Thank you to Brilliant Sky Toys & Books for providing two award-winning toys and a book for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our giveaway prize. All opinions expressed are my own.
In my experience as a parent to three children (and having once been a child myself), toys that encourage creativity and flex the imagination often make the best gifts for children. Brilliant Sky Toys & Books, a specialty retailer that caters to children and their imaginations, has recently announced which toys would be honored with the 2014 Brilliance Award. The list includes toys for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age children and range in price from just $9.99 to $39.99.
Why do I trust Brilliant Sky Toys & Books when it comes to gift recommendations? Although there is not a store location in my area, I've heard ravings about this toy store from friends and I love the content on Brilliant Sky TV and on the Brilliant Sky Toys & Books Blog, where you can read more about this year's 10 Brilliance Award winners.
And the 2014 Brilliance Award winners are . . .
- Squigz Starter Set (24 pieces)
- Plus-Plus Mini-Basic (480 pieces)
- Lottie Dolls
- Doodle Quest
- Create Your Own Storybook
- Super Stadium Baseball Game
- LoopDeLoom
- Sew Cute Sets
- Illustrated Adventure Stories and Illustrated Fairy Tales
- Paint Your Own Porcelain Bowls
Giving our children a creative outlet is such an important thing. Even our 7 year old son, who does not usually show much interest in art, enjoyed painting his ceramic bowl. He did not show the lack of patience he normally would. Instead, he painted very deliberately and carefully.
Another Brilliance Award winner that helps children develop patience, as well as further develops fine motor skills, is the LoopDeLoom weaving kit. Although this toy is recommended for children 8 years and older, our 7 year old daughter was quite adept at it. At first, it seemed like it would take forever to finish, but after a little while, she could see her progress. The best thing about this craft kit is that it takes concentration and is an enjoyable, yet quiet, sit-down activity.
The Usborne Illustrated Fairy Tales is a wonderful book with beautiful illustrations. Our daughter will sit and read one fairy tale after another. She also loves to reread them out loud to her twin brother at bedtime. I have such fond memories of reading fairy tales and having them read to me as a child. I'm happy to see my children experience the same magic. I am definitely going to look into buying this book's counterpart Usborne Illustrated Adventure Stories for Christmas this year.
You can find all these award-winning children's gifts and many more quality children's items at Brilliant Sky Toys & Books. If you have not yet visited your local store, be sure to bring your children soon to enjoy the hands-on experience, child-height shelves and displays, and the superior personalized customer service. You can check for the closest store location here.
Good luck in the drawing!
This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.
