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Have you started your holiday shopping yet? We want our readers to have time to grab the hottest items before the dreaded “out of stock” notification shows up. We’ve provided gift ideas in several gift guides so far including card games, games for larger groups, STEM-inspired gift ideas, toy ideas for preschoolers, and board games for teens and adults. What about those kids in the middle? Too old for little toys but too young for something more advanced. We haven’t forgotten about them! They were the inspiration for many of the hot holiday trends we discussed back in July.

This school-aged group can be found engrossed in imaginative play, enjoying their dolls, frolicking outside, riding on scooters, reading books, listening to music, and playing games. We can slow their rush to grow up when we gift them the right things. Their fascination with the poop emoji, excitement over opening blind bags and interest in squishy toys says it all. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of ideas that inspires all this fun and positive energy.

As you look through the list, you’ll see the SahmReviews logo next to items we have covered in more detail. You’ll also see many of these items in our 150+ days of giveaways!
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Y Flyer

Yvolution facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

• Super grip foot plates for ultimate comfort and control
• Unique forward propelling motion
• Built with a strong steel frame that’s easily foldable for quick storage and travel
• Quick-response handbrake for increased control and security
• Ages 7+; MSRP $149.99
• Max Weight: 150 lbs

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Pyramid Arcade

Looney Labs facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Pyramid Arcade is a complete game library in one box. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to play 22 different tabletop games, each of which uses the Looney Pyramid gaming pieces in a different way. The games in this arcade range from easy to complex, and from mostly-luck to pure skill. Developed over the course of more than twenty-five years, the games in this set are truly out of this world!

BUY DIRECT!

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Ultra Dash

PlayMonster facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Ultra Dash provides a thrilling rush of excitement as kids race to match the color of the flashing light on their tagger to the color of the targets! There are 3 Game modes: Beat the Clock, Target Tally and Relay Race–it’s a different game each time you play! When playing, the tagger detects targets and scores on accuracy, and game play cues are all visuals and sounds–no language barriers! Play solo, head-to-head or team vs. team; for 1 or more players.

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Voodoo

Mayday Games facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

In Voodoo, you roll five dice, collect your ingredients, then choose whether to take new cards, take new items, or cast a spell. Each spell forces your target to play in a specific way, for example, talking with their tongue out for the rest of the game, or using only a single hand, or running around the table each turn. Each curse grants you points when you cast it and many more points if your target forgets to obey it or becomes too exhausted to continue.

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Disc Jock-e

Tucker Toys facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Your next game of catch never sounded so good. The Disc Jock-e makes it possible to wirelessly add your favorite music to a simple game of catch at the beach, a picnic or even in the backyard. The toy syncs, by Bluetooth technology, with playlists from phones, tablets and computers to create a fun atmosphere for play. Long range connectivity = 100+ meter range.  When the water-resistant throwing disc is not being used for outdoor play, the colorful spinning toy could also double as a wireless indoor-outdoor speaker.

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Monopoly Advance to Boardwalk

Winning Moves Games facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Originally introduced in 1985 as the first ever Monopoly “spin- off!” Players compete to build multi-level, high rise hotels along the historic seaside boardwalk. The player with the most valuable property portfolio wins

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Cheeseburger 3D Pixel Puzzle

BePuzzled facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

With 3D Pixel Puzzles, BePuzzled introduces the next generation of collectible 3D puzzles! Each puzzle features precision-tooled pieces and displays beautifully. Coming in three sizes (and levels of difficulty), 3D Pixel Puzzles feature quirky, often retro themes. Illustrated, step-by-step instructions included. The Burger is a Level 2 puzzle. Approximate assembled size of the Burger puzzle when completed = 2-1/4” x 2-1/4” x 2”. 235+ pieces. Ages 12 and up.

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Bunny Bunny Moose Moose

Czech Games Edition facebook twitter SahmReviews

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

In this merry game, players take on the roles of rabbits and moose. While the hunter strolls through the forest, players are trying to look like an animal the hunter won’t shoot. And because they do so by making rabbit ears or moose antlers of various shapes on their heads, the spectators enjoy the game as well as the players.

The game might be funny, but don’t expect it to be too easy. You will need all your wit to run faster than others. Game contains also an easier variant (suitable for children) and a more challenging variant (for veteran animals).

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Sweet Shop

Soft’n Slo Squishies facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Squishies are the hottest new trend to hit shelves for the holiday season, and Soft’n Slo Squishies™ are the biggest brand available to North American audiences.

Super squeezable and collectible, Soft’n Slo Squishies™ are based on the latest trend from Japan, with the best designs and quality you can find on the market. They come in completely unique design with super squishable details.  Soft’n Slo Squishies™ kits takes kids collections to an entirely new level with DIY delights and squishy surprises.

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Bubble Talk

University Games facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

It’s the hilarious picture-caption matching game that’s perfect for the entire family! The judge draws a picture card, then players select the best caption card from their hands and place it face down. The player with the most gut-busting card wins the round. For 3 to 8 players, ages 8 and up.

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Surfside Girls Books

IDW Publishing facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Sun… sand… and spooky adventures!

Things are getting weird in Surfside. Lately, Samantha’s best friend, Jade, explodes into giggles whenever she sees a boy, and it’s ruining the kick-back summer of surfing and hanging out Sam had planned. But after swimming through an underwater cave, Sam starts to… see things. Like ghosts. And pirates. And something even scarier! Can she and Jade get to the bottom of this mystery in time to save their town?

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Songs from the Monkey House

Jack Forman facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Jack Forman, well-known to thousands of kids around the country as host of the daily “Live from the Monkey House” call-in show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio and lead singer of the GRAMMY nominated Seattle band Recess Monkey,  releases his first solo album. All of these zany songs were inspired by real conversation Jack has had with kids during his radio show, at concerts, and when he was a teacher. You’ll get a sense of Jack’s lyrical genius and unusual sensibilities in songs like “A Little Cheese,” “I Lost My Lunch,” and even the relentlessly bouncy track, “No Name.”

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Blurble

North Star Games facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Blurble is the hilarious game involving something we do every day – talk! Be the first to say a word that starts with the same letter as the image on the card. It sounds easy, but be careful not to trip on your tongue as you try to get the word out!

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Panoramic Sports Puzzle

MasterPieces Inc. facebook

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

This MasterPieces NFL 1000pc 13″ x 39″ Panoramic Puzzles features the view of the Stadium with such incredible detail that it’s common for you to find yourself as part of the photograph.To reduce its impact on our environment, the chipboard used in this puzzle is made of recycled material.

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Ninja Squirrels

RoosterFin facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Ninja Squirrels is the game of color matching, nut snatching fun! Ninja Squirrels are fast food fighters. They race to gather acorns to fill their dens before the winter. To help them grab the most acorns, players take turns flipping cards. When there is a color match, be the first to snatch the correct nut. Collect the most acorns to win!

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1930’s American Style Stove

The Queen’s Treasures facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Vintage style stove cooks up the fun on stovetop or in the oven. Sized perfectly for play with historic 18 inch Girl Dolls. The Queen’s Treasures Stove features quality wooden construction painted in a creamy color for the enameled look of yesteryear. Includes 4 stovetop “burners”, a main oven with removable rack, a broiler, plus utensil and warming compartments! 4  compartments offer chefs and bakers plenty of play value. Exclusively made by The Queen’s Treasures®, offering the highest quality 18 inch Doll Furniture, 18 inch Doll Clothes, 18 inch Doll Shoes & 18 inch Doll Accessories! Safety Tested!

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uKloo Treasure Hunt Game

uKloo Kids Inc.facebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

uKloo Treasure Hunt Game is a fun seek-and-find literacy game that gets kids physically active as they learn to read and follow clues in search of a hidden surprise. The kids are so engaged they begin to read without even realizing it. The Riddle edition combines next stage logic and reasoning abilities to solve riddles towards finding the surprise.

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Poo-nicorn Plushiez

Fun 2 Play Toysfacebook twitter

It's so hard to buy for children in the elementary and middle school range. Here are 18 great ideas in our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for boys and girls! - SahmReviews.com

Available in a variety of colors, these lovable plush toys are the best of friends. Their cute feet are ultra-squeezable, and you can even style their hair any way you’d like.

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If you haven’t already done so, please check out our Mega Giveaway for a chance to win some of the items featured in our various gift guides. See something on this list that makes you smile? Make sure you grab them before they get snatched up!

Need gift ideas for the good girls and boys on your shopping list? This Gift Guide inspires play and encourages kids' positive energy! - SahmReviews.com

24 thoughts on “Great Games and Toys for Good Girls and Boys

  1. Lots of great games for both boys and girls. We actually have several on the list. One of them is UKLOO. My kids really love playing it!

  2. This is a great list of kid Christmas ideas! My kids would enjoy several things on this list I never heard of before. Blurble sticks out to me though, We enjoy fun and interactive games.

  3. Totally agree with your genius tips.And the images are so colourful.
    anyway, thank you for your hard work! I have a son and a daughter.Hope it will be working for my sweet daughter.Thanks again!!

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