Kids have way too many toys these days. Mine included. In fact, I just spent yesterday evening packing up two trash bags and a moving carton with stuff that I then threw into a closet. I’ll pull them out down the road. When my girls have long since forgotten about them. But going through the toy boxes, the toy baskets, the cabinets, I was struck with one constant theme of the items that I buy for the girls: quality. I love quality. I’ll take quality over quantity any day. It makes me smile that most of these toys are not made of primary-colored plastic parts. Most don’t play songs when you hit a button. Most don’t require batteries and the tiny screwdrivers and myriad other tools you might need to open up the battery hatch. Nope, these are toys for kids that won’t embarrass when guests come over and they are scattered across the floor.

So in light of the coming holiday season, these are some of my favorites:

Little tins, housing magnetic dress-up dolls. A modern take on the paper dolls of my youth. WIthout the disposable aspect. They are terrific for taking along on a long car ride. Or out to dinner at a restaurant. My oldest has almost all of them, and they are always in rotation. The World Traveler. The Ballerina. The Sporty Girls.

Automoblox cars. Any one of them. The larger ones (in pink, even), or the smaller set with 3 different styles of automobiles. These cars are awesome. The parts of all of them are interchangeable with the others. They look cool. They provide hours and hours of fun, and then become a conversation piece when left sitting out on the coffee table. Warning: grown-ups like them, too. Especially the guys.

Tea sets for the girls. We must have half a dozen of them, and they are constantly out and being played with. I cannot tell you how many tea parties I’ve been to lately. There are too many to count. And while the porcelain sets that come in baskets are lovely to look at, how impractical can they be? Even for the most careful of children? They break. They get glued back together. And then they break, again. So I have put them away, for later days. And we are now putting to good use the tin sets. Use them, abuse them. Eat real food off of them. That’s what we do at our tea parties.

Play kitchens and toy food! These are incredibly entertaining. Ours is from Pottery Barn and was a gift. But there are so many others, more modestly priced, just as good-looking and equally as much fun. There’s even an impressive knock-off of the retro kitchen from Pottery barn. My oldest is constantly inviting me to her “restaurant,” and supplying me with a menu. I then order up an interesting mix, just to see if she’ll get it right. Refried beans, a carton of milk and a croissant. She has a ball, and has no clue that she’s learning at the same time. Melissa & Doug make a fantastic assortment of foods, some of them that the kids can cut in half. And don’t forget the dishes.

Building blocks. We must have twelve different sets. And while I used to try to keep them separated in their own baskets, I’ve since given up and thrown them all into one big basket. We have a set from Babystyle that just looks so cute when it’s turned into a town. And although they’re not making that exact set any longer, the blocks that turn into a train are a great alternative. And then there’s another set from Melissa & Doug and even a set from Ikea that came in a little wooden wagon. Oh, and we cannot forget Haba blocks. Just about the coolest blocks around. The Coliseum. Skyscrapers. A mosque. Good times.

The gift of foreign languages! As in Muzzy language learning DVDs. To say that I am obsessed would be an understatement. This program, created by the BBC, is bar none the best of all of the foreign language programs for children. We have the Spanish program. And I just received the 20th Anniversary edition, which has Spanish, French, German, Italian, British English and American English. The best $200 I have ever spent. And while it looks like they don’t have the anniversary package available on their website just yet, I’m sure it will be listed soon. It’s worth the wait. The testimonials are impressive. And while these DVDs are technically not a toy, they are set up as “entertainment,” so you can have your children engaged in something fun, while knowing that they are learning in the process. And start early! It’s never too early! Catch the children while their minds are still sponges!

Alex Toys. Just about anything that they’ve created. My personal favorite? The finger crayons. These are perfect for little ones still mastering the fine art of hand-eye coordination.

If you have a doll collector to shop for, the Gotz “Sasha” dolls are lovely. They remind me so much of my childhood. I have this exact doll, and it’s one of the very few things that I have saved from my childhood. I was saddened to read that the company that produced them had gone out of business, thus making these dolls a little more difficult to find, and a lot more expensive. But… my gosh. These are incredibly special. And when I watch my own daughters play with my own Sasha doll, I get choked up. Worth the search if your little girl loves dolls and money is not an issue. But if you are looking for something a little easier to find and less expensive, then Karito dolls are worth a look. The dolls represent different countries, among them the USA, China and Italy. They are also interactive; each doll comes with a special code that you activate online, and your child can then learn about other cultures and give to charity, as well. How many wonderful lessons can you get from one small doll?

And last but not least… Books. Any and all books. My current favorite is “Amazing Peace,” by Maya Angelou. It has a holiday theme, but a timeless reminder to me of one of the most important aspects of life: tolerance.