After a recent Toy Fair in New York, the best new toys for 2018 have clearly emerged. From science to coding to a new line of toys just for a toddler, we have the best of the best for 2018!

See my original Review post of Playfoam Pals!

Introducing Educational Insights’ first collectible product: Playfoam Pals! Open this pod of Playfoam® and find a surprise inside. Hidden within each pod, kids will find an animal friend. Pop your new pal apart and swap its head and body with pieces from other Playfoam Pals collectibles to create combination critters of your own! Collect all 12 Playfoam Pals pods to find the super-rare gold endangered animal critter, and use the squishy, squashy pods of Playfoam in each pod to sculpt nests, beds, perches, and other play props.

I have a 4-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter who absolutely love foam and putty as well as toys with surprises in them. So it was no surprise when they both absolutely loved their new Playfoam Pals toy! I received several different colors of the Playfoam and each had surprise toys inside them- all of different characters. Each was individually wrapped so no foam was stuck to them for the "big reveal". As far as the Playfoam goes, it was a hit! What is great about this stuff is the fact that it never dries out so your child can play with it over and over unlike with other similar products. Plus, cleanup is easy because of the texture and materials that it is made out of. My kids love that they can easily combine the colors of the foam or separate them (unless they mush it all together then it becomes one big blob). It's squishy, yet firm. As an adult, honestly, this stuff would make a great stress reliever! Seriously, though, the Playfoam was a hit!

See my original Review Post of Botley.

Botley™ the Coding Robot is ready to use right out of the box and introduces children as young as five to the world of coding in a fun and straightforward way—all without the use of a smartphone or tablet. Advanced features will grow with kids offering challenges for many years to come.  As a homeschooling parent, I was super excited about this. I have a 4-year-old son, who is starting to be introduced to "learning" and my 10-year-old daughter who is in the 4th grade. We're always looking to introduce new and fun ways of learning into our curriculum and this worked out perfectly! I was sent the Learning Resources Botley the Coding Robot, 45 Pieces for just $47.95, which is 20% off the regularly listed price of $59.99! While it seems like a simple toy, it's definitely a great way to introduce coding and technology to young children without making them pull their hair out. It comes with instructions and everything you need to get started and use the Robot. 

While my son was too young to understand the coding aspect of it (we're still trying to work on him learning his alphabet and recognizing letters), my daughter, on the other hand, had a blast playing with the coding options and then playing with Botley. She was particularly thrilled she could move it using the remote as well as get it to follow the card trail she made on our floor! Botley is well constructed and is compact in size - perfect for easy storage between use. Also, coding it is very simple with easy to follow instructions so it's not a very complex toy. It's perfect for the little ones and a great way to introduce them into the coding world. Needless to say, Botley was a hit and we definitely recommend it for both educational and fun purposes!

Get ready for some family fun on the farm with Petting Zoo–the hands-on matching game for toddlers! The First Game Petting zoo was such a hit with my 4-year-old son, Jace! Take turns spinning the textured “touch and feel" spinner. Feel the space where the spinner stops, then reach inside the Petting Zoo and feel for the animal with the matching texture. Spin “wild” and pick any farm friend you find; spin “feeding time” and skip a turn! With simple, three-step instructions and six sweet animals to choose from, Petting Zoo makes a great first game!

The game was nice quality, easy to set up and definitely a hit with my little one. Plus, it was pretty silly and entertaining for when the adults would pull out the wrong item. We would do this particularly on purpose just so my son would laugh to no end and say "silly mommy" or "silly daddy". It made him feel special to finally win. You see, my 10-year-old daughter had received a game box for Easter from a family member so we played and we let Jace be a part of it. He had fun spending time together, but he didn't win any games. Thankfully, he wasn't worried about it. As long as he had fun was all that mattered. Well, this this game, he had a fair chance at winning plus it helps with his motor skills. I homeschool my children and have been working on letter recognition with Jace. We're definitely a long ways away, but getting him to recognize numbers, letters, etc is our goal and definitely working on using his thinking skills. This game was a perfect way to get his brain working and allowing him to have fun. Plu, if you want to get really creative, you can add other small objects to make your own little game to go with your childs needs! Yet another winner from Educational Insights for us with this one!