What Would You Suggest We Should Buy for Christmas for Our 5 Year Olds?

my 5 (almost 6 year old) is getting an ipod touch for Christmas. We tried the leap frog type of stuff when they were younger and they both tired of it quickly. and the games are pricy too so all in all after you buy games and the console you've spent quite a bit for something that gets old quickly. If you are going to go with any electronics I would do the nintendo ds although im looking at selling both of my kids because they just play the ipods and my ipad that the ds hardly gets used and the games create a mess and I've learned that you can spend 20 dollars on a ds game which gets boring just as fast as a .99 cent app. Not sure what your budget is but I would look into the kindle fire hd or something along those lines.

My 5 year old son is more into toys and board games than he is electronics. Yes, we have a Wii that he plays occasionally and he likes to use our iphones or the computer if we're not paying a lot of attention to him sometimes. BUT, he's happiest when he's playing ball. He plays football, soccer and baseball games on his own in the playroom and has a blast. He also has been doing more coloring and art projects on his own at home and he LOVES playing board games whenever we can (but with an almost two year old as well, it can be hard).

Anyway, I am a Discovery Toys consultant, and we have a lot of very fun games and toys for kids this age if you decide to go with toys and not electronics. My son really loves Marbleworks - a marble racing game with many different ramps, tubes and jumps to create a different track every time. It comes with a lifetime warranty, so it's not going to break (and if it does, we replace the part) as quickly as other marble runs on the market. He and his friends also like playing with Playful Patterns and Take All. I'm planning to give him Wiz Kidz this year for the holidays. Please check out all of the toys and many more on my website at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao If you want info on how to get them for free, send me a message!

I would shy away from the Leapsters, if your 5 year olds are anything like my 5 year old. We got him that when he was still 2, and he hasn't played with it in a couple of years (he will be 6 in March).

LAST year, when he was 4, he got a Kindle Fire as the mom and dad big gift and a set of real drums as the Santa big gift.

This year the kids are getting a cruise...so they are getting suitcases with a lot of the things they'll need for a cruise (bathing suit, flip flops, goggles, sun tan lotion, water proof camera, sunglasses, etc). They will also get things from their Santa list, which they are currently working on.

So I guess it really depends on your kids and your lifestyle. My kids are super active, but we are also technologically advanced in our household and our kids have a lot already...so they don't need anymore. But the Leapsters should really be for little kids, at least when I look at my kids and my friends kids...they are all playing with Fires or DS's at the age of 5.

Can you describe your kids a little? What do they love to play with?

Do you want to get them the same things or different things?

Are they into things like legos?

Do they have bikes?

Do you want "activity" type gifts or electronics?

Do they have DS's?

For activity things, the fisher price grow to pro pogo stick is cool.

If you have the yard space, a trampoline could be neat.

Or you could get a puppy if you guys want a dog? LOL

It is very hard to say without knowing you and your kids.

Hope this is helpful....

I have strong feelings on the Leapfrog Explorer - I 100% think they're a waste of money at this age. I, too, have five year olds (two girls). They've tried a friend's Leapfrog and kind of shrugged and wandered away. In this age of iPads and KindleFires, the Leapfrog is kind of obsolete. You have to buy every game independently and there's not half as much educational content available for the Leapfrog than the iPod/Pad. Maybe for a three year old, one of the Leapfrog series is worth it, but at five... our kids are ready for much more!

So if you want something electronic, I'd take the money you'd spend on a Leapfrog and put it towards a KindleFire or an iPad (which admittedly, are a lot more money). Or skip the electronics and buy a really cool marble maze or Legos.

I haven't figured out yet what my kids are getting yet. Probably a big dollhouse, books, some science kits, and gymnastics lessons. None of that helps you, I'm sure... sorry! But skip the Leapfrog!!! Your kids will play with it for a week and then forget all about it.

Definitely think it depends on their personalities. Here is what we're getting my five year old:

LED Light up pillow (as seen on TV)
Stompeez (slippers as seen on TV)
Puzzles
Puppets
New hat/matching gloves
PS3 Games
DS Games
Monopoly
Magnetic Fishing Game (to share with brother)
New Books
Non destructible flash light
Stringing Beads
Stuffed Kitten (she does not need anymore but fell in love with one at Barnes and Noble)
Recordable microphone

Our 3 year old will be getting Hot Wheels Tracks (we know he and his sister will love these)
A recordable microphone
Spiderman stuff (eraser, hat, gloves, slippers)
Umbrella
Non destructible flash light
LED Light up pillow
Toy Story backpack and Lunch box
Glow in the Dark Basketball
Toys for the tub

Each kid will get the same number of gifts from Santa and us. The pricing may not come out even, but I believe in an even number of gifts for now :)

All of this for $410 total (will buy them candy). Bought their stuff online at LTD, Toys R Us, Barnes and Noble and Amazon :)

Leap frogs r nice, I just hated that the batteries would die so fast. Something I wished we had started when my kids were younger was getting them only 4 gifts each total for Christmas. They would be gifts that were in these catagories...... Something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. cute poem right? It makes Christmas so much more affordable with my 5 kiddos. We started this 4 years ago, I only wish I had know abt. this earlier while they were still little and didnt know any different. good luck.