Archive for November, 2011

Since last holiday season, we have revamped our Gift Guide! Within this helpful resource you will find all of our top toys organized by age group for the holidays, birthdays, or anytime! We also have some friendly tips for gift giving and how to pick presents for boys and girls, from dolls and science kits to books and pretend play toys.

We also have our Gift Finder to help you narrow down our toy selection by age, gender, price and brand. See some favorites below. Perhaps you need some stocking stuffers or other smaller surprises? Browse through hand-picked toys $15 and under!

Another new section on our site is the automatically-updating list of our Most Popular Toys, showing you exactly what is being purchased for kids in real-time.

If you’re looking to start your holiday shopping and avoid the Black Friday madness, you can save 15% NOW on all orders over $99 at GrowingTreeToys.com! This deal is valid online only and ends on 11:59 PM PST, Friday, November 25th!

By now, you may have seen our recent blog posts of shopping tips for holiday toys – browsing by by age group and by toy department. If you know your favorites, want to complete a set, and so on, sometimes the way to go is to shop by brand! We have dozens of educational toy brands on our site, big and small. Here is a selection:

• Alex Toys
• Beka
• Bruder Toys
• Calico Critters
• Corolle Dolls
• Creativity for Kids
• Educational Insights
• Franklin Sports
• Kettler
• Kid Galaxy Toys
• Lamaze Toys
• Manhattan Toy
• Melissa & Doug
• Papo Toys
• Plan Toys
• Ravensburger
• Ryan’s Room
• Schleich Toys
• WOW Toys

Please do visit our entire alphabetical brand page, so you can see all that we carry from Automoblox to Zoomorphs!

Having already covered how to browse our site by age group of the child for whom you are shopping, we now take a look at a handy way to shop based on a child’s interest – shopping by department! Within all of our departments, you can see more sub-departments, like within Pretend Play Toys you will find Dress-up Toys, Spy Toys, Magic Sets and much more!

• One of our most expansive departments, among our Arts & Crafts for Kids you’ll find kits proper for younger and older kids, plus easels, supplies, and themed projects like sports, nature, and fashion design.
• We keep all our fun, stimulating toys for little ones in one convenient spot: our Baby Toys! (Is Baby growing up? See Toddler Toys below!)
• Even bath time is a time to learn with engaging Bath Toys!
• The iconic educational playthings, we have Books that are sure to make young ones to look forward to reading and learning.
• Our Construction Toys include tons of ways to build (and tear down!) a structure – from wooden blocks and marble runs and magnetic sets, to toys proper for toddlers or preschoolers.
• Find dolls, special accessories and comfy places to stay and play with our Dolls & Doll Houses!
• Help kids get ready for school and a lifelong “career” of learning with Early Learning Toys, with dressing toys, sorting toys, and ways to study different subjects just for preschool-aged kids.
• Board games, sports games, brain-teasers, and more – tons of our Games for Kids are fun for the whole family as well!
• Outfit a kids’ room with Kids Furniture made just for them, from top brands like Guidecraft, Kidkraft and P’kolino.
• Whether kids like to sing, play an instrument, or simply make noise, our Musical Toys provide many ways for children to express themselves through song.
• Is there anything more fitting for kids than outdoor play? Browse our Outdoor Toys for fun toys that fly, toys that make bubbles, toys to ride andn so much more!
• Hard to sum up in three short words, our massive Pretend Play Toys include many ways for children to use their imaginations. Who do they want to be today?
• Puzzles are perfect for individual playtime, or to engage with others to see how fast the pieces can be put together. Here you can find simple, early puzzles from Educo and Melissa and Doug, as well as challenging ones from Ravensburger for older kids!
• Many years before they get their first car, they can have their first trike, scooter or bike among our Ride On Toys from top brands like Kettler and Radio Flyer.
• Learn to use the scientific method and feel the excitement of finding the solution with our Science Kits and Toys. This busy category includes chemistry kits, “gross” kits, microscopes and more for young scientists to learn from!
• Take a look through our Toddler Toys for playthings just for that special age group. Find toys from categories mentioned, like riding toys, puzzles and musical toys, just right for younger kids.
• From remote control cars and construction toys planes and boats, look through our Toy Cars and Vehicles to find racing, flying, and building toys perfect for those kids that are always on the go.
• Our Trains and Train Sets are perfect for the younger sets, with the iconic favorite, Thomas the Tank Engine, among the trains you’ll find here.
• Whether you’re on the way across the country or across town, our Travel Toys make it easy to have fun anytime and anywhere!

We hope this quick overview of all of our toy departments help you with your holiday shopping needs this season! Thanks for reading!

Hello! It’s sure been a busy few months for us and we bet it has been for you too! It’s hard to believe another holiday season is upon us. We’ll be back with more on this blog soon, but for now we wanted to provide some ideas on how to use our website to help simplify your toy shopping for the holidays, while finding quality, educational toys that kids will love. Today, we take a look how to browse and shop by a child’s age group!

Our selection of baby toys for little ones up to 12 months proves you’re never too little to play! Stimulating toys that promote learning and growth, babies enjoy things that rattle or make other noise, are decorated with bright colors, or otherwise make them smile. Start them off right!

As one year olds grow, they are always on the go and ready for more involved playtime. They are developing imaginations and learning how to pretend, as well as growing confidence. They can use foot to floor ride on toys, stacking and sorting toys, as well as early learning toys.

2 year olds are ready to play! Busy toddlers are learning to play on their own but still often need (and want) help from parents and older siblings. These kids like to play with their hands, put things together and watch things work, so bath toys, musical toys, and construction toys are just right!

There may not be a bigger stage advancement between age groups than that of 3 and 4 year olds. These preschoolers are full of energy and ready for new experiences. They love ride-on toys, puzzles, early craft projects and more.

Early school-aged children, 5 and 6 year olds, hit huge strides in growth and development. While they are reading and learning to solve problems, they still enjoy pretend play and using their imaginations.

Developing more of an independent streak, 7 and 8 year olds definitely have more “favorites” and know how they want to spend their spare time. They are ready for tougher strategy games and more complex kits as their minds continue to expand.

9 and 10 year olds are growing fast, spending more time away from home and learning more about what they like and don’t like. They can take advantage of individual games and activities when they want some time alone, while more social activities like games and sports toys are fun for open-ended play with others.

As kids reach 11 years and older playing with “toys” may be far from their radar. Yet it is important that these older kids still find time to relax, unwind, and simply have fun! Puzzles, sports toys, and open-ended art and science kits would be among the enjoyable toys for this diverse group.

As always, kids may not necessarily fit in with their numerical age group! Use your best judgement and the experience you have with the child you are shopping for to decide if perhaps a toy labeled as ages 6 and up may just be appropriate for that bright 4-year-old.

Also check out our Gift Guide for our favorites for gift-giving, with about 50 toys hand-picked by each age group.

Happy Shopping! Come back to our blog to read more ideas for shopping within our fun toy departments or finding toys from your favorite toy brands.