The clock is ticking and before you know it the holidays will be here!  Bob and I love to wake up before our kids on Christmas morning and capture our girls expressions when they see their toys under the tree.  While they are getting more specific on their ‘wish list’ each year of what they would like as gifts, I also spend time looking for the awesome toys that came on the scene for the year.  I like toys that have an educational bent that promote specific types of learning and, I admit, it’s a challenge to find those types of toys that you want your child to love with versus what they actually enjoy using over and over.  If you are in the mood for some great early-school-years toy advice, I have one for you!  Look no further than Oppenheim Toy Portfolio’s annual list of Platinum Seal winners, the highest honor given by the independent consumer organization. Neat-Oh!® Magnutto® Junior Make a Mood – Educational Magnetic Activity ($24.99) and its sister sets, Make A Dino and Make A Pet join the rare list of this season’s must-have toys and our family loves the Make a Mood toy.

Each year, hundreds of new toys hit the shelves and it can be hard for parents to determine what to get for their kids.  At age 5 and up, Magnutto® Junior sets were spotlighted for developing a tot’s EQ (Emotional Quotient). Launched just this year, each Magnutto® set allows youngsters to identify, express, understand and respond to emotions. “Because children need to learn to read more than just words.”

“We really love this new series of magnetic activity playsets that are engaging and meant as a starting point for discussing feeling and moods with your kids. Each set includes over 100 play pieces that have thick foam backing (so that they’re easier to pick up), two play boards and a magnetic easel that is cleverly designed to sit in the box. …In Make a Mood Set there are faces to design with a‘mood.’”

Sample questions: “Have you felt that way?” “What do you do when you feel that way?”

Magnutto™ Make a Mood Features:

• Includes 100+ magnets, two activity cards, and easel box.
• Sturdy easel box opens to a magnetic easel and closes to store all the magnets when play is done
• Educational role play suggested activities included
• Low strength, safe, thick foam magnets.
• Fully Printed
• Tested to the most stringent quality and safety standard
• Product Dimensions: 10.5″ x 8″ x 1.75″

Magnutto™ Make a Mood is a magnetic easel with over 100 included magnets designed to help children identify, express, understand and respond to feeling and emotions. The toys tag line is, “Every feeling has a face™”.  The magnets are made with thick foam and children use them to create facial expressions and represent a variety of emotions and feelings. My girls love playing with magnets and this is a meaningful way to have fun.  The sturdy easel box opens to a magnetic easel and closes to store all the magnets when play is done, so clean-up is simple. The included activity cards are multi-lingual (English, Spanish, French) and have sample questions for role play to engage children in conversations about emotions, as well as a list of emotions and examples of facial expressions.  This is an awesome way to explore moods, feelings, and emotions with your children while they are having fun and my kids like playing with Make a Mood whether or not I join in on the fun.  It’s a very unique toy that young children will enjoy as well as a great tool that can be used to work to improve the EQ (Emotional Quotient) in our youngest generation.  Yes!