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Holiday 2016: Gifts for Kids in NYC

Face it: it’s fun to buy holiday gifts of any kind, but it’s really fun to buy gifts for kids and families. Kid gifts are generally bright and colorfuland they often make noise! They clack and whir and spin! What’s not to like? New York is full of great destinations for parents, friends, aunts, and great aunts to shop for kid gifts: read on for our ideas to bring in some serious holiday smiles.

The wonderfully old-fashioned Mary Arnold Toys (the city’s oldest continually operating toy store) on Madison Avenue is the place to go for the Deluxe Puppet Theater, which features a clock with movable hands, plus a chalkboard panel and velvety curtains. The 100-trick Spectacular Magic Show Suitcase would be great to while away the time during the winter holidays, and the Cutie Coffee Horse Rocker whinnies and makes galloping sounds; it holds up to 120 pounds.

Toddler Dino Gift Set

At the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), budding mini-paleontologists would like the Toddler Dino Gift Basket (above), with a plush Apatosaurus and a dinosaur counting book, while pretty much everyone would like the Indy Plush stuffed animals, which are filled with recycled bottles and use sustainable fabric. There's the plush Yellow-eyed Penguin, Giant Panda or Tiger Shark, many of which are endangered (the real ones; not the stuffed animals.) The Dig-A-Mammoth Skeleton kit would be a great family project (no mammoths will be harmed in the digs), as would the North American Mammals Diorama coloring book, based on the museum's iconic dioramas. And the 3-D Glow in the Dark Solar System can be hung from the ceiling—it also comes with more than 200 stars for the full-on outer space experience.

Walk uptown a bit to West Side Kids, where the hands-on Mon Petit Art Creative Set Bird Cage lets kids (and adults) create cardboard “cages” of birds and butterflies, while the (also hands-on, just in a different way) Animation Studio shows kids how to create stop-motion pictures on a cell phone or camera. Cheese Dip is great for younger kids to help them practice spelling; the mouse's tail hooks letters, and you see who can spell a word first. (Note: There's no actual cheese. Or dip.)

French Dance Sketchbook and Jumbo Mixies

The Met Opera Shop may seem like an unlikely spot to snag gifts for kids, but the French Dancer Sketchbook paired with the French Dancer Jumbo Mixies (rainbow pencils) would make a nice package for someone who loves both ballet and drawing. The Musical UFO Project Kit is another good family activity; families can build a device in which the pitch is controlled by a wave of your hand, like a Theremin.

At Kidding Around Toys, Battle Sheep (worth it for the name alone) is a strategy game perfect for winter Sunday afternoons. (Players aim to occupy the most pastures with their sheep.) Remember Viewmaster? The old favorite has been updated—you can now swim with fish or take an African Safari. Thinking Putty is another updated favorite—make your own cool putties, and even decorate the tins to match. The store also has a great selection of knights and play figures, from King Richard to green-winged dragons; someone has an epic battle in her future.

At the tech-happy and gatherer-of-weird-things store Hammacher Schlemmer in midtown, the Snow Fort-Building kit will have everyone ready for wintery days, with molds for castle towers, windows and doors, plus tools. We also like the wall-climbing RC Car (although it’s possible your elderly aunt will not). It uses the same technology developed by the military to maneuver reconnaissance cameras up walls. And the Once a Pawn a Time chess set teaches kids the game with the aid of illustrated storybooks. Not that stuffed animals really needed updating, but Singing Peek a Boo pachyderm offers either a bit of “Do your Ears Hang Low,” or a bounty of phrases, depending on which foot (his, not yours) is pressed.

The Tap a Tune Musical Gloves are really cool; each finger is a different note when you put them on and press down on a hard surface. (They tend to run large.) You can also get your “Big” on with the World's Largest Toe Tap Piano; it has 14 white and 10 black keys.

3 Doodler Start

At Macy’s, the cool gift is the Protocol Axis Drone; it has three speeds, rotates 360 degrees, and can maneuver in any direction. As the name implies, the 3Doodler Kids Start Pen (above) helps kids create cool 3D creations. The Iris Gifts for INC Stackable Tile Tower Set set is a Macy's exclusive and was curated by style icon Iris Apfel; the colorful set is both attractive and fun; it’s a strategy game, good for when guests drop in.

Question: Have you ever felt like stenciling a ukulele? No? Perhaps now’s the time to start. This kit from Kid Made Modern includes the instrument as well as everything needed to customize it. And the Ridley’s Games Room sets in pretty boxes include Movie Buffs (multiple choice questions on movies); Charades (140 cards) and Sing it Back (which challenges vocal skills and song knowledge)

While Balloon Saloon, in Tribeca, might be known primarily for their incredible balloon creations, they’re a great source for toys as well. A cluster of small emoji beanbags would make cute gifts, maybe packed with some emoji stickers. Mini scratch art notes would also be appreciated, as would one of the popular Funko Pop collectible figures—Captain America, Ironman, and Darth Vader, to name a few.

Albertine, on the Upper East Side, is housed in the Cultural Services Division of the French Embassy on Fifth Avenue. It’s an astonishing Stanford White-designed building, and worth it just for the architecture. But you’re there to shop, and it has a fine if small selection of books for kids (most in French) in an adorable upstairs kids’ nook.

About the Author

Evan Levy runs fable & lark, which offers interactive museum tours inspired by great stories. See fableandlark.com for all the details. In addition, she's the author of two children's picture books. She loves stories in any form, and lives in New York with her family.

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