Holiday Gift Guide: Great Gifts For Kids 1-5

Here's something you can cross off your to-do list! We've found the best new toys sure to please the toddlers and preschoolers in your life. By Danielle Friedland and Kristen Ryan

CUTTING FRUIT SET

Healthy habits begin at home. When toddlers can safely cut this colorful wooden fruit alongside the family chef, they'll be more likely to eat the real thing!
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Melissa amp Doug, $20
We Also Like:thinkativity Imagine and Learn Mixer, 18+ months, $25

JUNGLE GIRAFFE BAND

This giraffe is a one-man band, with five different musical instruments: a whistle, maraca, tambourine, rattle and guitar.
Age Range: 1+ years
Get It: Infantino, exclusively at Target, $17
We Also Like:Yo Gabba Gabba Grooves Guitar, 2+ years, $27 (plus save 20% on all Yo Gabba Gabba items through 12/31/08)

MAGNETIC PUZZLE

With 78 colorful wooden pieces and three different backgrounds, this puzzle will provide hours of fun. The price is a little high, but it's made by one of Europe's oldest toy makers with natural materials.

Age Range: 3+ years

Get It: Sevi, Giggle, $50

We Also Like:Imagiplay Puzzleplay Dinosaurs, 3+ years, $20

ROCKY ROCKET ROCKER

Baby can blast off on space adventures with the Rocky Rocket Rocker. It features classical music and a vibrating pull toy.
Age Range: 18+ months
Get It: Dayla Baby, $89
We Also Like: Okiedog Fropper, 18+ months, $75

COLORBACK SEA TURTLE

Kids use the magnetic pen to move colorful balls around the turtle's maze. This bright critter isn't just cute: It also enhances fine motor skills.
Age Range: 2+ years
Get It: HaPe, Fat Brain Toys, $28
We Also Like: Selecta Variola, 3+ years, $118

MELODY EXPRESS MUSICAL TRAIN

If your child loves trains and music, this is the gift for him! This train plays notes as it chugs along a track that you build. There's also a songbook to help you compose popular songs.
Age Range: 3-6 years
Get It: Learning Resources, Learning Resources, $43
We Also Like: LEGO Thomas Starter Set, 2+ years, $50

KARITO KIDS TRAVEL CHARMERS

Travel Charmers are smaller, soft, lower-cost versions of the original Karito Kids dolls. These little globe-trotters are dressed in international fashions and come with a Jibbitz-style charm that your little girl can add to the bracelet (sold separately) or her Crocs!
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Kids Give, Karito Kids, $20
We Also Like: Corolle Calin Naïma, 18+ months, $31

POLAR BEAR A-B-C GAME

Your child can practice spelling by fishing in the frozen lake and reeling in the letters to spell a word. When you complete a word, your polar bear pal takes a dip!
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Cranium, Hasbro, $10
We Also Like: Peaceable Kingdom Press Spin and Go Milk and Cookies Game, 4+ years, $16

BLACK & DECKER JUNIOR ELECTRONIC WORKBENCH

This workbench comes equipped with a vise, cell phone, hammer, screwdriver, saw and wrench – everything a budding builder needs (except perhaps the saggy jeans!).
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Creative Designs, Toys'R'Us, $70
We Also Like: Fisher-Price Elmo's Restaurant, 18+ months, $98

HANDY MANNY FIX-IT-RIGHT TV REPAIR

With this pretend broken television and Turner the Screwdriver's help, your kid can be a TV repairman just like Handy Manny.
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Fisher-Price, $18
We Also Like: Fisher-Price Handy Manny's 2-In-1 Tool Truck, 3-5 years, $50

50TH ANNIVERSARY BUILDING SET

If LEGO is 50 that makes us… well… we won't say. This set comes in retro packaging, with a single gold brick in honor of the 50th anniversary. It's a timeless toy that will entertain the generations together.
Age Range: 4+ years
Get It: LEGO Shop, $40
We Also Like: Royal Guards Skittles Set, 5+ years, $89

TRUE TO LIFE CRAYONS

Have your kids ever wanted to draw a sunset but have been disappointed their traditional crayons don't quite cut it? These twistable crayons will help them capture lifelike colors that they see in nature.
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Crayola Store, $3
We Also Like: For toddlers: Crayola Beginnings TaDoodles First Marks, 18+ months, $6.50

MONSTERS AND CUTIES

For kids who can't yet read, this set of more than 50 cool magnets from the Magnetic Poetry folks are fun to arrange on the fridge and use to make up stories.
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Magnetic Poetry, $8
We Also Like: Magnetic Poetry Pirate Ship, 3+ years, $10

BOOKS: WILD WEST BANANZA and WEE LITTLE CHICK

Paul Frank's iconic monkey, Julius, is shaking up a Wild West town where everything's the same. It's completely bananas. Wee Little Chick proves that you don't have to be the biggest of the spring chickens to accomplish a lot. And that's no chicken feed.
Age Range: 3-6, 2-6 years
Get It: Chronicle Books, $13 (save 25% and get free shipping with code CELEBBABY through 12/31/08)
We Also Like: For ages 2-5: In Town All Year Round, $17, Farmer Brown's Barnyard, $19, Giant Play and Learn Book, $20, Predators: A Pop-up Book with Revolutionary Technology, $28
For ages 4-8: Dora's Magical Adventures: A Carry-Along Boxed Set, $11, Madeline and the Cats of Rome, $12, Usborne Sticker Dolly Dressing Princesses, $9

JUNGLE GIRAFFE BAND

This giraffe is a one-man band, with five different musical instruments: a whistle, maraca, tambourine, rattle and guitar.
Age Range: 1+ years
Get It: Infantino, exclusively at Target, $17
We Also Like:Yo Gabba Gabba Grooves Guitar, 2+ years, $27 (plus save 20% on all Yo Gabba Gabba items through 12/31/08)

DISNEY HANNAH MONTANA AWESOME ADVENTURES STORYBOOK & MUSICAL MICROPHONE

For the girl who can't get enough of Miley Cyrus or her alter ego, this book has four episode-based stories and a microphone pre- programmed for some sing-along fun.
Age Range: 5-12 years
Get It: Reader's Digest, $16

FLOWER POWER BEAD SET

For the little jeweler in your house, this bead set is easy for little fingers to thread thanks to a stiff string that doubles as a needle.
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Melissa amp Doug, $6
We Also Like: For older kids: Fisher-Price Color Me Gemz Necklace or Bracelet Set, 5+ years, $8

CUTTING FRUIT SET

Healthy habits begin at home. When toddlers can safely cut this colorful wooden fruit alongside the family chef, they'll be more likely to eat the real thing!
Age Range: 3+ years
Get It: Melissa amp Doug, $20
We Also Like:thinkativity Imagine and Learn Mixer, 18+ months, $25