As a mom and an educational consultant, I believe in the power of play. A few carefully chosen toys can boost creativity and problem solving–here are a few of our top picks this year. With the best educational toys, your children will not even realize how much they are learning!

This is one of my favorite categories of toy. My mom recently brought out an old pull toy of mine and it is a classic that just keeps on giving. Push and pull toys delight babies, amuse toddlers, and occupy preschoolers. Some, like the sophisticated and clever mix-and-match Automoblox, are collectibles suited for older children, teens, and even adults.

The selections from our Hottest Holiday Toys Awards are engaging, interactive, and made from high-quality and often eco-friendly materials.

Kids love tracing. My daughter will set there filling page after page, tracing numbers and letters. In an attempt to save a few trees, I got her a dry-erase book for copying her letters and numbers. Which works pretty well until she forgets to clean it or the pen dries out or her baby brother gets ahold of the marker and tries to eat it.

Even better? The LeapFrog Scribble & Write…

We’re fans of the Plan Toys philosophy of making quality play things that are healthy for kids, contribute to our communities, and are good for the planet.

Plan Toys has a knack for creating fresh twists on classic toys that promote children’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development. We love their simply delightful, clever, and stylish takes on wooden push and pull toys, like the new Plan Toys Push-a-Long Duck.

Kitchens are a classic toy for toddlers up through young school aged children. Just like the adults, children at a play date congregate around the kitchen. With the Step2 Fresh Market Kitchen (Step2.com – $200), there is room for several children to play side-by-side or engage in imaginative games of grocery shopping and cooking with friends…

The name “Radio Flyer” evokes memories of flying down the driveaway on my tricycle and, of course, hauling freshly picked apples in a classic red wagon. A beautiful thing about parenthood is the opportunity to relive those memories with my children.

Just in time for apple-picking season, Radio Flyer sent me their Ultimate Comfort Wagon, a fresh take on a classic toy…

Imagine a world where toys please the senses and stimulate the imagination. Now imagine a world where all of those toys are made in fair trade facilities from eco-friendly, sustainable materials.

It is easy if you try… just visit ImagiPlay. They make beautiful, clever wooden toys for infants, toddlers, and children…

At a recent playdate for my preschooler, I had a big playset with two slides, a play cottage, a play kitchen, and tons of smaller toys out for the kids but the biggest hit of the day? The Sand & Water Transportation Table from Step 2.

This group of three and four year olds clustered around the table and contentedly filled, poured and splashed for almost two hours. Meanwhile, the moms sipped lemonade and chatted in the shade…

When I was expecting my infant son, we introduced a baby doll to prepare my older child for her new sibling. Since then, she’s been inseparable from her baby dolls. And, like many of her celebrity counterparts, including Suri Cruise and Violet Affleck, her favorite baby dolls are made by Corolle…