MOVER KIT FROM TECHNOLOGY WILL SAVE US
£50 (S$90, excluding shipping) - available at techwillsaveus.com
Encourage your child to tinker and experiment with the Mover Kit from United Kingdom-based start-up Technology Will Save Us.
Designed for children of ages eight and above, the Mover Kit is a DIY wearable toy that comes unassembled. Your child has to put together the various parts, which include a ring of eight different coloured LEDs, circuit boards and a plastic band.
Your child will also have to use the toy's Make platform to program the Mover Kit's LEDs to react in a certain fashion when motion is detected. No coding knowledge is required - your child simply needs to drag and drop logical functions with a mouse via a graphical interface. When done, these instructions can be uploaded and shared with other users.
•ST Digital's Pick: Instead of buying yet another toy that will be forgotten in a few weeks, why not get one that stimulates your child's ingenuity.
PLANET COASTER
$58 - available at Steam
It is not quite the same as an actual trip to Disneyland, but Planet Coaster brings the theme park to you, or at least your computer screen.
Planet Coaster revives the theme-park simulation genre, where the goal is to build and manage the rides and attractions in an amusement park.
The powerful built-in editor lets you create and customise your own rides.
Pre-made sets are helpfully included to get you going, but those who love the genre will be itching to construct and test the most outrageous roller coaster.
Younger kids will probably need a bit of hand-holding at the start. But let's not kid ourselves - this is a game you'll continue playing long after bedtime.
NINTENDO NEW 3DS XL
$299
The Pokemon Go introduced the franchise to a new generation of kids, so a gift combo of a Nintendo 3DS handheld console and the latest Pokemon Sun and Moon game should delight the kids.
In fact, a new version of the handheld was released just last year with a host of improvements. For instance, a new eye-tracking feature improves the 3D effect on the console so that your child does not become dizzy or see double. Upgraded, too, is the processor, which performs better in the newer games.
The New 3DS XL also supports Nintendo's amiibo. These plastic figurines can add bonus game content or be used to save game data in supported titles via NFC. Simply tap the figurines on the 3DS XL.
PLAY-DOH TOUCH SHAPE TO LIFE STUDIO
$79, exclusively at Apple Store
Bring your Play-Doh creations to life with Hasbro's Touch iOS app, which uses the iPad or iPhone's camera to scan your Play-Doh masterpieces in a virtual world.
While you can use this free app with existing Play-Doh accessories, the Play-Doh Touch Shape To Life Studio is a useful starter kit.
It comes with tools, such as cutters and moulds, as well as a white circular platform to place your putty creations before you turn them into virtual figures.
Once your creations are inside the app, they become animated and can be controlled in a simple platforming game.
The Shape To Life Studio set adds five additional virtual worlds set in varied locales, including a cave, a desert and a forest.
SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB A (2016, 7.0") WI-FI
$168
Whether you believe it is good or bad parenting to leave a child with a tablet, many parents already use a mobile device as a tool to distract, entertain and occupy their children.
This seven-inch Samsung tablet is not just slim and portable enough for smaller hands. It also comes with Samsung's Kids Mode app, which lets parents restrict the amount of time their children spend using the device.
Also accessible via the app is the Kids Store, which has around 1,000 apps with child-friendly content.
A microSD card slot lets you increase the limited 8GB of storage (up to an additional 200GB) for more videos, games and apps. This feature is also helpful for when there is no Wi-Fi connection.
