As the holiday season approaches and you begin to consider the best Christmas gifts for 2009, you want to be sure that what you give away will be a happy experience for those who receive them. This means looking beyond simple Christmas cards, gift certificates, and a hasty trip to the mall. Nothing beats the look of excitement and joy when others open their gifts and warmly offer their thanks, reminding you that it is the thought behind the gift that really counts!
Look forward to their smiles again this year, with this list of the best-selling gifts of 2009, prepared from research conducted with the largest online retailers.
1. Wild Planet Hyper Dash from Wild Planet
This product won the 2009 Top Toy of the Year award from Creative Child magazine. Not only is it a fun game, it is exceptional in developing math and athletic skills. It also challenges skill, speed, coordination, teamwork, and memory. 7-12 years.
2. Hot Potato from Fundex Games
Also among the best gifts of 2009 is a hot potato with electronic fries and requires family members to frantically toss the hot potato and not get caught holding the potato when the music stops. Good for 2-6 players.
3. American Girl 300 Wishes – Mattel Board Game
300 wish cards, five diaries and five wish keys are included. The “Wish Cards” given out to players describe fun experiences, careers, and personal achievements they dream of. The objective is to match the wishes of the players with the cards they receive. 8+ years.
4. Scooby-Doo! A haunted house game from Pressman Toys
Similar to the Cartoon Network TV series, this 3D plastic game is packed with action as players move through the haunted house and try to get to the top level while avoiding booby traps and ghosts. Fits 2-5 players.
5. Math Whiz by Educational Insights
Provide hundreds of fun math facts and challenge kids with addition, division, subtraction, and multiplication. It can also work as a calculator. There are eight skill levels and an easy-to-read display screen, as well as light and sound effects that salute the answers given. 6+ years.
6. Electronic Hyperslide by Hasbro Games
Three different games that allow fun and individual and team competition on the table, with sounds, voice commands and electronic lights. “Guess” a sequence of colors before the buzzer indicates that your time is up.
7. Bananagrams by Bananagrams
A word game with 144 tile letters that are placed face down as players select their tiles. Ideal for family fun on the go as it is lightweight, portable, and easy to set up. No pencil or paper required.
8. Blokus Classic from Educational Insights
A strategy board game that is the most awarded game of the century, so far (more than 20 awards). Suitable for up to four players, it employs a 400-piece game board and 84 colored game pieces. Players try to fit all of their pieces on the board, touching at least one corner of their previous pieces and not adjacent to another player’s pieces. The winner is the first to get rid of his pieces.
9. LeapFrog Match!
A fun game to improve memory and reasoning. Pressing a button provides a clue to match with options including rhyming words, animal sounds, and opposites. Three levels of play allow children to progress at their own pace. It adapts to individual play or with a friend.
10. Math Mat Challenge Game
The final selection of the best Christmas presents of 2009 is a clever and exciting math game that includes an interactive and talking mat. There are four different games and two skill levels that help develop skills in numbers, addition, counting, and subtraction. The children step on the mat when they have the answer. The game becomes faster as the scores increase.
