Gifts for Kids

Toys built around what toddlers already want to do: open, latch and switch things. The Melissa & Doug Latches Board has six metal latches with an animal behind each door and no loose parts, and the Montessori busy board collects catches, zips and switches onto one board, so the kitchen drawers get a rest.

Something that lasts past the first week rather than one more toy for the pile. Wooden toys and real games tend to stay in use. The Orbrium wooden train set fits the Brio and Melissa & Doug track many families already have, so it adds to what is there, and its storage box lid doubles as a tunnel.

Their own version of the job. The Slice and Toss Salad set from Melissa & Doug has 52 pieces: felt greens, wooden vegetables that slice, a wooden knife and a menu card, so orders can be taken before anything is tossed. Children who copy everything that happens in the kitchen get to do the whole thing, from slicing to serving.

One that packs back into itself. The Take-Along Railroad from Melissa & Doug unfolds into built-in track, a tunnel and a station for magnetic wooden trains, then closes into its own case. That suits trips to the grandparents as well as families who are short of floor space at home.

Azul, the 2018 Spiel des Jahres winner, is quick to learn: players draft coloured tiles from shared displays into a mosaic, and taking what you need often means leaving rivals what they do not. There is enough strategy in it to keep the adults at the table too, which is what keeps a family game coming back out.