The Oakland County Moms annual guide to holiday toy shopping is back (better late than never). OCM has reviewed hundreds of toys and games since its inception and this year's guide is an attempt to find some creative solutions to holiday toy shopping dilemmas for different ages and price ranges.

Hot Holiday Toy

The VTech Innotab tablet for kids is a hot holiday toy. The Innotab is perfect for keeping kids away from their parents' tablet. The InnoTab, made for children ages 4-9, is a child-friendly tablet. The InnoTab uses a touch screen, which the kids love and can relate to since it resembles other tablets. You can read my full review of the Innotab Tablet here. The Innotab retails for $79.99 and is available at most toy stores. You can find out more about the Innotab and shop for it here.

Video Games

Video games don't have to be mindless time-wasters. There are some great choices out there that are fun, educational and can even get kids on of their feet!

• Just Dance 3: Just Dance is extremely popular. I reviewed the original Just Dance when it first came out for Wii and was thrilled at how much the game encouraged physical activity. My kids still play it! Just Dance 3 is one of the hot video games for the Christmas season and is available in most video game platforms (PS3, Wii, X-Box). Helpful hint: you can buy Just Dance 3 online and receive free shipping from Best Buy for the holidays! Just Dance 3 retails for $39.99.
• Brain Age 2 (Nintendo DS): Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DS is an educational game designed to provide daily mental exercises in the form of games to sharpen your skills. In that regard, the format of the game is very similar to Big Brain Academy for Wii. Brain Age 2, like Big Brain, assesses your "brain age" through a series of fun, random tests and puzzles and assigns a program of playing games to enhance mental skills in areas you may be weakest in. Brain Age 2 is recommended for ages 6 to adult. Click here for more info from Toys R Us. Click here for my full review of Brain Age 2.
• Family Feud: Don't laugh! Game show video games like Family Feud and Million Dollar Pyramid can actually be educational. I've reviewed both of these games (Family Feud review / Million Dollar Pyramid review) and find they encourage problem-solving skills as well as traditional board game facets like turn-taking and participation. Think of it as video game buying without the guilt! These games are found at most major retailers.
• Littlest Pet Shop: Video games are traditionally boy-centric but girls will especially love Littlest Pet Shop video games for Wii and Nintendo DS. My daughter still plays her Littlest Pet Shop 2 game for Wii. Littlest Pet Shop 3 is now out. You can find it here.

Board Games and Family Games

Sure, the classics like Candyland, Sorry, Trouble and Monopoly are favorites... But, there is a new generation of future classics to be discovered.

• Qwirkle: Qwirkle is a game where you place rows of similar pieces together to form a "qwirkle." Sounds silly, but you have to play it to appreciate it. It's not necessarily a "learning" game as it is about teaching strategy. The reason for its inclusion on this list is the re-playability. It's a new game every time and our kids are always up for a game despite owning this game for years. Under $20 games with this kind of replay value are rare. Qwirkle is a value! Ages 6 & up. Click here to find Qwirkle on Amazon.
• Blokus: Blokus is a lot like Qwirkle in terms of replay. Another tremendous under $20 bargain. In Blokus, you have 4 colors that start at 1 of 4 corners of a board and you have to match varying block pieces to fit the board and "block off" opposing players. This is another great game that teaches strategy. Ages 5 & up. Click here to find Blokus on Amazon.
• Cranium Hullabaloo: Kids place small plastic mats of varying colors, shapes and pictures around the room. They then press the button on a battery operated recorder and your entire room turns into a game of simon sez. Kids are instructed to dance, glide, shake and spin to various mats around the room. Hullabaloo gets kids on their feet and keeps them moving. The voice will say stop and say something like "Who is standing on the broccoli" and instruct the winner to do a "silly victory dance." My kids still love a Hullaballo and the fun lasts a long time too! Ages 4-10. Click here to find it at Toys R Us.
• Hedbanz: The concept in Hedbanz is basic. Each player wears a headband. They place a card in the slot of the headband so they can't see it. They have to guess what is on the card by using their creativity and asking questions (Am I an animal?, Do I eat bugs?, Do I swim?). It's a game of "What am I?" The first player to guess correctly three times wins the game. Hedbanz is for ages 6 & up. Find it here at Toys R Us. It's a bargain at under $15! 
• Toss Up!: Everything about this game is convenient and fun. Toss Up! is a dice game that can fit in your pocket, travel anywhere, is super easy to learn, is thoroughly entertaining and only costs about $10. Toss Up! is for 2 to 6 players, and suggested for ages 8 and up. Find Toss Up! here at Toys R Us. Click here for my full review of Toss Up!.
• Aggravation: Aggravation is a board game where up to six players try to move their marbles (four) via dice rolls around a semi-complicated board that offers short cuts. Aggravations' shortcuts involve a little strategy to maneuver so players can try to land on the shortcuts to get their marbles to their safe "home" quickly. Players are also encouraged to land on opposing marbles and send them back to their base to start all over. Aggravation is recommended for ages six and older. Click here for a full review. Aggravation is this generations' Sorry! or Trouble. Click here to find it at Amazon.

Cool Gadget Toy

• Eyeclops Nightvision Stealth Binoculars: Something straight out of Star Wars. EyeClops night vision binoculars not only work, they work extremely well! I was expecting a tinty-looking green light blurrily illuminating the field of vision but EyeClops allows you to see in total darkness much further than their advertised 50 feet. Read my full review of Eyeclops Nightvision Stealth Binoculars here. Click here to find them at Amazon dot com.
• Glow Crazy Distance Doodler: Glow Crazy lets kids draw and play games in the dark. It is a cool concept and is quite an invention. Basically, the Glow Crazy Distance Doodler comes with two large glow clings that are about 2 feet wide by 1 foot tall. You can keep them big, or cut them into smaller pieces or shapes. Once it's dark in the room, you can use the light pen to draw onto the clings. Click here for a full review. Click here for the Glow Crazy website with video demonstrations.

Puzzle-based Toy  

• IcoSoKu Jr: IcoSoKu Jr. from recent toys dot com (website) is a fun, educational puzzle toy for kids ages 5-10. IcoSoKu Jr. resembles the ever so popular Sudoku. IcoSoKu Jr. is a math-based puzzle like Sudoku but it's not as difficult so your kids will not get discouraged by it. They will be able to solve the puzzle (with some "work") and feel proud of themselves. Click here for a full review of IcoSoKu Jr.

Building Fun

• Marble Race: The assembly and million pieces aspect of the game had me wondering if it was too much trouble for kids to occupy themselves (or to clean up) but they keep bringing this game out to play with. I highly recommend Marble Race. This is a fantastic "rainy day" toy. It's kind of daunting to bring out something that's in hundreds of pieces. Once the building starts kids become occupied for hours trying to build the best towers. Click here to find the variations of Marble Race available at Toys R Us dot com. 

Collect and Play

• Playmobil Sets: Playmobil sets are very well-built and extremely popular action figure-type sets. There are literally hundreds of sets to choose from (zoos, castles, houses, RVs) that cost anywhere from $10 to over $200. Playmobil has a tremendous following of loyal customers who snatch up every set they can afford. Think of Playmobil sets as the Fisher Price Adventure People toys for this generation. The Doll Hospital and Toy Soldier Shop in Berkley has the finest Playmobil selection in town. Click here to find Playmobil at the Doll Hospital and Toy Soldier Shop website Really Great Toys.

Toys and Gifts for Special Needs Children

• I demonstrated several toys and gifts for special needs children on Fox2 recently. Click here for a guide of several gift ideas for special needs children and to see the video demonstrations.

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