How to Select From Among Parents Magazine Award-Winning Toys

Every year Parents Magazine chooses among all of the new toys to find the highest quality, most-original toys that offer maximum fun. Here are some to look at for your own child.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Fasten the Fisher-Price Peaceful Planet: Light and Sounds Aquarium ($25) to your baby's crib or set it on the dresser. Made for newborn through 1 year, this calming aquarium offers soothing water sounds and projects waves around the room.
2. Keep your little one entertained with Soft Busy Blocks ($15) by Earlyears. Fisher-Price's Peaceful Planet: Wind Chime Ball ($10) and 1-2-3 Sing-Along Puppy ($30) are perfect for 4-month-olds. Learning Curve makes the Lamaze My First Fish Bowl ($20) for 6 to 12-month-olds to handle the inhabitants and Tiny Love's Stacking Links and Rings ($18) are just right for little hands.
3. Rock on with Disney's Soft Rockin' Tigger Rocker ($40) by Little Tikes. That rocker and VTech's Little Smart Pull 'n Play Phone ($15) are designed for 1 to 4-year-olds.
4. Jam with your 18-month-old. Get him (or her) a Fisher-Price Sesame Street Rock and Roll Guitar ($15). If that's too noisy, settle down with the Lego Circus Freeway ($15).
5. Tap that musical side in your 2-year-old with a set of Music Blocks ($70) from Neurosmith.
6. Challenge preschoolers' imaginations with a SuperGlow Electronic Kitchen ($70) by Little Tikes or a Fisher-Price Scannin' Talkin' Checkout Center ($20).
7. Occupy your kids age 3 and up with a Water Color Pad ($6) by Alex or any of the Kid Galaxy Bendos collection: Breaker Surfer, Burly Strongman, Digger Construction Worker, Jack Construction Worker, Soar Eagle Man, Sparky Fire Chief, and XT Alien ($5 each).
8. Encourage learning while having fun with a Playskool Animal Sounds Stethoscope ($8), Fisher-Price Power Change: Workshop ($15), Fisher-Price Great Adventures: Magic Castle ($35), or Pretend and Play Teaching Telephone ($40) by Learning Resources.
9. Keep 'em amused in the car with a Fisher-Price CD Player ($13).
10. Give your little girl a best friend who won't hurt her feelings: Amazing Ally ($60) by Playmates has a computer inside. She talks, tells stories, and plays games.
11. Encourage your 6-year-old's interest in science. Wild Planet's Night Vision Goggles ($15) will make him the envy of his friends.
12. Hook up your kids age 8 and up with a Smithsonian Star Tour 3-In-1 Planetarium ($22) or Popular Mechanics For Kids: Motor-Works Engine ($20) by NSI. Also look for Mars and Beyond: HM4 Terra-Colony Habitation Module ($65) by Uncle Milton and TyrannoBots ($25) made by K'nex.