2012 Holiday Gift Guide | Ages 0-5

October 29, 2012

Carolina Parent,

Lamaze Turtle Tunes
As baby touches the vibrant spots on the Turtle Tunes shell, musical notes are played. Lamaze Turtle Tunes features three musical modes and a song book. $29.99; ages birth and up. tomy.com.

Sit to Stand Music Skool
Features 50+ musical activities. In learning mode, the table can help teach little ones simple concepts including classic shapes, colors, numbers, letters and opposites in either English or Spanish. Table legs detach for sitting play. $44.99; ages 6-36 months. hasbro.com.

Sesame Street LOL Elmo
Little ones will love to laugh out loud with LOL Elmo featuring three forms of laughing action. Get the giggles going when your preschooler squeezes Dorothy’s fishbowl squeaker toy, which really makes Elmo laugh out loud. $39.99; ages 18 months and up. hasbrotoyshop.com.

Box Play for Kids: Eco-Friendly Stickers
Turn ordinary boxes into props with these fun stickers. $9-$12; ages 2 and up. dailygrommet.com.

Flying Super Grover 2.0
This motion-activated Super Grover 2.0 character comes to life when kids pick him up and “fly” him around the room. Complete with soaring sounds and silly phrases, little ones are sure to fall in love with this furry superhero. $29.99; ages 2-5. hasbrotoyshop.com.

Magic Moves Electronic Wand
Ninety fun, physical commands, twinkling light shows with 26 musical styles get little ones up and keep them moving. $19.99; ages 3 and up. educationalinsights.com.

Farmers Market Color Sorting Set
Little gardeners can sort and sell bushels of farm-fresh produce. Great for color recognition and imaginative play. Includes activity guide, 25 foods and stickers for labeling 5 baskets. $39.99; ages 3 and up. learningresources.com.

Tonka Chuck & Friends Die Cast Collectible Assortment
All of the characters from “The Adventures of Chuck & Friends” show are now available as die cast trucks. Each sold separately. $4.99; ages 3 and up. hasbrotoyshop.com.

Puppet on a Stick
Three oversized puppets on sticks inspire dramatic play with silly faces and movable mouths. $23.99. Ages 4 and up. educationalinsights.com.

Green Recycling Truck
The perfect starter truck with enough moving parts to stimulate imaginative play. Made from recycled tires, so it’s eco-friendly. $17.50 Ages 1 and up.

Crayola Light-Up Paint Palette
No mess with these paints for budding artists. Watch the palette glow to reveal paint’s color. $24.99; crayola.com; ages 5 and up.

LeapPad Explorer 2.
The award-winning LeapPad 2 inspires creativity and exploration with front-and-back cameras and video recorders, 4GB of memory and a library of hundreds of educational games, apps, eBooks, videos, music and more. $99.99; ages 3-9. leapfrog.com.

Explorer Game Cartridge: Letter Factory
Join Leap, Lily and Tad on an ABC adventure. On a trip to the Letter Factory the frogs meet Burfder, who dreams of becoming a letter. Help him achieve his alphabet ambition while learning letter names, sounds and more. $24.99; ages 3-5. leapfrog.com.

“Olivia Dances for Joy” by Nancy Shaw
Olivia is so excited to enter the annual Maywood Dance Contest with her dance team. But the rest of her team isn’t as thrilled. They’re not sure it’s worth trying to win, because The Prancer Dancers, who dance perfectly alike all the time, usually snag the top prize. It’s up to Olivia to convince her team that dancing perfectly alike is perfectly OK, but dancing for joy is something really special. $13.59, ages 3-6. simonandschuster.com.

“Christmas Parade” by Sandra Boynton
As the dynamic parade of 46 spiffy and intent animal musicians marches by, young readers will see animals and their instruments in turn: chickens with bassoons, ducks with trombones, mice with piccolos, cow saxophonists, a tiny bird with a large tuba, a glockenspiel pig, even a trumpet-playing Santa rhino – all underscored by marching snares (15 hippos, one cat) and one booming bass drum (an intrepid elephant). $11.99; ages 3-6. simonandschuster.com.

Team Umizoomi: Umigames DVD
Join Milli, Geo and Bot on four sports-themed math adventures in Team Umizoomi: Umigames. Preschoolers will learn many math skills, including counting, patterns, measurement, and more! $14.99; ages 4+. nick.com.

Bubble Guppies DVD
Come discover the vibrant 3D underwater world of a group of diverse preschoolers with colorful fish tails. Set to a soundtrack of catchy pop songs, Bubble Guppies infuses the core elements of kindergarten readiness, including: math, literacy, the arts, science and socio-emotional development. $16.99; ages 2-6. nick.com.

Thomas & Friends: Blue Mountain Mystery – The Movie DVD
When trouble strikes at the Blue Mountain Quarry, Thomas is sent to help his Narrow Gauge engine friends. He catches a glimpse of a small engine trying to hide, yet no one will provide any clues to the engine’s identity. Thomas is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery but discovering the truth is harder than he imagined! Will Thomas be able to save his new friend? $19.99; ages 2-5. thomasandfriends.com.