Winchester Toy Store Owner Offers Top Picks for Holiday Gifts

If children are on your holiday gift list this season, you may soon be stepping into a toy store, pondering an overwhelming array of choices. While there’s no particular hot toy this year, according to owner Deran Muckjian, there are plenty of great choices for all ages and interests. This week, Muckjian offered some of his top picks for children’s toys.

For girls, mosaic kits are very popular now, in a variety of styles. “It’s decorating, putting all the little things on, and you can make your own jewelry box,” Muckjian said.

Along the same lines, the Klutz line of activity books are popular, including Fabulous Flowers (age 8 and up) and Brilliant Bead Rings (age 10 and up). Muckjian likes these kits because they include everything from the instructions to all the materials in one neat little package. 

Games are popular this year and topping the list is the Khet 2.0 Laser Game, which combines chess, Egyptian themes, and lasers to create what Muckjian calls “a really cool game.” It’s up for the Toy of the Year Award and is recommended for age 9 and up.

Another game pick is Fastrack (age 5 and up), a wooden action game that’s reminiscent of air hockey. “It’s a fun little game, it plays really quickly, and the kids are really liking it,” Muckjian said. He also recommends ThinkFun’s Pathwords (age 12 and up), a word game with a puzzle element.

Kids who love to build never tire of the ever-popular LEGO sets, but there’s a new micro-size building option this year: Nanoblocks (age 8 and up). “It’s really challenging and fun building with them,” Muckjian said. Sets include replicas of the Taj Mahal and the space shuttle.

Science-minded kids might like the Big Bag of Science (age 8 and up), which combines many different kinds of experiments into one large kit, or the smaller Science Wiz kits, which focus on specific subjects such as chemistry, physics, or magnets.

For the very young set, the Educo Early Melodies Pound & Tap Bench (12 months and up) offers a spin on the traditional wood pounding toy. This version comes with a wooden hammer, a bench, and balls that can be pounded through the bench. There’s also a xylophone which can be played separately or placed under the bench so music is sounds when the balls land on it. “It’s good for gross motor skills and for seeing cause and reaction,” Muckjian said.

Playmobil My Take Along 1.2.3 Noah´s Ark is another toddler pick, featuring a basic plastic ark with a carrying handle plus little people and animals, for ages 18 months and up. “There really is a lot of creative play,” Muckjian said of this toy.

Calico Critters are very popular among girls ages 3 and up. There are different types of animal families in each set, Muckjian explains, as well as lots of accessories. “It’s dollhouse play, but it’s in a different aspect and it’s really a lot of fun,” he said.