile racks) is available and less pricey. Either way, this Blue Chip game, is a favorite that we wrote about years ago! Qwirkle's rules are easy to learn. Players need to match tiles with the same color or the

(LEGO $89.99) With 790 pieces this LEGO city set has plenty of pretend play possibilities after the problem solving is done. They will need to use their fine motor skills, visual discrimination, following the directions, and call up their stick-abilities to patiently build this city setting with floor plates that serve as a platform for building and playtime. Vehicles can drive through the car wash with washer brushes that spin and collect recycling containers with the tru

(Mindware $30.95) Perfect birthday or holiday gift set for your junior paleontologist! Role play is more real when you have a vest with pockets for your excavation tools. Kids will dig into the three big 2.25”x 4” eggs and before long discover a colorful dinosaur in each egg. They'll find a T-Rex, Triceratops and Stegosaurus and there are fun fact cards to find out more about each of the collectable dinos. No worries about dust flying, Mindware's dig toys are to be soaked i

(Peaceable Kingdom $14.99) With all the launches going up and helicopters on Mars, small wonder that there is a new crop of playful choices for future space explorers. This floor model has 39 big pieces to assemble a shimmery Rocket that calls for problem solving and shape recognition as well. Seeing and feeling what we call a triangle, oval, circle, square and rectangle give fuller meaning to those words. 39 pieces that will be a blast-off for learning and pretend fun. 5 an

(Mindware $24.95) Made of white porcelain, this three piece craft set will make a treasured keepsake for grandparents' and parents' desk. It's an open-ended paint set that kids can decorate with their own fanciful designs or use the pictured images to copy. It comes with the pencil holder, clip or stamp holder and one that will hold envelopes or whatever. Kids paint, you bake them, and then display them. Tweens and teens will also like a set for their own desk. With supervis

(Mindware $13.99) A quick easy to learn game with lots of counting practice that will no doubt go well with a dish of ice cream. Players roll the die with numerals on its face. They get to fill the banana spilt cards with the same number of scoops to match the number they roll. The idea is to be the one who fills the ice cream dish card so you can add a cherry on top AND take the card! The player with the most cards filled is the winner. Calls for some strategy, lots of one

( Mindware $14.95) A giant floor puzzle with 48 big pieces, many with shimmery foil pieces. The puzzle includes five specially shaped pieces: dragon, king, queen and more. Completed it is a big 3' X 2', best put together on the floor. Puzzles are an excellent way for kids to develop problem solving and stickability in the face of frustration. Kids generally like to do their puzzles several times, mastering the initial problems with greater ease each time. 5 and up. Ages: Ear

(Mindware $18.99) Designed for game playing with beginners. It’s really a parent child game with no real winning or losing. Put the four puppy cut outs around the room. Players draw a card with a paw...each paw has a color that matches one of the pup’s sweaters. Player spins the spinner and depending on where the arrow lands, the player dances, crawls, jumps, runs , walks backwards, or tosses a cloth bone to the matching puppy. Parents or older sib can do the action with the