When we added the A to Z Magnatab from Kid-O to GIFT HERO we intended it to be a kids gift for 3 year olds…and preschoolers. It’s a fun and easy way for kids to learn to recognize and write their letters. It has helpful up, down and sideways instructions via easy-to-follow arrows and a magnetic stylus pulls metal beads up to create solid lines. It “erase”s with the tip of a finger so kids can play with it again and again.

Given the state of my 8 year old son’s handwriting, I’m thinking this is actually a terrific tool for older children. At Benjamin’s school, they worked on handwriting in kindergarten but it hasn’t been a focus since. While his handwriting is legible, it could use significant improvement!  I’m thinking of giving him this educational toy (and maybe adding the lower case and script versions to our site…so I can give him those too ).

My husband and I are addicted to the CSI shows. We are just fascinated by all of the techniques the Crime Scene Investigators use to solve murders (how bizarre are the murders – they must be based on true stories…you can’t make this stuff up!).

So, when science kit brand Thames & Kosmos introduced the new kit Forensics Fingerprint Lab, I knew we had to add it to GIFT HERO.  With this kit, kids collect fingerprints by dusting them with black powder and lifting them with clear stickers. They design a fingerprint file card and take prints from friends and family. Plus, they learn how the FBI classifies fingerprints.

This is a great gift for 8 year olds (or for a crazy adult like me who wants to know who hid my keys!).

The folks over at Perplexus are really smart. Not only do they create incredible 3D maze games that are ideal educational toys for older kids, they realized that younger children were ready for their own game.

Perplexus Rookie is a smaller sphere with larger tracks than the original or Perplexus Epic versions.  This kids gift for age 4 and up will introduce kids to the three dimensional, gravity defying, award winning world of Perplexus challenges. They just flip, twist and turn the sphere to navigate the steel ball along the tracks through 75 barriers of varying difficulty. Perplexus Rookie is easy to play but still challenging to complete.

One of our best sellers during this past holiday season was Perplexus Epic. This new and advanced version of the 3D maze game is incredible. Meant as a kid’s gift for age 8 and up, it is super challenging and highly addictive. Kids (and adults) will enjoy the challenge of navigating the steel ball along the tracks, through 125 barriers of varying difficulty as they try to defy gravity.

This educational toy is a multi- award winner and is a perfect birthday gift for girls or gift for boys.

Whenever I visit a friend or relative with a little one, I can’t resist bringing a small gift. Recently, I’ve been giving the Go Car by Kid-O.  It is just adorable and, in shiny red, it is a perfect kid’s gift for either a boy or girl. The curved roof on this baby toy does double duty as a handle and the rubber-coated wheels glide smoothly along any path.

This award winning toy is recommended for ages 1 and up.

We are long time fans of Citiblocs. These eco-friendly blocks are terrific free-form building sets for young children. Up until recently, however, Citiblocs only sold sets recommended as kids gifts for ages 3 and up.

So Lisa and I were very excited when our sales rep let us know that they were introducing Citiblocs Little Builders Rattle Blocks. This 22 piece set is created for toddlers. It contains chunky rattle and other colorful blocks, all designed for little hands. Citiblocs Little Builders is an educational toy that will introduce younger children to the joys of building. This award winning toy was recommended by Daily Candy Kids. It was so popular this past holiday season that it is hard to find these days…but available at GIFT HERO. It’s a fabulous kids gift for ages 2 and up!

Cutting fruit is a classic toy that should be in every kid’s collection. It has multiple uses – building fine motor skills, teaching basic math lessons, exposing young children to healthy eating, pretend play…I could go on and on.

So, when Lisa and I discovered Kid O Cutting Fruit, we knew we had to add it to www.gifthero.com. This award winning toy, from the incredible toy designers at Kid O, takes cutting fruit to a whole new level. Kids will love to slice through these textured magnetic fruits to discover what’s inside. Then, they snap the pieces back together, aligning the convex seeds to fit like a puzzle. Slices hold together magnetically (not velcro like other versions). This educational toy includes a pear, orange and apple, gentle plastic knife and tote bag.  It’s a delicious kid’s gift for 2 and up.

This week Lisa and I are going shopping! It is the New York International Gift Fair at the Javitz Center. Besides Toy Fair (mecca for toy retailers), NYIGF is the best way to learn about amazing new toys to add to GIFT HERO. We spent today walking through the general gift and accent on design sections. Tomorrow we will scour the Baby and Child floor where there’s sure to be too many great gifts to choose from.

We stocked up on educational toys and award winning toys including the coolest jewelry kits, arts and crafts sets, building toys, gifts for girls and gifts for boys. Visit us soon for great new kid’s gifts and old favorites from Alex Toys, Fashion Angels, Perplexus, Ogosport and many more.

This past Saturday was one of those days when my family didn’t leave our apartment. The snow turned to sleet and we cozied up in the family room reading, watching movies and playing games. Lisa had recommended Sketch It! from Blue Orange Games to us. Her kids (and the adults too) love this educational game. We just added this kid’s gift to GIFT HERO because her family was addicted.

Sketch It! is an unique drawing game that inspires creativity, quick thinking, and fine motor skills. With this award winning toy, both the sketcher and the decipherer can earn points. We all had a blast trying to draw at the right speed – too fast and you confuse the others…too slow and you miss your chance to score. Find Sketch It! and lots of other great educational toys for 8, 9 and 10 year olds on our site. It’s a perfect birthday gift.

At Citibabes, the primary goal of our classes is to promote the cognitive, social, physical, and emotional growth and well-being of young children. We also like to have fun in the process. We understand that each child is unique and learns in different ways and as such we design our classes around experiential learning. We encourage children to engage in meaningful learning through play, real-world experience, and child-centered activities that are both educational and fun. Here are a few top “edutainment” picks from GIFT HERO – toys that are the perfect combination of education and entertainment (aka “edutainment”) for your little ones, specially chosen by a few teachers at Citibabes.

- Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

Flower Stacker by Wonderworld: This construction toy is perfect for those little hands that are developing fine motor skills and the stacking motion it encourages will enhance spatial relation and balance concepts. It’s aesthetically pleasing design and all natural construction makes it both an adult and child-friendly option. (Karla Morey, Creative and Training Director) 

Dado Planks: Already being a fan of dado blocks, these planks are the perfect addition to the classroom.  Endless hours of exploration, construction and learning. (Aaron Goldschmidt, Head Teacher, CitiSchool, 2’s and 3’s)

For a complete list of Citibabes’ Teacher Picks, visit GIFT HERO and CitiScoop: Citibabes’ Online Magazine.

To learn more about Citibabes, visit our website or stop by the Club at 52 Mercer Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10013