Christmas is right around the corner and it’s time to get a jump on our shopping, Smarties! We’re here to help, thanks to the amazing staff at Toy Mania at Cotswold. Their toy experts know all the hottest trends and coolest toys. They’ll know just what your kiddos want, even if you’re not sure! Avoid the shipping costs and delivery uncertainty of online shopping and get the personal service of local toy gurus who greet you at the door of Toy Mania at Cotswold Shopping Center. We love supporting local, family-owned businesses like Toy Mania!
Here are 10 outstanding toy recommendations for kids ages 6-11. If you missed our list for younger children, check out our Smarty Toy Guide for Ages 0-5. Coming soon is our Smarty Toy Guide for Tweens & Teens!
1. Touch LED Watch by Top Trenz. Ages 6 and up. $19.99
For the kid who’s outgrown the Mickey Mouse watch, these sleek-looking Touch LED watches are a great and affordable option. They come in assorted bands to make easy picking for boys and girls. And the added bonus, of course, is that now maybe your child will be interesting in keeping a schedule! We can hope anyway.
2. Party2-Go Karaoke Mic Disco ball combo. Ages 8 and up. $50.00.
If you can take the volume – hopefully from a few rooms over – this is a slam-dunk gift for the music lovers and makers in your life! Personally, the disco ball puts this one over the top for us. Toy Mania has several variations on the microphone sets, including a Bling edition mini Boombox with Blue Tooth capability. Take me back to the 80s!
3. One2Go Wiggleboard. 3-wheel balance board. Ages 6 and up. $129.99.
Looking for an easy way to get your kids outside in the fresh air? This Wiggleboard is easier to master than a skateboard (whew, mamas) because it can be ridden from your rump, knees, or feet. The board moves by wiggling your hips and waist, which means children are having fun and developing a strong core all at the same time. The manufactures says ages 6 and up, though 8 and up is probably a safer bet.
4. Vikings of the Northern Lights by Starlux Games. Ages 7 and up. $39.99
This is another great way to get the kids outdoors: a game that’s a uniquely-modern twist on freeze tag. One team hides the “glowing crystals” and freeze tags the opponents, while the other team searches for the crystals and unfreezes teammates with the scepter. The team that either freezes all the opponents or finds all the crystals first wins. There are more advanced rules for older kids. Does it make you want to watch Game of Thrones?
5. Pokemon Trainer Guess game. Ages 6 and up. $24.99.
For the Pokemon lovers in your household comes this electronic guessing game. It’s almost like playing a game with “Alexa.” You think of a Pokemon character and the device, through the fun of voice activation and banked with the “knowledge” of answers to 148 Pokemon questions, asks you a series of questions to narrow down which character you have in mind.
6. Rainbow Loom Mega Combo Set. Ages 7 and up. $24.99.
Rainbow Loom is making a big comeback and this mega set is a great way to catch on to the craze! The kit comes with more than 7,000 rubber bands and 21 colors for hours of bracelet-making fun! This is exactly the kind of gift you want to buy in person, given the heft and weight of the package which would only add to shipping costs!
7. Snap Circuits BRIC: Structures. Ages 8 to 108. $54.99.
Talk about a STEM toy! This award-winning kit helps kids combine the fun of building with toy bricks and using circuitry to light a bulb, ring a doorbell, spin a wheel and more. It’s compatible with LEGOs which makes for endless possibilities on top of the potential 20 projects and 200 parts that come included. Your future electrical engineer is going to be entertained for hours!
8. Koko the panda Model P Instant Print and Digital Camera. Ages 6-10. $99.99.
Does your child keep asking for your phone to take pictures? What a fantastic way to scratch that itch without adding to the screen time dilemma. Kidamento has created an instant print camera – think Polaroid, ol’ folks – that can also connect wirelessly to an app on your phone to print digitally as well. The camera can rotate for selfies as well as take video. This will be a huge hit on Christmas morning and a great way for someone besides you to document the day!
9. I Moustache You A Question trivia game. Ages 8 and up. $24.99.
This is the trivia game you give your kids and then borrow for the next adult party you’re hosting! It’s hysterical? Every time you answer a question correctly you get an extension on your mustache, and the fun gets bigger and bigger! The game comes with a different set of questions for kids and adults, striking just the right balance of fun for all ages.
10. 500-piece Gallery Puzzles by Djeco. Ages 8 and up. $17.99.
This is an upgrade on a classic gift. Who doesn’t love a fun puzzle to do over the holidays or at the next family gathering? And these 500-piece gallery puzzles by Djeco are beautiful, worthy of wall hanging! This will be fun for the whole family.
The 2022 Smarty Holiday Toy Gift Guide is sponsored by our favorite local toy store, Toy Mania in Cotswold, which gives every customer such personal service! Find everything on your child’s wish list without having to worry about shipping costs and delays! 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!
Cotswold Village Shops
242 S. Sharon Amity Road
704-910-2001
Hours: Monday -Saturday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m.- 6 p.m.
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