Our Top 17 Toy Picks

Experts are always telling us to KISS (Keep It Simple, Santa) when it comes to toys and toddlers. This classic, rolling car game is made from wood and follows a simple premise: a well-made toy involving moving cars and noise (a bell rings when a car reaches the bottom) will always be a hit.

Your much-abused couch cushions will thank whomever is able to splurge on these well-designed (by the Dutch of course) kids' furniture pieces that inspire endless play, creativity and physical exercise. Some versions offer sitting support for babies as well as strength and coordination play for toddlers.

Faster than a speeding bullet (except when you call them up for bed), this assortment of capes empowers your in-house superhero to become an imaginary…anything. Fight crime, save kittens, clean up toys before bedtime. Superheroes really can do anything with the right attire.

Teach her early that a woman's prerogative is to change her mind, and her wardrobe, as often as the situation warrants. Little girls will love the ease of mixing and matching 24 pieces of magnetic clothing, and the included stand will help little hands keep the doll upright during wardrobe changes.

Keep the ‘Are we there yet?', ‘I'm starving' and ‘Is lunch ready yet?' comments at bay with these fun and functional disposable placemats. They'll be too busy to whine if inspired to create a masterpiece as they await your own culinary triumph…the grilled cheese sandwich.

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Your little monster will love having a remote control partner-in-crime who, like the real version, can be happy, angry, go to sleep, roar, pound his fists, throw a ball, laugh, chew and yes, even say ‘excuse me' after he burps. Luckily, Bigfoot isn't well-designed enough to talk back or spill milk.

While the gift of money is sometimes hard for children to understand, the gift of a goat or a chicken brings excitement. Sit down together to choose what gifts you can give to families in need (from animals to trees to antibiotics) and make a difference across the world. Helping kids learn the true gift of giving (with no wrapping involved)—that's a holiday miracle.

This eco-friendly and educational game from Canadian artist Anouk Bikkers comes with 36 pairs of endangered species images for a beautiful take on the classic memory game. Appropriate for players young and old, use just nine of the pairs for kids 3 to 6, and all 36 pairs for older kids and adults. Included with the game is a book highlighting the animals and their threatened habitats.

It's that time of year again when the whole family comes together to share in the holiday spirit. Be sure to capture your family's brightest moments with a Sony HDRCX300 Full HD Camcorder. You might need to pick this one up a bit early.

Carefree creative days are ahead with Playmais—a unique, non-toxic and biodegradable crafting material made from corn and water and dyed with natural food colour. Moisten the pieces with water and they stick together, as well as to other surfaces like glass and paper. Kids can experiment with colour and texture while they create animals, people, or entire worlds—without harming ours.

The budding young artist on your list will love this ‘serious artist' case filled with pencils, pastels and watercolours for when they are ready to experiment beyond crayons. Wrap it up with a ticket or gift certificate to your local gallery or art store and you'll also be supporting the arts—starting with your own creative kid(s).

Let them belt it out and put on a concert at home long before the days you'll actually be driving them to one. This microphone/headset combo allows two people to sing, has an iPod/MP3/CD player connection and comes with applause and light sound effects. Your stars are born!

For every wannabe Harry Potter or Hermione Granger out there comes the Fun Fly Stick with five metallic-looking (but actually lightweight tinsel ribbons so your flooring and youngest ones are safe) spheres and objects that magically are controlled by your young wizard. Who needs the high cost of Hogwarts when they can learn magic at home?

Technology and tradition combine perfectly with this eye-catching and irresistible digital camera from LEGO. A real working camera with memory to hold 80 pictures and a LCD screen, the original shape of the camera cannot be taken apart, but LEGO lovers can add pieces to the top and bottom, making it part of new creations.

Keep him sharp—or at least his skates—with a gift they will use more than once. This manual skate sharpener will sharpen four sides at once to restore both edges at the same time, and will sharpen a total of 30 skates. It's the perfect gift for the hockey player (or coach) in your house…because you wanted to encourage even more ice-time, right?

Heavy metals never go out of style, at least this well-crafted version as created by Toronto-based Rocket Jewellery. Made with a mix of hematite and pyrite metals, the chains are finished in antiqued brass, copper and gunmetal. Each bracelet is unique and closes with a toggle clasp. With a special 20% discount for SavvyMom readers, it's a great gift to give to anyone, especially yourself.

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