The Top Toys of 2014

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time to start the Christmas shopping list and find toys that stimulate development and imagination—without relying on screens. Read on for a bevy of offerings that challenge mental, physical and creative juices, all while being tons of fun.

Squigz are silicone rubber pieces that flex and stick—both to each other, and to any solid surface—to create anything your little builder can think of. They can be used almost anywhere, including in the bath.

The iconic Fisher Price Changeable Picture Disk Camera of our youth sure has come a long way. Kids press the shutter button to move the photo disc along, and it comes with a strap for capturing photos on the go. Say Cheese!

These Indoor Snowballs feel like real snow but are made out of a soft material. Bonus: there's no mess or slush to be found. Perfect for having a friendly family snowball fight during the greenest of holidays.

These bugs can climb and move vertically, horizontally, around corners, through loops and tubes, and to the summit of any set your kid can think of building with the Hexbug Nano Watch Tower. We're glad they're having fun, but we're even more glad that these speedy bugs are safely enclosed.

GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine is a double whammy! We love that it improves verbal skills and gets kids interested in spatial awareness. The heroine, Goldie, solves problems by building simple machines as she goes on an adventure.

The kids will have a blast socking and bopping this happy guy, and you'll have a blast seeing them play with this modern take on the 1960's classic toy. A sand-filled base ensures the Bozo Bop Bag pops back up every time.

We love Twister Rave Skip-It! The addictively fun coordination tester is back with glowing lights—in bright Twister colours—that measure how long you skip. Consider it a blinged-out version of our old fave.

You'll have to teach them that this 100 Piece Essential Tinkertoy Set has very little to do with Tinkerbell, but after that they'll be busy constructing everything from microphones to windmills (bonus—it's good for school projects that involve building models).

Just try to resist playing with this Darth Vader Voice Changer-Helmet. A childhood dream come true!

We love strong girl role models, and if that means enabling foam dart archery practice, so be it. This NERF Rebelle Heartbreaker Bow will have them realizing that girls can save themselves, thank you very much.

We're still not even sure what Monchhichi is (Monkey? Baby?), but we loved ours as a kid and we're sure your kiddos will too.

Test and develop their hand-eye coordination, ambidexterity, concentration and speed with Speed Stacks! Up-stack and down-stack cups in specific patterns as fast as you can—addictive and hilarious.

We're encouraging her dream of following in Sarah Polley's footsteps with the cool digital Playskool ShowCam, which has a built-in projector that allows her to show her work as soon as it's snapped. Call it instant gratification.

KRE-O bricks get a little something extra with the addition of sonic motion bricks, which add live action via movement created from sound waves. When applied to something like the KRE-O CityVille Skyscraper Mayhem set, the unique cities they've created shuffle, swim, crash or roar to life!

We're a bit miffed that the majority of building toys in stores seem to have been designed with boys in mind. Young engineers of either gender will be drawn to the soft rainbow shades of this Tegu Magnetic Wooden Building Block Set.

So the kiddos want a pet, but even an army of dog walkers isn't going to cut it. This new Furreal Friend Kitty is more lively than some feline companions we have had in the past, even batting at toys with her front paws in the air, pouncing, mewing and purring. Bonus: no kitty litter required.

Ask most moms of boys and they will agree—their kids love Beyblades! Beys have evolved with the addition of a figure inspired by the spirits in the new ShoGun Steel TV series. Beywarriors Octagon Showdown Battle Set has five pieces, allowing for even more customization—and we have to admit, the battles are pretty cool. Let ‘er rip!

It was only a matter of time before hexbugs invaded the water. These micro robotic Aquabots propel themselves through water, exploring their ‘habitat'. They promise to make bath time a whole lot more fun (and probably longer). As creepy-cool as ever.

We know a little something about being dazzled by digital games. We're much happier with her applying her matching skills to this three-dimensional, tangible game version of Bejeweled.

This incredibly detailed Discovery Space Center comes with astronauts and aliens to make their space adventure complete. Blast off!

Kids will love trying to stump Magic Jinn as they think of an animal and then listen to a series of questions from Magic Jinn to which they answer ‘yes', ‘no' or ‘I don't know'. At the end, Magic Jinn guesses the animal—and is usually correct!

We've seen some amazing creations emerge from K'Nex. We're happy that the kids are immersed in the spinning space and time-defying creative architecture afforded by this K'Nex Classics Model Building Set.

It's party time with the party edition of Draw Something. Kids will love drawing on the screen with their finger or stylus and having the rest of the team guess their creation. Lots of levels make this game fun for a variety of ages.