Toys That Are Worth Buying (WFMW #56)

Just in time for the Christmas shopping season, the theme week for Works for Me Wednesday for November is Toys That Are Worth Buying.

As for us, I will actually share that we have already purchased our kids’ big gifts for this year. In addition to their big gifts, they will receive only a couple other items. (For the record, we bought each of the boys their own Nintendo DS Lite, since they have asked for this off and on for a couple of years. Molly will be receiving a doll house that was a similar price to what we spent on one Nintendo DS, and it will be big enough that even Barbies can fit in!)

Hopefully I’ll want to put all of those things on a “toys that are worth buying” list next year!

But, for now, let me share some things that have gotten a great deal of use in our house (no special order, but numbering seemed easier for listing purposes)…

1. Barbie — I try to skip some of the cheaper plastic accessories, but the dolls are beloved around here. They get A LOT of use! Speaking of the cheap plastic accessories though, the kids get so much use out of a Barbie car that we got at Walmart for maybe $12 or so. Love it!

2. The Nintendo Wii — Yes, this is an investment, but this game system is something that our whole family enjoys, and we can all play together and be entertained together.

Some of our favorite games for the Wii include: Rayman Raving Rabbids (several different games), Wii Fit, Carnival Games, We Ski, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, Dance Dance Revolution (okay — it’s probably actually just me that likes that one), Mario Party 8, and Wii Sports (but that comes with the console).

3. Melissa and Doug See & Spell — Molly loves this set, and even the boys can’t help themselves but want to play with it. This is a great tool for learning letters, sounds, and spelling.

4. Melissa and Doug Magnetic Dress Up Dolls — They have sets for boys and girls! This is not only a hit with Molly and Jack, but some of my therapy kids that I see can sit and play with these sets for much longer than they might play with other toys.

5. Imaginext Dinosaurs — All of the kids love these. They hold up well (I can even take them along to therapy sometimes!), and they keep kids’ interest. We have some that makes noises and others that are nice and quiet.

6. The Priest Game — Great learning game for Catholic kids. This apparently was originally designed for smaller kids, but became a much larger game. This is a fun way to learn about the Mass, and is a surprising way to work on colors!

7. Holy Folks Mary Doll — Molly already has the big doll, and she’s going to get this small version in her stocking this year.

8. Playmobil Pirate Treasure Chest — We got this for the kids a few Christmases ago, and they still play with it. Although, admittedly, we did take away all the coins after Molly (who was probably two at the time) stuck some up her nose. So, if you have little ones around the house, you’ll need to be careful with this.

9. Calico Critters Cloverleaf Corners Nursery School — Molly received this from one of her aunts, and she plays with it at least a couple of times a week (and has consistently since receiving it last Christmas). These Calico Critters sets seem pretty pricey to me, but Molly has gotten so much enjoyment out of this!

10. Dress Up Clothes — You can read about my frugal way to build up a dress up box, before you go to the store and buy overpriced sets of dress up clothes. The kids love getting dressed up!

11. Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship — Noah rarely actually plays with toys, but he definitely enjoys this set!

I could probably continue, I’m sure, but I’ll stop my list here, because I can’t wait to read everyone else’s lists!

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