2012 Holiday Gift Guide | Ages 6-10

October 29, 2012

Carolina Parent,

Razor Flash Rider 360
Spin in circles with dual-inclined caster wheels, then pull the spark bar to make sparks fly with the newest riding toy from Razor, a three-wheeler. Holds up to 160 pounds. Razor, $129.99; razor.com; ages 6 and up.

LEGO Friends Collection
Meet five friendly characters, in this Lego line targeting girls, with furniture and accessories for each character, for endless hours of fun. Sets include Olivia’s Tree House and Adventure Camper $19.99-$29.99; ages 6-12.

Artterro Eco Art Kits
These eco-friendly, open-ended art kits provide everything kids need to create beautiful projects. The basic Creative Kit includes materials for seven projects. Themed kits include Art Dolls, Bubble Wands, Garden Art and Collage Jewelry. Packaging is minimal, and the box can be reused as a frame! $19.95-$26.95; artterro.com; ages 7 and up.

Diva Dolls
Created by a mother, the Diva dolls represent grace, intelligence and the beauty in diversity, with hair that’s curly or straight and skin from buttercream to chocolate colored. Diana loves to write, Abrielle is a dancer and Zair is an artist. World of EPI, $19-$21; positivelyperfectdolls.com; ages 6 and up.

Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire
If your kids enjoy Nerf guns, the latest will win the Wow factor. With the highest Nerf blaster capacity at 144 darts (with extra clips), that shoots up to 75 feet with semi-automatic blasting. Hasbro, $39.99; Hasbro.com; ages 8 and up.

Crayola Digital Light Designer
Create your own drawings on the round 3-D surface and watch your art light up. Animate your creations and save them to display later. For additional fun, try the game or activity mode. Best yet: There’s no mess to clean up. Crayola, $49.99; crayola.com; ages 6 and up.

HEXBUG Warrior Battle Stadium
The ultimate battleground for Hexbug Warriors comes with two battling robots, weapons and armor, and eight expandable battle stadium pieces. Play in training mode or match mode for competition. Stadium pieces are compatible with the Battle Arena pieces. Innovation First Labs, $29.99; hexbug.com; ages 6 and up.

Twister Dance Game
Follow the lights and dance on iconic Twister spots to learn moves that go with five popular dance tunes. Or dance to your own favorite music using an MP3 player and the Twister Dance beat detection technology. Hasbro, $34.99; hasbro.com; ages 8 and up.

SmartMax Stunt Basic
Kids build their own vehicles with magnetic pieces and then race or jump them off ramps. Kit contains enough basic and specialty pieces to build two cars and a jump or bridge. Other sets, including extension pieces, are also available. Smart Toys and Games, $79,99; smarttangoes.com; ages 3 and up.

Lego.com
Other hot choices this year are LEGO Ninjago Epic Dragon Battle ($199.99, ages 8-14) and Ninjago Jay’s Storm Fighter ($24.99, ages 7-14); Monster Fighters Vampyre Castle ($99.99, ages 9-14) and Ghost Train ($79.99, ages 8-14); and various new Star Wars and Harry Potter sets plus the brand-new Lord of the Rings theme. The LEGO Group, lego.com.

Nintendo Wii U
Nintendo’s new gaming console incorporates a 6.2-inch, LCD touch screen game controller as well as traditional button controls and two analog sticks. The GamePad controller provides a second window for game play and includes motion control, a camera, microphone, stereo speakers, rumble features, a sensor bar and stylus. Available Nov 18. Nintendo, $299.99 basic set, $349.99 deluxe set with the Nintendo Land video game and extra storage space and accessories; nintendo.com.

Skylanders Giants
The sequel to Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure video game continues the mythology of the Skylands with new, super-sized giants with super-sized powers. The Starter Pack comes with game software, three figures, a “portal of power” that puts the toy figures into the game, codes to unlock online characters, and collectible trading cards and stickers. For PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo 3DS. $74.99; rated E10+.

Mine Shift
Rotate a game tile to move the mine walls and advance your gemstone – or block an opponent – as you navigate your jewels through the mineshaft maze in this game of shifting strategy. Simple rules get you playing quickly. Changing tiles let you create a new game whenever you play. Mindware, $19.95; mindware.com; ages 8 and up.

Rollick!
Pull out an award-winning party game when family and friends come together this holiday season. Rollick! is a fast-paced reverse charades game where the entire team acts out clues for one or more players to guess. It can be learned in a minute and enjoyed by everyone. Includes words for younger children, suggestions for large and small groups and variations so no game is ever the same. The Game Chef, $24.99; thegamechef.com; ages 10 and up.

Bop It Smash
Catch the flashing light as it passes through the center zone. hit on target and you score. Miss it and the game makes sure everyone knows! Fun and challenging. $19.99. Ages 8 and up.

Starry River of the Sky
Fantasy takes a Chinese turn in this tale by Grace Lin of a missing moon that only one boy notices. Lin’s earlier books, including Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, are beloved. Little Brown, $17.99. Ages 9 and up.

Consider a book series:
A Season of Gifts is the third in a series by Newbery Award-winner Richard Peck (Puffin, $6.99), ages 10 and up. Or consider any of these popular series Judy Moody and Stink by Megan McDonald, ages 6 and up (Candlewick, $4.99-$5.99); The Emerald Atlas and the newly released The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens, ages 9 and up (Random House, $7,99); or A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy, ages 7 and up (Random House, $3.99-$4.99).

Brave
Disney/Pixar’s 2012 fairy tale with headstrong archer Princess Merida is being released as a five-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition combo pack for Blu-ray and a three-disc Collector’s Edition combo pack for Blu-ray/DVD. Release date: Nov. 13, 2012. Rated PG, $35.99-$49.99.

Julie Andrews’ Treasury for All Seasons: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Year 
Andrews has selected poems the capture every season and holiday. Add Marjorie Priceman’s fantastic art, and this is a collection for all to enjoy. Hatchette, $19.99. All ages.