Dear Savvy Living,

With Christmas right around the corner, I'm looking for some new toys for my grandkids but could use some help. First, where can I go to get some good toy/gift ideas? Second, how can I find out if the toys are good quality and safe? And third, what toys or games can you recommend that are fun to do together?


Dear Playful,

With more than 300,000 toys and children's products on the market, the process of finding the right toys or games for your grandkids can be challenging. Here are some tips that can help.

Toy Selecting

To help you narrow your search and ensure you buy the right toy(s) there are three basic things you need to keep in mind: Your grandchild's age, interest and skill level. While this may seem like a no-brainer, many toy-buying grandparents, especially those who aren't around their grandkids on a regular basis, tend to forget.

Looking for toy/gift ideas? The best place to browse is online. Search for toy store sites on your favorite search engine. These sites are organized so you can search by age, gender, toy category, price range, new items and even best sellers - much easier than walking into a toy store and sorting through their massive display of inventory. Another great resource is The Toy Insider (www.thetoyinsider.com) which is a panel of toy experts that offers their list of top 20 age-appropriate toys and gifts for the holidays.

After you find a few toys you like you can check their safety at Toyinfo.org, where you can see the list of toys that have been recalled. Some other good resources you need to visit are Toyportfolio.com, Toytips.com and Drtoy.com. These are sites that actually test and evaluate new toys and games; check their durability, ease of use, safety, sensibility and value; and offer unbiased reviews and ratings based on their findings.

Fun for All

If you're in the market for toys that you and your grandkids can play with together, the Toy Industry Association has a resource you need to check out. At www.playisforever.com (click on "Intergenerational Play") you can find dozens of suggested toys and games that promote intergenerational play.

In the meantime, some good categories to focus on are "arts and crafts," "learning and building" and "puzzles and games." Toys that facilitate these types of activities are not only fun to do together, but can greatly benefit your grandchild both mentally and socially. Here are some examples to get you started:

• Arts and crafts: There are literally hundreds of products and kits that offer painting, drawing, coloring, jewelry making, clay molding and more that can promote your grandchild's creativity not to mention these gifts are fun, simple and affordable.


• Puzzles and games: Putting a puzzle together or playing a game (board games, card games, educational games and even backyard games) is a fun ways to get your grandkids thinking and problem solving - which is good for you too.


• Learning and building: There are books you can read together; Lego's, blocks, and model cars you can build together; science, magic, and invention kits you can work on together; and easy-bake snacks you can bake together. All great ways to spend fun and productive time together.


• Electronics: For school-age kids and beyond, the Nintendo Wii (wii.com) gets top marks for intergenerational play - especially the Wii Sports and Wii Music games. These are fun interactive game that will get you both up and moving. For younger kids, a karaoke system can be fun for the whole family.

Savvy Tip: For grandparents that don't live near their grandchildren, a great way to connect during the holidays and beyond is through a web service called MyGrandchild.com. This savvy new site that for $5 (or $95 per year) allows you to read interactive books, play games and do activities with your grandchild in real time from anywhere in the world.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Senior" book. The articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization's official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.