Playmobil toys are timeless; even the new stuff has a tried-and-true aura. This portable puppet theater comes with six figures, two changeable scenes, and plenty of accessories with which to act out the best play ever — whatever your child decides that is on any given day. It even has music, applause, and laugh tracks to bring the production to life. And if your preschooler wants to take his or her show on the road — to grandma’s house, perhaps, or on a play-date — everything stores right inside the playset, which makes it a snap to take along.

$49.99 at Toys R Us.

It’s tricky to buy presents for tweens, but this gift has it all in the bag. Potato Chip Science is a cool kit full of stuff you can combine with various household items (or, at least, potatoes) to create inventions like acid-testers and hydrofoils. So cool, they might not know they’re learning.

$17.95 at Amazon.com.

What do you get if you combine building blocks with classic games like Battleship, Connect Four, and Monopoly? Games that you can customize every time you play it. With inter-locking tiles and bricks, you can search for cheese in an ever-changing outer-space landscape in U-Build Mousetrap, create a complicated maze to race through in U-Build Sorry!, or put the coveted Boardwark tile anywhere you like (or avoid it altogether) in U-Build Monopoly. Make them as easy or as difficult as you like; they might even keep your older kids’ attention on family game night.

$14.99 to $19.99 at Hasbro Toy Shop.

I am forever on a quest to figure out what to do with my daughter’s art work and love this concept. The lamp comes with a double-sided shade, so all you need to do is slip your kids’ drawing in between the two shades and voila, you have a one-of-a-kind lamp and a glowing proud kiddo. Love this as a gift idea also!

$36.95 @ Spoonsisters.com

Why didn’t I hear about these when my daughter was younger? If you’re planning to dine out with a young baby, one of these disposable stick-in-place placemats can ensure that your kiddo will have a clean surface to eat on. (Oh, and you won’t have to apologize to the waitress in the restaurant for the mess your kiddo makes!)

$9 for a pack of 18 @ diapers.com

Adding to their repertoir of fun, funky, educational music for kids, pop-rockers They Might Be Giants offers up “Here Comes Science,” a collection of 19 catchy tunes that teach as they entertain. The CD and DVD combo touches on the scientific method, technology, the color spectrum, physiology, biology, and more — my kids are especially fond of “The Bloodmobile,” a song by which they learned what blood does as it circulates, and “What is a Shooting Star?” which they reference nightly while peeking out their windows.  The CD is supposed to be for kids from kindergarten through 5th grade, but parents, you’ll like it, too.

$11 on sale at Amazon.com.

Oh, this is fun. You know how when you show your friends and family photos you always talk about where they were taken, what was going on, who is in them? Well, now you can do that with photos you share via email. Just upload your photos to Fotobabble, add your commentary, and you’re good to go.

And did I mention that you can do this for free?

Fotobabble.com

I’m always on the lookout for games that all of our kids can enjoy, from the teenagers down to the preschoolers. This retro bean bag toss games fits the bill, and earns extra points in our family for being foldable, sturdy, and easy enough for my 5-year-old to set up on her own. It comes with two foldable, three-hold targets (an ample 24-inches long by 18-inches wide), eight 4-inch by 4-inch bean bags, and a zippered carrying case.

$29.99 at Sears.

My latest go-to birthday presents for kids’ parties are books, and this one — 10 Little Kittens by Marian Harris and Jim Harris — is a popular favorite. What makes this book stand out isn’t the cute rhymes, the naughty kittens jumping on the bed, the interesting illustrations, or the detailed information about several breeds of cats (though those things are great, too). No, it’s the fact that the cat has enormous googly eyes the size of golf balls, and cut-outs on every page that let the eyes appear on different cats as you read the book. Kids just can’t put it down — at least, mine can’t, and that means it’s a sure bet that their friends won’t want to give it up either.

$15.99 at Amazon.com.

My daughter has just turned six (O.M.G.!!!!!!) and is now asking a lot about doing sleepovers. I think she’s still a bit too young but this weekend we’re going over to our friends’ house where she and her friend get to do a sleepover with us in the next room. So I went on a search of a comfy inflatable sleeping bag for her and found this awesome one that seems sturdy, comfortable, and a great value.

$99 @ TheShrunks.com