As a mother and a grandmother, toddler toys and their fun and educational values are very dear to my heart. I want my children and grandchidren to grow up with all the advantages that the myriad of educational toys bring - yet I want them to also enjoy their childhood. This is the only time in their lives when they are expected to spend their days playing and having fun. Have you ever watched the Discovery Channel and seen the little bear cubs or lion kittens playing? Rolling over each other and snarling; leaping and pouncing on their brother or sister. These animals may be playing, but they are also learning the skills necessary for them to survive on their own.

Human children are no different. It is through play that they learn the skills they are going to need when they start school. However, it has to be fun for the child or they will not "play" with a particular toy. We've all seen it happen. Parents buy the newest toy that is touted to increase their vocabulary by 10 points or teach them to read before they're three. They spend huge dollars and the child hates it! They have to sit still when they don't want to, or they can't figure out the controls or they hate the color green! For whatever reason the child just doesn't like the "learning" toy. So it sits.................................

With that in mind I decided to go out and find those toys that seem to have the best of both worlds. Toys for toddlers and pre-schoolers that are BOTH educational AND fun! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Have you seen this toy in action? It's been around for a few years, which tells me it is tried and true for younger children. I just love it!! You can watch a short video of it in action at: Fisher-Price Smart Cycle This is really a great toy for several reasons. #1 Your child will get plenty of exercise! I love that idea! No sitting sedately while playing these games. The children have to pedal the bike to make it interactive! How cool is that? 2)The games are well done and geared towards different age groups. 3) It's FUN! You don't have to force a child to ride a bike - they want to ride that bike and the fact that they can do so while a snow storm is raging outside the house is even better! The Fisher Price Smart Cycle makes the top of my list this year.

Sesame Street Elmo Live is....well LIVE! I love these Amazon.com videos that actually let you see thing in action. Look for the Elmo Live page and you should find it easily. Isn't it great? This little red guy sings, tells stories and jokes - he even crosses his legs when he sits down. The biggest problem I see with him is that he is definitely not cuddly, and a bit heavy for the really young ones. A stuffie, or plush of Elmo is probably under ten dollars, though and they would make a great set. Elmo Live is the 2nd or 3r generation Tickle Me Elmo and his laugh is still there - as infectious as ever. Elmo Live is number two on my list.

Melissa and Doug toys are classics. Lots of wooden toys, puzzles and playsets. Big stringing beads for your toddler and smaller sets for the older children. Their arts and crafts section is tremendous with nice solidly built easels that won't tip or break from a youngsters rough handling. The doll houses are every little girls dream. Some come complete with furniture and accessories - even little wooden dolls to occupy the house. There is a castle for the local knight in shining armor too! They have a full range of puppets and even several puppet stages to choose from. Children love to put on shows for their parents and family and puppets will help their imagination soar and their creativity will propably astound you! I like these toys to much to pick just one. They are environmentally friendly and all of their toys meet or exceed the government standards for safety and they use all non-toxic finishes - or no finish at all. Melissa and Doug toys are the kind that you buy for your children and then hang on to for your grandchildren! Melissa and Doung get a ranking of number three with me. I found most of the Melissa and Doug Toys at The Toddler Toy Bin to be neatly categorized by type of toy for easy searching.

Fisher Price Little Super Star is another hit. This is a toy that your 6 month old just learning to sit up will enjoy - or your 18 month just learning the power that his or her voice really has! Check out Amazons video on the Fisher-Price Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage 's page.  Isn't that fantastic? I don't know if it's the two cuties in the video or the fun they are having with the Little Super Star, but this toy is a very definite number four!

Number five and on is where is gets more difficult to find the best toys for toddlers (not choose them - just find them!). What I found was another Amazon tool to actually see a lot of the toys in action already separated by age. Their Hottest Toys section allows you to scroll through the columns and stop when you see something you think your child might like. A video or excerpt will then play for you to get a better idea of what that particular toy is all about.

There are some fantastic Thomas the Train videos and all the little ones seem to just love Dora and Diego - I like them as well. My 3 year-old-grandson will answer the questions when Diego asks him which way to go. The kids really do pay attention when you're not looking!

Bob the Builder is another very popular item with the younger crowd! Toddlers do like to learn on their own and the great part is that they don't know they are learning - their curiosity is just being fulfilled! Just enough for their young minds to grasp the concepts that are being offered.

There are hundreds - probably thousands of toys out there for the toddlers in your household. Certainly many more than I could include here. I've picked my top four and as number five a few favorites.

They are all readily available at many places, including Amazon.com. Amazon is offering free shipping on most orders over $25.00 and, people, that is NOT hard to do in today's market.

Safe toys, green toys, educational toys and above all - FUN toys. I think these fit the bill. I hope that some of the confusion of finding the right toy for the toddler in your life has been alleviated here. It can be very difficult, especially for us grandparents, who aren't watching cartoons everyday any more!

Good luck in your search and have a wonderful and safe Christmas season.