A Smart Toy Guide (Parents Not Included)

By Compiled by Julie Rawe

Marketers are offering an explosion of new products to parents who think they can make their kids smarter by simply pressing PLAY. That's a myth, but some toys are better than others.

Birth to 1 Year Babies are developing an attention span and motor control

GOOD Fisher-Price Kick & Play Piano ($25) attaches to the crib. Babies learning to kick and grasp are rewarded with songs, sounds and twinkling lights. Once babies learn to sit, at around seven months, the toy can be played on the floor like a piano.

FAIR Black-white-and-red toys attract babies' attention, but researchers say kids learn to track moving objects at their own pace with or without these bold patterns.

HMMM... The Babbler ($50) and foreign-language videos may introduce infants to a few sounds and words, but a language has to be spoken in the home for kids to become bilingual.

1 to 3 Years Toddlers are improving hand-eye coordination, developing the ability to count and to think symbolically

[GOOD] Duplos, the junior version of Legos, and other building blocks help strengthen sorting and fine-motor skills.

[FAIR] LeapFrog's Fun & Learn Phonics Bus helps toddlers learn the alphabet, but teachers say that's what school is for. Best way to prepare kids for preschool: teach them how to share and follow directions.

[HMMM...] The Baby Genius product line and other music videos and CDs may soothe and entertain but won't make your kid any smarter.

3 to 5 Years Preschoolers are acting out fantasies and may become interested in playing an instrument

[GOOD] Crayons help kids express themselves and use their imagination. Dress-up clothes encourage role playing.

[FAIR] LeapPad Pro talking books ($65) "read" to preschoolers, who can interrupt the story by pointing a "magic pen" at a word to hear it pronounced or at a picture to hear a sound effect. It's better--and cheaper--for parents to do the tutoring.

[HMMM...] Golden Books' The Poky Little Puppy CD-ROM ($14) and other interactive stories don't improve much on the paper versions--and they keep kids tied to a computer

6 to 8 Years Grade schoolers are learning to channel emotions, developing competitiveness

[GOOD] Action figures help kids express their feelings through a surrogate. Monopoly ($11) helps build strategic thinking.

[FAIR] Backyard Baseball CD-ROM ($20) lets kids take a swing at managing a team. Of course, they also would benefit from actually playing ball.

[HMMM...] Poo-Chi ($20) outsold every toy last year except Hot Wheels cars. But the interactive dog restricts a child's imagination by programming play.

Compiled by Julie Rawe