creative toys for kids Archives

April 7, 2021 by NAPPA Awards Team

We’re ready to spring into some fun with these latest NAPPA Award-winning toys!

Winner’s Stable Doll and Horse Set

Take the reins and ride into exciting adventures with this spirited duo from Winner’s Stable! This doll and horse set is a beautiful start to any horse collection. Each doll stands 5 inches tall and is accompanied by her beautifully accessorized horse companion. This dazzling duo has matching styling that highlights their inseparable bond. They even have poseable features, allowing kids to move them into fun action poses. $9.99, ages 3+.

My Plush Hess Truck: 2021 Cement Mixer

This endearing green plushie truck, safe for all ages, will evoke awwws instantly. Youngsters eyes will widen, just like the truck’s friendly eyes, when they give a squeeze and are rewarded with the super soft fabric, two different songs and flashing lights. The plush truck offers 10 total flashing lights, a mute mode, 15-minute timed night-light, plush fabric with a soft filling and a child safe padded internal battery enclosure. $29.99, ages birth-6.

Blue’s Clues & You! Peek-A-Blue

Step by step and clue by clue – it’s Blue’s Clues & You! Kids will love playing peek-a-boo with Peek-A-Blue. Standing 10 inches tall, this animated plush Blue is made with super soft fabrics and features Blue’s signature paw print. Squeeze Blue’s belly and she will bark and raise her ears. This Peek-A-Blue plush will help your little clue-finder use their mind, take a step at a time, and do anything that they want to do. $24.99, ages 3+.

SNAPSIES MIX AND MATCH SURPRISE

SNAPSIES™ are Funko’s exciting new capsule collectibles with a whole world of fun inside! Collect animal characters like unicorns, llamas, goats, and dragons — each with their own distinct personalities, looks, and accessories that you can customize for endless combinations! Funko’s snap technology lets you play your way! Mix and match, create in a snap! Which Snapsies surprise will you get? $9.99, ages 6-11.

X-Shot Dino Attack – Dino Striker

Take down the ferocious prehistoric predators with the all-new X-Shot Dino Attack Dino Striker. Face the Dino invasion with this Dino Striker foam dart blaster that features an auto-rotating 6-dart barrel to annihilate incoming predators with extreme accuracy from up to 90ft/27m away. The additional 6-dart storage supplies foam flingers with maximum firepower. Join the included Dino eggs together, place them down and then blast them away before they hatch! Set includes blaster, 2 dino egg targets and 16 foam darts. $8.99, ages 8+.

Toca Life Subscription Box

Toca Life Box is a subscription box that brings quality, creative play to kids who love surprises! You’ll receive a new box each month filled with crafts, pranks, games and LOTS of unexpected surprises. Every box celebrates the power of play with creative activities and DIYs that are full of fun and silliness. $19, ages: 6-11.

For more award-winning toys visit nappaawards.com

December 16, 2020 by

One of our favorite childhood memories is looking through toy catalogs and circling the ones we loved and hoped would arrive wrapped with a big bow. Flipping through the pages and dreaming about each item was a big part of the whole holiday experience – the anticipation of something wonderful. We want to give you that feeling again with our Jingle Holiday Gift Guide. We have been busy all year testing and evaluating to bring you this wonderful collection featuring more than 250 award-winning toys, games, books, family music and other unique finds. NAPPA Awards has been celebrating the best in family products for 30 years. This year’s selection includes products with positive messages of kindness, inclusion and community – products that celebrate diversity and uniqueness. This year, watching those smiles on our kids’ faces when they rip open their holiday gifts will be even more special. Happy Gifting!

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

Gifts with a Positive Message
Unique finds, including items perfect for those who love cozy and warm
Toys to spark imagination
Products that are all about creativity
Outdoor Fun
Book, music and games

June 26, 2019 by

Kids are out of school, but that doesn’t mean the learning has to stop. Check out these latest NAPPA Award winners that keep the fun and learning going all summer long.

ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy by Age of Learning, Inc.

ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy is the leading and most comprehensive online early learning resource for children ages 2–8. It offers an expert-designed curriculum for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. With more than 9,000 individual learning activities and 800+ complete lessons along their Step-by-Step Learning Path™, ABCmouse.com encompasses reading and language arts, math, science, social studies, art, and music. It is available on computer, tablet, or smartphone. Ages 2-8, 9.95/monthly or $59.95/annually.

Smithsonian Mega Science Lab

Learn about volcanos, weather, outer space and more. The Smithsonian Mega Science Lab is six different STEM kits in one. Observe the process of crystal formation; assemble and paint a model of the earth and moon; and erect and erupt your very own volcano. Create an Eco Dome Habitat where you can catch, collect and study bugs. Assemble and install your own weather station and start logging temperature, wind direction and speed, barometric pressure, humidity, clouds and precipitation. Put on your safety goggles and chisel away at your sand block as you excavate bones that you can assemble into a model dinosaur. This kit is a science sampler that offers six amazing adventures that are safe and easy to do. Detailed instructions are included. Ages 10+, $34.99.

Smithsonian Planetarium Projector

The Smithsonian Planetarium Projector brings the nighttime sky into your room. Just aim the projector at a light-colored wall or ceiling, and project a rotating star pattern of the northern sky. Three disks also feature 24 high-definition space images that you can project alongside the stars: planets, nebulae, moons, asteroids and other celestial bodies, as well as a satellite, space station, astronaut, space shuttle and more. Project more than 50 different image combinations. The Smithsonian Planetarium Projector features a 15-minute auto-shut-off, so you can fall asleep under a magical night sky. It comes with STEM educational content and requires 3 AA batteries (not included). Ages 8+, $39.99.

For more educational toys, apps and products, visit nappaawards.com

June 22, 2018 by

Summer is a great time for fun and trying something new and creative. These recent NAPPA Winners bring the fun and the learning.

Make Beautiful Music

The ONE Piano Hi-Lite is the first-ever piano strip that turns any 88-key piano or keyboard into a smart learning device that teaches kids and adults to play in minutes. Simply place the LED strip on the piano or keyboard and connect the USB to a tablet or smartphone. Through The ONE Smart Piano’s free app, users can explore video lessons, interactive games, and 3,000+ sheet music variations that correspond to the LED lights on the strip.
$269.00
For all ages

Try a New Language

Learn a new language in a super fun way with Spanish for Kids: The Ultimate Collection and French for Kids: The Ultimate Collection. Join the language-learning celebration with this entertaining combination of live action, animation, and upbeat music. From animals and play to the seasons and birthdays, these videos offer a captivating introduction to Spanish and French. The CDs keep the fun going with irresistible music that gets kids on their feet. Includes English subtitle options and free translation guide/lyrics. Packed with fun, laughter, and music.
$115.00 per collection
Ages 1-7

Make a Robot

Meet Botley the Coding Robot! This adorable robot can detect objects, be programmed for if/then logic, follow looping commands and take on obstacle courses. With Botley, children as young as 5 can learn to code. Botley’s advanced features will allow your kids to grow with him and he is ready to use right out of the box, 100% screen free and includes a 77-piece activity set.
$79.99
5+

Plant a Garden

With Abby’s Garden Planting Activity Set, you can join Abby, Elmo, and the whole Sesame Street gang in the Growing Magic Guide, and learn about plants, growing, and gardening through unique coloring pages and engaging activities like matching and spot-the-dierence. In addition to the Growing Magic Guide, the 16 piece set includes three planting pots, three packets of seeds, three soil pucks, three plant markers, two sticker sheets, and a trowel.
$10.00
Ages 2+

Get Crafty

Seriously Fun DIY Kids Crafts brings you 34 very fun kid’s crafts shown step by step with big colorful picture instructions easy for kids to follow for all ages up to 12. This eBook includes unique crafts that use a variety of materials that allow kids to be creative and add their own personal touch to each project. Like the Lego Instruction Manuals, the pictures are very large and numbered so kids will be able to make the crafts on their own. Great for the summer!
$9.99
Ages 4 to 12

Happy Creating! Remember to #PlayLearnConnect with #NAPPAAwards!

Elena Epstein is a mom of two and the director of NAPPA Awards, the longest running and most respected awards program in the industry, celebrating the best in family products for 28 years. For more product reviews, visit nappaawards.com.