Toys for Family Togetherness

Toys for Family Togetherness

Here's a riddle: What's the best gift you can give your children this holiday season that can't be wrapped up or put under the tree? The answer is ... your time. It's tempting to spend, spend, spend this holiday season to make them smile on Christmas morning. But when they look back, they'll never remember the latest must-have toy. What they'll remember is the memories you made together. Here are some holiday gift ideas that encourage family togetherness.

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Cranium's Fun Folio: Cranium's Fun Folio screams family fun. Inside, you'll find several zany family activities that will get everyone laughing. Make family trading cards, write a silly story, or come up with your own play. Your kids will be pulling this one out again and again ... and so will you!

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Card games: Got five minutes to fill? Try Slap Jack or Old Maid. Card games are a low-cost way to have fun together. Little ones can join the fun with a helpful card holder like this one.

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Crafts: What better way to spend a rainy Saturday than creating? This big barrel of crafts has everything you and your younger need to invent all afternoon. Best of all, clean up means just throwing all back in when you're done!

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Captain Clueless: Go sailing with Captain Clueless and find a treasure trove of fun. Designed for four to eight people, blindfolded players try to help Captain Clueless across the map with only the verbal clues of their teammates.

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Blongo Ball: Blongo Ball is Lawn Jarts, without the trips to the ER. Safe and easy for younger children, but competitive enough for older kids and adults, Blongo Ball is sure to keep the whole family playing and laughing together.

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Illustory: The inventive toy lets kids write and illustrate their own story, which is then turned into a hardcover keepsake book. Have Grandma or Grandpa share one of their favorite memories for your kiddo to illustrate, or retell one of your family's favorite or funniest stories.

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Yackle ball: Give Dad a Yackle ball for Christmas, and never beg him to play catch again. Yackle ball makes catching easier and can fly farther than a football.

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Models: Models, like this trebuchet, are a great way for parents to spend quiet time with an older child. The best part of these functional type of models is that when you're finished, you can try them out together too.

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Hyperdash: Hyperdash keeps kids on the move, inside or out. It's also a great way to bring Dad -- who thinks he's faster than anybody -- down a notch or two. My five-year-old gets better times than her dad, which brings her endless amounts of pleasure.

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