The 2016 Smarty Holiday Toy Gift Guide is sponsored by our favorite local toy store, Toys & Co in Cotswold. Find everything on your child’s wish list and then some at Toys & Co! And guess what? They will wrap every gift BEAUTIFULLY and oh-so-expertly – so you don’t have to pull an all-nighter on Christmas Eve! Check out Toys & Co’s 2016 100 Best Toys List – you’ll have everyone covered on your list!
This is our BIG week here in Smartyland – our annual holiday toy gift guide. We divvy ’em up by ages and our Smarty bloggers get to work helping Santa figure out who gets what.
Our holiday gift guide continues this week with ages 6-10. Cheryl, Rachel, Liz & Jen P teamed up on this one – they are EXPERT shoppers, so rest-assured these are some good picks. If you have more gift ideas for ages 6-10, share ’em in the Comments section! We’d love to hear!
For the girls:
American Girl Dolls and Accessories – The American Girl dolls will be the gift of choice for all girls age 8+. Choose from the Beforever line. Each character features a story series that explores her era so your girl can discover how all girls share the same hopes and dreams. You should also consider the Girl of the Year, Lea, and all of her accessories or a Truly Me Doll, custom made just for you.
Lokai bracelets: Not only are the Lokai bracelets so pretty and stackable, but a percentage of each one goes to a charity. Great stocking stuffer, too.
Shopkins– These are still a huge hit with the younger part of this age group. Betcha your li’l Smarty needs a few more this holiday!
ivivva – CSP adores ivivva, we are in that Myers Park showroom weekly! ivivva is lululemon’s baby sister, active girls ages 6-14 will become addicted to these fab clothes. Our fave right now is this rhythmic tight in moon gem – they are reversible too:
And pair it with this Good in the Hood Hoodie:
For the boys:
Mashoonga Warrior: – This set of two foam swords will become your boys’ favorites…especially if brothers are involved.
Laser Pegs – If your son loves Legos, this might be just the gift for him. These colorful bricks light up bringing STEM to a whole new life.
Trek Bike – We recently discovered the Trek Store of Charlotte in Ballantyne and Santa was really impressed. We’ve been through four kids and every brand and size of bikes. We finally looked into a higher quality bike because we are firm believers that you get what you pay for. These bikes are excellent quality and have every feature your child will ever need – and we believe at a very fair price. Check them out. Please tell them CSP sent you!
A Panthers blanket – my boys LOVE a good blanket. They use it while gaming, while watching tv, while sleeping, for sleepovers, you name it. They aren’t afraid to their show feminine side with a good ‘ole soft and fuzzy blanket. Best part, it shows their Carolina Panther Pride!
For both:
A new SPRINGFREE TRAMPOLINE!! We can’t sing the praises enough about this amazing product. The number one thing about it is safety. They are leaders in the category and for good reason. Our family has been enjoying a Springfree trampoline since June, and knocking on wood, so far, no injuries! I kid you not, there has not been a single day that they don’t jump on it – most days for hours on end. We have four kids of all ages and they all love it equally. Be prepared though, your house will soon become the neighborhood hub – ours sure is. So make sure you stock up on lots of snacks and drinks, they’ll work up an appetite on the trampoline. Plus, that TGOMA technology is amazing – lots and lots of games, workout videos (for mom too) and you can even turn your trampoline into a movie theater with it. So cool and fun. Lucky for Smarty Charlotte, we have our very own Springfree Trampoline store in Blakeney. Check them out. This will be the B-E-S-T gift of the holiday season for sure!
Vivofit: Vivofit by Garmin is an activity tracker amped up. It’s the only activity tracker that greets you with a personalized daily goal, tracks your progress and reminds you when it’s time to move. Perfect for those days your trying to get the kids of the screens.
Swurfer Swing – Surf the air! Swurfer is the TREErific board reinventing the backyard swing. Its unique, curved shape allows you to soar through the air – providing more power, more moves, and more fun!
The Buoy Bat – Played like baseball, Wiffle ball, or stick ball, comes with a face-friendly ball – doesn’t hurt if it hits you – doesn’t break windows. Makes a cool thumping noise when you hit with it. Perfectly balanced – every hit feels like a home run. Awesome family game.
Bloxels Video Game Builder Set – This is THE toy for any li’l gamers out there. Build your own video game and watch it come to life.
SLAPZI Card Game – If your family loves Tenzi, then SLAPZI should be on your holiday list. New in 2016, SLAPZI is the fast-matching, card-slapping, everyone-laughing picture game. It’s is super-simple to learn, and super-fast to play.
Selfie Mic – Toys & Co. tells us this is flying off the shelves! Another new-in-2016 toy, the Selfie Mic allows you to take karaoke to the next level with their app of over 3 million fully licensed songs that they update daily. Sounds like fun for parents, too ;-).
iPad Mini – This is a great device that will be great on all aspects of your kids’ life. First, education, yes, that’s right, education. They can now do most of their homework on their handy iPads. Second, but most importantly in your kids’ eyes, for gaming. Especially for boys. They love this device more than any other. And they’ll have it until you ever cave and get them a phone. But hopefully that won’t be for a few more years. Smarty tip: buy a REALLY sturdy case.
Camp Under the Tree – Whether your child is a day camper, a dance camper, a soccer camper or an overnight camper, we have the perfect gift for you! Think YMCA Camp Harrison, YMCA Camp Thunderbird, Jami Masters School of Dance Summer Dance Intensive, Charlotte Eagles Soccer Camp – the list is endless. These are great ideas for GRANDPARENTS gifting! Think about it.
For all of your gift needs, head over to Toys & Co!
You can find Toys & Co at:
www.toysandco.com
Cotswold Village Shops
Charlotte, NC – 704-365-7980
Mon-Sat 9a-9p, Sun 12p-6p
