Kids learning to read often find the task daunting, frustrating, and anything but fun. It’s even less fun if the other kids read better or if adults have to help them too often with the words. Karaoke is a really fun outlet. Not only are the words highlighted on a screen as they roll by, but they are words to songs with which your children are familiar. Start out with the tracks that include the singer’s voice. Seeing the words on a screen and hearing a musician they love pronounce those words correctly in a flow that makes the words mean something as they string together in a times beat will help improve your child’s recognition of words, ability to pronounce those same words when seen in other venues, and allow them to hear the proper pronunciation of those words without feeling stupid for not having figured it out themselves. It’s a fun way to learn, in a format where children have no idea that they are learning. In time, you will be able to use the music track while your kid sings the words back without the aid of the musician and in so doing, they will read the screen better than they have ever read anything before.

Most people have trouble speaking in front of others, no less singing in front of others. Karaoke offers a venue for this to happen in a way that is non-threatening, and in a way that will help your child build confidence. Our voices are like instruments. In time, all but the most tone deaf will learn to play those voices with confidence. One doesn’t have to be good at karaoke in order to have fun doing it, and the process of doing our best in a creative venue is good for self confidence. A kid that can sing karaoke will have an easier time standing to deliver a book report to the class.

Along the same lines, your family members will have varying degrees of talent when singing karaoke. It’s a good thing for kids to see that there is no shame in the variance of talent that is experienced by all of humanity. If they are better than you, say so! That’s another great ego booster for a kid. As a parent, you don’t need to worry about your kid’s ego being too big. If their heads get too big their friends will have your back. It’s your job to make sure that you are the one person who is always their biggest fan!

Kids also find themselves learning and appreciating music as the result of karaoke. There is a difference between knowing some songs and having music in your life. You know the difference instinctively, so I will not labor point further than to say, it’s your job to lead your kids to music.

If I were to ask you what the best day of your life was before your kids were born, there is an 80% chance you would relate a story of a time that you spent quality time with your mother, your father, or both parents. Even now your heart has been warmed by a memory. We spend enough time keeping our kids from killing themselves and each other, screaming, barking orders, etc, that karaoke becomes a nice reprieve. It’s a family activity in which even feuding family members can lose their frustration, if only for a couple of hours. It’s impossible to sing and be upset at the same time. Even sad songs feel pretty good in a placed down deep. Songs bring us back to our humanity and they touch the core of our being…even for those of us with limited musical inclination.

A karaoke player costs about a hundred dollars, and you can usually find low cost ones at a local store. Discs run anywhere from $8 to $30. The benefit of including karaoke into the lives of your kids and your family is priceless and worth every penny you will spend, one hundred times over. If you have never considered adding karaoke to your life, now is the time. May the lives of all of your family members be enriched by the addition of more music in your lives.

by Harry Widdifield

For an affordable Karaoke machine: Singing Machine SMG-137 CD+G Karaoke System

The Caring Corners Mrs. GoodBee Interactive Dollhouse is a real little gem. It reminds kids that refrigerator doors should be closed, teeth have to be brushed, and so forth. Ringing the doorbell brings this clever fold-out dollhouse to life. There are 12 rooms in the Caring Corners dollhouse–six on each side–each with interesting details that inspire a young girl’s imagination.

Parents will love the fact that the dollhouse is big enough for more than one child to play with, yet it also folds up neatly for easier storage and clean up. The dollhouse comes with an access code that kids can use to unlock a “good deeds garden” online–an activity that offers further playful lessons about responsibility.

The toy requires batteries, and most families will want to purchase some of the additional accessory sets for it, so factor that into the total cost of the playset. Also, small parts make the dollhouse appropriate for children over 3.

For more information, user reviews, or to buy: Caring Corners – Mrs. Goodbee Interactive Dollhouse

The list of most wanted, wished for, and hottest toy ideas is categorized into children’s age groups and interests. This year’s list is a little more Web 2.0 with its video component and sliders–great fun!

You can see the top toys for Christmas (and other holidays of the winter season) here: Amazon’s Holiday Toy List 2008.

Hyperdash is selected as the number one holiday toy for 2008, and it’s no wonder. We love the game that has kids thinking on their feet–literally. It’s an Edutaining Kids Top Pick as well, as it fits perfectly into our expectations for a quality “edutaining” toy. Hyper Dash puts a new spin on the term “active learning”–it promotes listening, memory, and math skills, as well as giving kids a little workout. Intense fun! For more information about this fun and educational toy, see Wild Planet Hyper Dash.

More toys that appear on both Amazon’s list and our Edutaining Kids Holiday Gift Guides include Fisher-Price Smart Cycle, EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles,LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table, and more.

GOAL IS MORE IMAGINATIVE, MAKE-IT-UP-YOURSELF, BELLY-LAUGHING PLAY FOR KIDS AND EASIER SHOPPING FOR MOM AND DAD

Toys don’t get much better than these. If you’re a kid just wanting to have fun, or an overworked parent looking to keep holiday shopping simple, check out the one expert-selected holiday toy list that cuts through all the heavily-hyped electronic razzmatazz in favor of safe, creative toys with staying power.

The hot-off-the-presses 2008 Best Toys for Kids list released today by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) gets back to the basics. It features toys for make-it-up-yourself, belly-laughing play that’s safe, fun for kids and supports their physical, cognitive, and social development. These toys are a great reason to bypass the hordes of anxious, exhausted shoppers at the usual big box stores and try smaller toy stores with better selection, good service, and a priority on toy safety.

“Many toy shoppers are surprised to learn that there is a whole world of engaging, unique, well-made toys that they never see in huge, impersonal, one-size-fits-all stores. These are the toys you will find on the 2008 Best Toys for Kids list and in your local neighborhood toy store,” notes Kathleen McHugh, President of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association.

“The people at your locally-owned toy store are from your community. They hand-select a wide range of safe, highly creative toys you don’t see advertised,” continues McHugh. “These toys may not be the ones your kids bug you to buy them, but they will be the ones they play with over and over.”

Toy store owners who are toy and play experts have selected the 2008 Best Toys for Kids (listed below). The list includes toys for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children, and guides parents to toy selections according to different types of play. Details about each toy can be found at www.astratoy.org.

INFANT (Ages Birth-12 Months)

1. Busy Bee Discovery Flower (ALEX) Ages 6 months+

2. Together Tunes Too (Neurosmith, manufacturer & Small World Toys, vendor) Ages 6 months+

TODDLER (Ages 1-3 Years)

3. Wheely Bug (Prince Lionheart) Ages 1.5+ Prince Lionheart Wheely Bug (small size), and 3+ Prince Lionheart Wheely Bug (large size)

4. Dexter the Digger (WOW Toys, manufacturer & Ravensburger, vendor) Ages 1.5+

PRESCHOOL LEARNING (Ages 3-6 Years)

5. Magna-Tiles: 3-D Magnetic Building Tiles (Valtech Co.) Ages 3+

6. Magnetic Mosaics Kids (The Orb Factory) • Ages 4+

Preschool Pretend & Play (Ages 3-6 Years)

7. Road & Rail Play Set- Railway Station (Plan Toys, Inc.) •Ages 3+

8. Stablemates(TM) Red Stable Set with Two Horses (Breyer Animal Creations, Div. of Reeves International, Inc.) Ages 4+

CONSTRUCTION

9. Circus Ring (Playmobil) Ages 5+

10. Excalibur Castle (Le Toy Van, manufacturer & Hotaling Imports Inc., vendor) Ages 3+

11. 24-foot BluTrack Challenge Pack (MJ Sports dba BluTrack(R)) Ages 3+

ARTS & CRAFTS

12. Sticky Mosaics Jewelry Box (The Orb Factory) Ages 6+

13. Wikki Stix Tons of Fun (Omnicor Inc. / The Wikki Stix Co.) Ages 3 – 11

MUSIC

14. Schoenhut 44-Key Baby Grand Piano (Schoenhut Piano Company, Inc.) Ages 5+

15. Learn-to-Play Piano (Melissa & Doug) Ages 3+

Games FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN (Ages 3-7 Years)

16. Zingo (ThinkFun, Inc.) Ages 4 – 8

17. Qwirkle (MindWare) Ages 6+

Games FOR OLDER KIDS (Ages 8 Years+)

18. SET Cubed, a Curious Game of Clever Connections (Set Enterprises, Inc.) Ages 8+

19. Bananagrams (Bananagrams) Ages 7+

SCIENCE

20. Wind Power — Renewable Energy Science Kit (Thames & Kosmos) Ages 8+

21. Geyser Tube (Be Amazing! Toys) Ages 8+

ACTIVE

22. The Original Flying Turtle (Mason Corporation) Ages 3 – 12

23. Mini Super Sports Disk (OgoSport, LLC) Ages 4+

TOYS TO WOW KIDS!

24. Multi-colored Ball of Whacks (Creative Whack Company/US Games Systems, Inc.) Ages 8+

25. Karito Kids World Collection (Karito Kids by KidsGive) Ages 3+

The 2008 Best Toys for Kids list, along with an easy-to-use Toy Store Finder for locating independently-owned toy stores, can be found at www.astratoy.org.

About the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA)

With more than 1000 members, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is the largest association for companies in the toy and children’s products arenas. ASTRA and its member companies promote the growth of the toy industry by delivering products that serve children’s best interests. For more information, visit www.astratoy.org.

It’s best to start with a basic or starter set and then build upon it with a special parts set. If you know your child is going to be especially fond of the rollercoaster set (called the iCoaster), go for that set. It has plenty of nice features, and actually adds cool sounds to the creative mix. There is a girls’ Magnext set also available–it’s the same system, but with pastel colors.

Recommended for kids ages 6 and up.

Magnext System

The FlyTech DragonFly by WowWee is sure to delight kids ages 7 and up. It’s a radio-controlled flying “robot” that flaps its wings quite realistically. Kids use a remote to control the robotic insect, and it’s really quite a wonder to see–the Dragonfly is actually very dainty as it glides smoothly in the air and lands with finesse as well. Although kids can fly the insect outside, the weather has to be just right for it–forget about doing it on a windy day. It’s better to play with the Dragonfly indoors. The charge doesn’t last long–approximately 5 to 8 minutes total–which actually keeps kids from overdosing on the toy and anxious for it to charge again.

Here’s a video of the toy in action:

Kids can easily see when the dragonfly is running out of steam, simply by checking its status through the LED-lit eyes.

There is also a butterfly version of the toy, the Wow Wee Butterfly Indoor Outdoor Flyer: Pink, which is likely to appeal to girls as well. This one is also quite dainty, quiet, and fun to watch in action.

See our Edutaining Kids review of the toys here: Edutaining Kids Gift Guides for Kids Ages 5-8.

The Vtech V Motion Active Learning System incorporates motion into a through-the-TV games console. Wireless motion-activated play through the included joystick and educational-style games are featured in this system that plugs into the TV. The system comes bundled with Action Mania software game. Additional games for the system (and if you need to buy an additional controller) are sold separately.

Testers felt the system was very similar to the Vtech VSmile, but with a different controller. Unfortunately, they ended up opting out of the motion feature and instead simply used the controller, as it wasn’t always as responsive as we would have liked.

I suppose it’s not exactly fair to compare the unit to the Nintendo Wii, which is very responsive, but it seems natural to do so, since we expect many families will look to the VMotion as a less-expensive alternative to the Wii. In this sense, there is no comparison–the Wii is much more user-friendly. There are not a lot of educational titles available for the Wii, but the game packaged with the VMotion doesn’t teach much to young kids at any rate. So, if you’re looking for a Wii-like console with an educational slant, the VMotion won’t completely satisfy.

To buy the VMotion system: Vtech – V.Motion Active Learning System

Designed for children just heading out on the road to reading (beginning readers), the Tag Reader (which looks like a pen or stylus) is a touch-sensitive reading device that “reads” specially designed storybooks to children. Activities that encourage word recognition, other reading skills, and general learning experiences are also incorpororated. Currently, there are over 20 books and games designed for the Tag Reading system, some of which are classics like The Little Engine That Could, and others based on popular characters like SpongeBob SquarePants. The leanring activities are leveled and automatically adjust to a child’s responses. Downloadable content is available online and accessed using a USB key.

The Tag Reading System includes a rather generic reading book, and the other storybooks are available separately. As such, you will need to factor the additional expense of books into the overall price of the product. (Kids will definitely need and want more storybooks).

See for yourself:

We like the leveling, interactivity, and concept of this product. Downfalls are overall price, if you factor in the purchase of additional storybooks, and only one user can be tracked at a time (kids can share the unit, but the leveling and reporting becomes mixed up that way).

To buy this system: LeapFrog® Tag Reading System

Also reviewed in the video above: LeapFrog® Leapster® 2 Learning Game System – Green

More reviews on Edutaining Kids.