Have you started holiday shopping but not sure what to get the kids? Want to be the cool mom, tia, or madrina and get the kids stuff they didn’t even expect?, In this episode Latina mom of 2, content creator, blogger, digital parenting expert, and founder of nyctechmommy, Monica Encarnacion and I share with you this holiday season’s hottest toys.
Join Janny Perez, The Latina Mom Legacy host and Monica Encarnacion Join us as we talk toys for our annual Holiday Toy List! We'll cover our must haves this holiday season from bilingual toys, educational toys, creative toys, games, and even dolls. Plus, we'll let you know where you can get your hands on these toys and Monica gives us an update on her bilingual parenting journey. Asi que no te lo pierdas!
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Season 3 Podcast Episode 29 Show Notes
Click For The Episode Toy Quicklist
About Monica Encarnación
- Monica Encarnacion is the author of the blog NYCTechMommy, where she writes about her family’s digital lifestyle and love of travel, and hopes to inspire families to live simple, live fun, and live life with tech.
- Former bilingual educator and technology teacher of 15+ years.
- As a digital parenting writer and freelance consultant she writes for top online publications like Common Sense Media, where she shares expert product reviews of bilingual books and apps for kids.
- She's also a lifestyle expert at Zulily and writes for Zulily's blog, The Find.
- Over the year's she's used her expertise as an educator and her experiences as a mom to collaborate with top toy brands and has written gift guides for some of her favorite toy brands including VTech.
2021 Holiday Toy Gift Guide
Bilingual Toy Recommendations:
Janny Recommends
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Learn with Puppy Walker, Musical Walking Toy for Infants and Toddlers Ages 6 to 36 Months
- Musical infant walking toy with 2 ways to play as baby grows: sit & play or stand & walk!
- 75+ songs, sounds and phrases introduce the alphabet, shapes, colors, numbers and Spanish words
- Easy-grasp handle helps steady baby’s first steps, plus 7 hands-on activities including light-up piano keys and nose, roller, spinner, flip page and more
- Learning content changes with baby’s age and stage with Smart Stages technology
- For infants and toddlers ages 6-36 months
Monica Recommends
Starshine the Bright Lights Unicorn from VTech
- Place the charms on the three magic hearts to hear colors, objects and phrases in English and Spanish
- Starshine’s horn lights up in a rainbow of colors; press the blue heart button to hear questions, place the charms on the unicorn to answer
- In Music mode, press the heart button to choose a melody, then place the charms on her to add sounds
- Squeeze her tail to see her wings flap and hear phrases that encourage imaginative play
- Intended for ages 1.5-4 years; requires 2 AA batteries; batteries included for demo purposes only; new batteries recommended for regular use
- This colorful, interactive unicorn toy is perfect for toddlers and encourages interactive play with magical charms and activities
- Ages: 18 months to 4 years old
Janny Recommends
LeapFrog 100 Words and 100 Animals Book Set
- Two interactive books each have six double-sided pages; touch-sensitive pictures play vocabulary words, sounds and music
- Learn about animals from 12 habitats and environments in the 100 Animals Book and 12 categories of words about colors, foods, activities, opposites, outdoors and more in the 100 Words Book
- Explore three play modes on each page: Read Aloud, Sound Effects and Fun Facts
- These fully bilingual books let kids hear words and sing songs in English and Spanish
- Intended for ages 18+ months; requires 4 AA batteries; batteries included for demo purposes only; new batteries recommended for regular use.
Monica Recommends
Roybi
- 2020 National Parenting Product Awards Winner
- First AI educational companion that provides kids with a private tutoring experience that uses Artificial Intelligence.
- ROYBI Robot is great for introducing kids to technology, math, science, and multiple languages. English, Mandarin, and Spanish coming soon!
- Right now it offers 50+ free lessons and 40 free stories and songs in 73 categories in topics such as astronomy, math, habitats, animals, creativity, senses, opposites, literature, continents, time, self-care, and geometry. It's a great virtual learning system and an unlimited learning resource that provides up-to-date content.
- Great for language learning, supports STEM activities and can even help develop speech for children with speech delays.
- Interactions with Robi even provide emotional support for kids and makes learning fun.
- Parents can track learning and program with a companion app for iOS and Android.
- Ages: 2 to 8
Janny Recommends
Ole! Southwest Loteria
Educational Toy Recommendations
Monica Recommends
Fisher Price 4-in-1 Ultimate Learning Robot
- 4 toys in 1 to keep playtime going as baby grows from infant to toddler to preschooler
- Each individual toy is filled with fun activities for babies to explore. Put them all together to build an interactive electronic robot buddy.
- 3 Smart Stages learning levels with 120plus songs, sounds and phrases about numbers and counting, the alphabet, shapes, colors and more
- Press any button on the motorized bot to send it zooming forward with music & lights, encouraging baby to crawl and chase
- Lots of hands-on activities for sitting babies, including press-down antenna, twist & flip gears, ball-popper, and spinning & clicking arms
- Ages: 6months to 5 years
Janny Recommends
Spark Create Imagine Storytelling Bear Plush Toy
- Educational interactive toy
- Teaches kids to read along and recognize words by following along with the storybook
- Lights up and acts as an adorable night light when your little one gets ready for bed
- Comforts little ones, particularly toddlers and preschoolers
- Choose from 8 amazing story books: One Stuck Truck, Let's Go Camping, Under the Sea, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Ugly Duckling, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Jack & the Bean Stalk
- Plays 6 classic children's songs: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Wheels on the Bus, Happy and You Know it, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and the ABC Song
- Adjustable volume
- Comes with an attached backpack that can carry all 8 books
- Measures 11.5" in height
Monica Recommends
Learning Resources’ Coding Critters MagiCoders – Teaches Coding Without Screens
- Coding Critters MagiCoders is a fun interactive playset that introduces preschoolers to early STEM concepts through 100% screen-free activities.
- Coding Critters MagiCoders come in two different sets: Skye the Unicorn and Blazer the Dragon.
- Each set allows kids to acquire hand-on coding concepts, such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills without the need for a phone or tablet.
- Kids discover the fun of mythical creatures and early STEM adventures by using the magic wand to program the coding sequences found in the included MagiCoders spellbook.
- Kids can codeMagiCoders Skye the Unicorn to the end of the rainbow and lauch shooting stars with the star launcher; or program MagiCoders Blazer the Dragon to storm the castle, launch the catapult and more!
- These new interactive mythical creatures offer stealthy STEM learning by teaching introductory coding concepts with NO need for a computer, PC, phone or tablet.
- The included fantasy playlet and magic spell book helps promote imaginative play with an array of screen-free activities and games for kids to decode the magic waiting inside.
- This is a great screen-free coding toy for kids ages 4 and up!
Janny Recommends
Mega Cyborg Hand
- Build your own awesome, wearable mechanical hand that you operate with your own fingers.
- No motors, no batteries — just the power of air pressure, water, and your own hands!
- Hydraulic pistons enable the mechanical fingers to open and close and grip objects with enough force to lift them. Every finger joint can be adjusted to different angles for precision movement.
- Three configurations: right hand, left hand, and claw-like; adjustable to fit virtually any human hand.
- Learn how pneumatic and hydraulic systems are used in industrial robots such as automobile components..2021 The Toy Association's STEAM Toy Of The Year Winner
Monica Recommends
Tonies & Toniebox - Screen-free Companion for Kids
- The Toniebox can be an ideal storytime companion at home, while traveling, and is even great for independentlearning at home or in the classroom. The Toniebox comes to life when paired with the whimsical collection of Tonies figures, hand-painted characters that come pre-loaded with stories and songs for easy listening. Individual characters include classic storybook fairytale characters like Pinocchio and Rupunzel. There are also characters from beloved stories your kids already love like Disney’sThe Lion King, Frozen, and Cars, just to name a few.
- soft, shockproof, five-inch cube made of durable fabric.
- contains no screens, sharp corners or edges, ads, camera or a microphone, making it super simple and safe for kids to use.
- The controls are simple enough for young kids to be able to adjust volume, fast forward, rewind, skip story chapters, and more all on their own without the help of a parent or adult.
- There’s also no need for Wi-Fi access after initial set up.
- Ages 3+
- Price: Vary starting $100 and up depending on the set you choose and how many Tonies to include.
The tonies Starter Kit comes with one Toniebox (in one of six colors, red, green, light blue, pink, and gray) and an included Creative-Tonie. Creative-Tonies can be personalized with up to 90 minutes of recordings, songs, stories and greetings that parents, grandparents and friends can record from anywhere in the world usingtonies’ free smartphone app. Each additional Tonie (or character) is sold separately, or you can choose to purchase atoniebox bundle that includes select Tonies. Available for purchase online viatonies.com, Target.com, BarnesandNoble.com,Amazon.com, and FAO.com.
Janny Recommends
Take Apart Dinosaurs
- Include 3 kinds of dinosaur: blue Tyrannosaurus Rex, green Triceratops, brown Velociraptor.
- (Educational STEM Learning Toy】Each part is assembled by the children themselves, which can develop their hand-eye coordination and stimulate the imagination of dinosaurs.
- Made of high-quality, non-toxic and recyclable ABS plastic. The edges and corners have been specially treated, so you don't need to worry that the parts will scratch their hands during the assembly.
- 【Easy to Assemble Kids Toys】Our take apart toys package also contains 1 electric drill with 2 different drill bits, 3 pcs hand screwdrivers, and assemble instructions.
Games & Puzzles Recommendations
Monica Recommends
LEGO VIDIYO
Kids can go on exciting musical adventures as they direct, produce, and star in their own music videos. TheBOOMBOX Set is our favorite!
- Help kids direct and star in their own music videos with the LEGO VIDIYO Party Llama BeatBox (43105). Includes a llama minifigure with maracas accessory, 14 random BeatBits and 2 special BeatBits
- Download the free LEGO VIDIYO app to scan the minifigure and special effect BeatBits. Kids will love seeing their character come to life within a samba-inspired tropical music video
- Scan the BeatBits in the app to unlock special effects like the colorful tropico techno effect
- A fun music experience for a boy or girl aged 7 and up who deserves a treat. This playset also makes a great holiday gift for any child who loves music toys, dancing and performing
- The LEGO VIDIYO app is compatible with selected iOS and Android devices. Children should ask parents' permission before going online.
Janny Recommends
Pnirya Big Pop Game Fidget Toy, Rainbow Chess Board Push Bubble Popper
- Players take turns pressing down POP based on any number of dice the opponent throws
- Pop bubble fidget sensory toy is made with non-toxic rubber material that is safe to kids and adults, with 32.5*19cm BIG enough size for better enjoy.
- Fidget Toys and More - Our jumbo pop fidget toy not only used as fidget popper when you are alone, chess game board to battle with family, friends, colleagues, but also be a coaster or a pet frisbee.
- Play it Whenever You Want - This pop sensory chess board toy is lightweight and easy to carry. You can simply fold it and put it into your bag thanks to high quality rubber material, not to mention its washable and can be reused.
- Great Gift Choice - Big pop fidget toy help to relieve stress, anti-anxiety, concentrate on work which makes it a perfect gift for kids & adults on birthday, party, holidays.
Monica Recommends
Corner Crush game
- A classic game gets an edge up on the competition with Corner Crush!
- Play head-to-head or play in teams as you drop tokens into the rotating tower.
- Play around the corners to score four in a row and crush your opponents!
- Corner Crush is the ultimate game of memory and strategy - with a twist.
- 2 to 4 Players
- Ages 7+
- Find it at Target
Janny Recommends
ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Brain Game and STEM Toy for Boys and Girls Age 8 and Up – Toy of the Year Award Winner
- Playing your way through the challenges builds spatial reasoning and planning skills, and is partly an engineering and building toy that provides a great stealth learning experience for young players
- Gravity Maze is a combination logic game, marble run, and STEM toy that's one of the best gifts you can buy for boys and girls age 8 and up It contains 60 challenges from beginner to expert, a game grid, 9 towers, 1 target piece, and 3 marbles
- Easy to learn with a clear, high quality instruction manual You can start playing and solving right away
- Gravity Maze comes with 60 beginner to expert challenges that become increasingly difficult as you play through them
Dolls
Janny Recommends
Baby Alive Lulu Achoo Doll
Monica Recommends
Baby Alive GloPixies Doll Gabi Glitter
- The GloPixies Gabi Glitter doll reveals her special-colored glow as you pretend to feed her, or press her rainbow button! Kids ages 3 and up will love discovering where she’ll glow next!
- Includes cup and snack accessories. Where will she glow? What color is her glow? Find out as she pretends to eat her glittery cookie, or play drinks from her shimmery cup. With play feeding, this interactive Baby Alive pixie toy lights up in different places -- from her mouth, to her wings, to her tummy!
- Gabi Glitter has her own fantastical look with bright, sparkly doll fashions, and a signature Pixieprint on her cheeks! Kids can brush her hot pink rooted hair with her comb
- Kids will love collecting all of the GloPixies dolls, including Siena Sparkle, Gigi Glimmer and Sammie Shimmer! (Each doll sold separately. Subject to availability.)
- This doll is anAmazon Exclusive
Janny Recommends
Disney Encanto Singing Mirabel & Magic Butterfly
Monica Recommends
Got2Glow Ferry Finder by WowWee
- Search for fairies in your home, outside in the garden, and even upside down – there's always a fairy around!
- With over 100 virtual fairies to collect, finding fairies never ends.
- Available for best price at Target
- Price: $35.99
- HOT TOY this Christmas and actually hard to find right now!
Janny Recommends
Rainbow High Color Change Car – Convertible Vehicle
- 8 IN 1 COLOR CHANGE: Why settle for one color Car when you can have the rainbow? 8-in-1 LED Color Changing Lights. The car starts white and then you can choose any color in the rainbow (white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple) or cycle through all of them!
- EASY TO OPERATE: LED color changing lights controlled by pressing the gold button on the hood of the car to select your car color. Each color turns off automatically after 30 seconds to conserve the battery.
- WHAT'S INCLUDED: Rainbow High Color Change Car features a white body with 8-in-1 LED Color Changing Car, black interior with RH logo monogram seats, two-seater sporty convertible that fits 2 Rainbow High Fashion Dolls with working seat belts to keep your dolls safe.
Creative Toys
Janny Recommends
VTech KidiZoom PrintCam
- Take photos and selfies using the color screen and instantly print up to 80 black and white images using the included paper—that’s a pennies-per-print value; KidiZoom PrintCam Paper Refill Pack sold separately
- Add effects, stickers, filters and borders to photos and videos; photos can be turned into line drawings you can color
- Explore 110+ templates and create comic strips, print games, design greeting cards, create custom play money and more
- Play games between photo shoots; parent controls can set daily time and printing limits or turn off games
- Intended for ages 4+ years; non-removeable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery included; recharge battery with included USB cable; Product dimensions: 5.3" Wide x 3.6" Height x 1.9" Depth
Monica Recommends
3Doodler
- 3D printing may sound like high-end technology that you’d only find in a lab or maker space, but that’s not the case!3Doodler has been offering kid-friendly 3D printing pens for more than five years, and its latest pen set is a great introduction for kids ages 6 and up.
- The Start+ Essentials Pen Set is an upgraded version of 3Doodler’s Start Essentials set, and it comes with a pen and materials designed for kids ages 6-13.
- Colorful, wireless printing pen is easy to use: Turn it on, let it heat up, insert a strand of plastic in the desired color, then press the round button on the pen. This will bring a flow of melted plastic out of the pen’s tip, which kids can use to draw and create. To stop the flow of plastic, they simply press that same button again.
- The possibilities with this pen are truly endless: Kids can draw on shoes, trace an outline on paper, or even draw in the air!
- Kids can create 3D structures as well by drawing multiple flat shapes and welding them together with additional plastic. Because the pen is designed for kids, there are no external heating elements on the pen, and the melted plastic is cool enough for kids to immediately touch and mold without any accidental burns.
- To earn its name, this essentials kit comes not only with that pen, but also with 72 colorful, BPA-free, plastic strands and an activity book with 10 project ideas.
- The activities booklet includes projects with varying degrees of difficulty, such as a pair of glasses (that kids can really wear), a robot, and even the Eiffel Tower.
- The guided projects can help introduce kids to the concepts of 3D printing and provide a great starting point for kids to learn the mechanics of the pen before branching out and creating their own designs.
- If kids complete the activity book and are looking for additional ideas, the3Doodler YouTube channel has a variety of project tutorials, as does thefree3Doodlerapp.
- Ages 6+
Janny Recommends
LITE Brite Magic Screen Light Bright Bonus Set
- Inspires creativity and helps with fine motor skills
- Promotes hand/eye coordination and peg play
- Ages 4+
- Includes 1 tablet, 2 storage cases, 314 pegs, 8 templates, 1 art guide
Lite-Brite Oval High Definition
- More holes, more definition. Enhanced grid includes 50% more holes than the Classic grid to create more definition in designs.
- More pegs, more detail. 650 mini-sized pegs in multiple colors to add detail to your creations (3x the pegs than the Classic grid).
- 8 HD Design Templates. Use one of the 8 HD design templates or use your own imagination to create art with light in high definition!
- 5 HD Light Modes. Light up your art with 3 color changing patterns (fade, flash, white light). Or, try the 2 animations (slow and fast flash)!
Monica Recommends
Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets Lagoon Playset
- The new Scribble Scrubbie Ocean Pets Lagoon Playset from Crayola is great for pet lovers looking to express their creativity and parents who are trying to avoid a big mess!
- This new playset includes a set of six washable markers — each a different color — and four washable, flocked pet figures, which are inspired by different ocean creatures, including Walter the whale, Coral the Clownfish, Shelly the shark, and Ollie the Octopus.
- As with previous Scribble Scrubbie kits, all of the figures are white to start, so little artists can use the markers to decorate their pet figures however they envision.
- The colorable toys are made of felt and hold ink well, but kids will want to let them dry for about five minutes before commencing imaginative playtime to avoid inky fingertips.
- Ages 3+
- Squeakee Dino stomps, chomps and dances. He's totally interactive and comes to life when you play with him!!
- Makes over 70+ sounds and reactions. Play games with him like Chicken and Tug of War.
- Hear Squeakee Dino roar but, roar too loud and he will run away or pop!
- He dances when his headphones are on!
- Tickle, pet and make him laugh.
- Pull his tail and he’ll fart or pop!
- Number Of Players: 1+
Deluxe Balloon Animal Kit with Web App
- WHATS IN THE BOX? 100 long balloons 12 round balloons 10 inch size 12 round balloons 5 inch size 6 clear balloons 10 inch size a double action pump a special balloon permanent marker and decorating stickers professional quality balloons designed for twisting and sculpting.
- BONUS BALLOON APP buy now and receive a coded card that gives you access to hours of videos tutorials that teach balloon creations such as balloon animals balloon games and crafts and crafts balloon projects safe technology for your kids
Monica Recommends
Hand2mind Coding Charms
- CODING TOY: Learn about coding without the use of a computer! Discover important lessons in science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
- ULTIMATE KIDS CODING PROJECTS: Your child will learn about algorithms, encryption, puzzling, sequencing, variables, puzzle, binary, and much more! Coding Charm kit challenges kids to practice important life skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking.
- EASY STEP BY STEP ACTIVITY BOOK FOR KIDS: A clear step-by-step illustrated guide allowed students to work individually. Coding Charms encourage kids to think creatively and explore with different experimentation.
- FUSE BEAD KIT: The book also serves as an all-in-one convenient storage kit. The kit components are easily refillable to design additional charms! All materials needed to complete activities are included.
- BINARY CODE FUSE BEAD KEY CHAINS: Kids can choose from 18 designs and code 15 key chains using the fuse beads. They gain exposure to advance coding subjects while having fun and making 10 adorable keychain charms.
- Ages 8+
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