Top 25 Christmas Gifts for Kids in 2011

Gifts for Younger Kids

Sesame Street’s Let’s Rock Elmo give toddlers and preschools the opportunity to enjoy music. Elmo comes with a drum, microphone and tambourine that he plays while singing songs kids will enjoy.

Rock Star Mickey is another holiday gift option that allows children to rock out. Mickey Mouse is outfitted with sunglasses and a guitar to give him the classic rocker look and dances along to two different songs.

Fisher-Price’s Little People Zoo Talkers Fun Sound Zoo allows children to learn about animals while using their imagination. The zoo features four different animal habitats and comes with three different animals. When placed on certain areas of the play set, children hear the animal’s name and the sound it makes.

Playskool’s Poppin’ Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper plays 10 different songs while popping balls out of the elephant’s trunk. Children place the balls back into the elephant and watch them pop out again.

LEGO’s Ultimate Building Set comes with a building plate and 405 different LEGO pieces in multiple sizes, shapes and colors. While it is designed for younger kids, it should not be given to kids under age 3 because of the choking hazard the pieces pose.

Electronic Gifts

The Nintendo 3DS is one of the hottest electronics gifts for kids in 2011. It allows kids to play games in 3D and take 3D pictures. Because of its handheld design, kids may take it with them to play games wherever they want.

LeapFrog’s LeapPad Explorer offers a design similar to popular adult tablets with learning activities for children. Children may use the touchscreen to access hundreds of games, eBooks and apps.

VTech’s Innotab Learning Tablet offers another learning tablet for children. It comes with an MP3 player, video player and eBook reader. Children may also download educational games and activities from the computer directly to the tablet.

Air Swimmers are remote-controlled inflatable toys that children will enjoy playing with during the holidays. Filled with helium, children use the remote control to move these fish as they sail smoothly in the sky.

FIJIT Friends are interactive toys that dance to music, talk with one another and respond to kids with jokes and prepared phrases. Their soft bodies allow kids to mold them, poke their bellies, remove their ears and watch them move in response to the touch.

Games for Kids

Angry Birds: Knock on Wood by Mattel is one of the most desired games for kids this Christmas. Children build a structure and then launch birds toward the structure in the hopes of knocking it down.

Hedbanz has children display a card on their forehead, secured by one of the game’s headbands and ask questions to figure out what that item is. All players in the game wear a card and the first one to correctly guess what is on their card wins.

Zhu Zhu Pets 2 for Nintendo DS is a puzzle game where children complete in games in the Zhu Zhu hamster city, attempting to collect their favorite hamsters and win points with friends.

Cartoon It! gives children 30 seconds to memorize what a cartoon character looks like. Players then draw that cartoon character from memory.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is available for Nintendo Wii and DS. This sword combat game allows children to interact with a popular video game character in scenes that feature more detailed and realistic graphics.

Bikes and Scooters

Razor Scooters make a fun and easy-to-use Christmas gift for older children. The scooter folds up easily so kids may carry it or place it in a backpack. It has a sleek aluminum design and comes in multiple colors.

Also from Razor, the Ripstik works like a skateboard and snowboard combined. Children will enjoy figuring out how to do new tricks and turns with this unique board.

Younger children will enjoy the Smart Trike. This tricycle grows with your child by starting with a canopy and steering handle, transitioning to a safe pedal trike with a handle and then becoming a fun tricycle. It may be used with children as young as 10 months old.

Strider Balance Bikes offer a unique approach to teaching children about riding a bike. For younger kids, the Strider PreBike does not contain pedals so that children learn to balance and use their feet and movement to control the bike.

PlasmaCar holds up to 220 pounds, making it a unique bike option for children. Set low to the ground, children power the bike by turning the steering wheel back and forth. As long as the wheel is being turned, the car keeps moving.

Gifts for Older Kids

FyrFlyz are colored LED lights that spin like a yo-yo to create neat light shows. Older children will enjoy creating patterns and putting on shows for their friends with these small, light-up toys.

LEGO Ninjago combines the building fun of LEGOS with a ninja-centered game. Purchase any of the LEGO Ninjago sets to allow children to create their own ninjas and battle their friends through their LEGO creations.

Nerf toys always impress around the holidays. For 2011, the Nerf Vortex Vigilon allows children to load five discs at once and launch them extremely long distances. Kids will enjoy finding new targets to hit with this toy.

Bizu Style Studio will give girls the opportunity to create their own jewelry and accessories this Christmas. The Style Studio is designed to help girls thread and clasp their own beaded elastic bracelets and necklaces.

Hot Wheels Wall Tracks attach directly to the wall with the help of 3M Command Strips and may be moved without damaging the surface of the wall. Kids will enjoy creating new track designs with unique loops and curves as they send their Hot Wheels cars down the wall.