We’re coming up on the time of year where many of us start making lists of gifts we need to buy for loved ones. Most of us will have lists primarily made up of toys – aren’t the holidays primarily about the kids anyway? I think most parents seek out toys that not only will delight their child when first unwrapped, but will be toys that their child uses over and over again for weeks or even months, so that it’s truly appreciated. I know that’s always my goal when buying gifts for kids. When looking for toys that will hold a child’s interest for a long time, I look for primarily non-electronic, open ended toys. If a toy can be played with in 5 ways instead of just one, it’s more likely to be played with more. Yet, finding high quality, open ended toys can be harder than it sounds.
When looking for open ended toys, I tend to look for small businesses like Brilliant Sky Toys & Books that carry high quality toys that you can’t usually find in the big department stores. I’ve found that small toy stores tend to carry items that inspire creativity, are well made and will last longer. It also feels great to give my money to a small business instead of a huge corporation, so it’s truly a win win situation.
Brilliant Sky Toys & Books has created the Brilliance Award winners list for four years now and this years list included 12 toys and I was able to check out two of them – Lego® City Brickmaster by Penguin ($29.99) and Little Chubbies by International Playthings ($12.99). The Lego set includes over 130 pieces (including two figurines) and it’s unique from most lego sets because it comes with a book that includes full color pages and step by step instructions for creating nine different creations. Of course, the pieces can be used to make tons of child-designed creations as well. The Little Chubbies are really basic toy vehicles (safe for ages 1+, the perfect size for toddler hands) that are great for throwing in a purse for use in a waiting room (they are very quiet when pushed across the floor or table) and can also be used in the bath tub (they’re even dishwasher safe). Several of the vehicles have “hitches” so they can attach to the other vehicles – my favorite being the trailer because my nephew loves to “haul” things with his cars.
Both of the toys that I received are great buys, especially for the price because they are well made and they allow children to be creative in their play, so they can come up with dozens of different ways to create or play with them. Parents can even help out with play ideas to turn the experience educational. The simple colors of the Little Chubbies made me realize they could be used to teach colors or patterns, for example. My experience with these two Brilliance Award winners gives me confidence in spending money on other toys at Brilliant Sky because they clearly select toys that they believe to be of quality.
There are 15 Brilliant Sky Toy stores across the US. Check the store locator tool to see if there is one near you. If you do, you can shop in store and take advantage of their free gift wrapping service. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few less gifts to wrap yourself?
When you get ready to plan your holiday shopping trip, be sure to remember to stop at Brilliant Sky Toys and Books to see what they have. I bet you’ll find something your kids will love!
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
Found a location near us, will need to take a trip and check it out. It may become a one stop stop for us with fast approaching holidays. I am always on the look our for toys that help the kids learn while having fun playing at the same time. Thank You for the review
There’s one about an hour from me that I’d LOVE to visit sometime. Wish it were a tiny bit closer or in a town that i visit for other reasons so I didn’t have to make a special trip. I just love small toy stores or small stores in general. So easy to “get lost” in them just looking at everything.
same her about an hour, but would be fun just to spend the day to travel there and have fun browsing. We have a shop similar that is nearer called The Chalk Board, that is similar but a lot smaller. If you go let us know how your trip was.
I wish I lived closer to one of their stores, it sounds like such an amazing experience. I tried out their Doinkit Darts, so much fun! Those playsets look adorable!
I just recently visited our local Brilliant Sky Toys & Books for the first time and it’s such a wonderful store! The collection of items they have is great. Love the Little Chubbies you chose – I’ll bet they’d make a nice stocking stuffer for toddlers 🙂
karen medlin
Kasandria Reasoner
mel
I have never heard of this store, but they have some really amazing toys!! And what great prices too! Thanks!!