Cheap Toys for Christmas 2008

In this day and age, quality is kind of hard to find without paying for it, but that's not to say that quality for a good price can't be found. Here, I provide a small guide for some cheap toys that you can get your kids for Christmas that are great on quality.

Car-Nivores Dog for $7.99

This is an interesting toy. It starts off looking like your average funny looking toy car, but with the press of a button, it transforms into a mechanical dog. It's recommended for kids age 3 to 7, and for good reason, because the imagination that a kid will have can boost the quality of this product ten-fold. All I can say is, I wish I could've had a toy police car that could transform into a dog to eat the cars that belonged to criminals. See what I mean? Imagination.

Hasbro Nerf N-Strike Nite Finder EX-3 Blaster for $7.99

Nerf guns are always fun, but some of the best ones can be expensive sometimes. This one, however, is pretty good, loaded with nice features, and cost less than ten dollars. The EX-3 Blaster comes with 3 micro darts to fire at targets up to 35 feet away, a laser sight that can be used up to 15 feet away, and a target with a stand to practice with. The product is recommended for kids ages 6 and up, but I personally recommend an educated talk about real guns with your child before they get the wrong ideas.

Operation for $8.99

Operation is a classic board game that I used to play as a child, and it's loads of fun. The goal is remove certain pieces of Sam's body without touching the edges, but some pieces are a lot harder to remove than others, and that's where the fun begins, because if you do touch the edge, you'll hear this stinging little buzz that let's you and everyone in the room know that your part of the operation was unsuccessful. It's recommended for kids ages 6 and up, but you might get a kick out of playing this game yourself.

Pocket Etch a Sketch for $5.99

Another classic that I used to play with as a kid, the Pocket Etch a Sketch is very entertaining for the creative, artistic child. You turn the knobs on the bottom corners to draw, and with a little shaking, anything you draw will be erased. The normal color of the Etch a Sketch is red, but they come in a bunch of designs now, so if your child likes the color purple or enjoyed the Disney movie "Cars," then you could elect to buy an Etch a Sketch with a different design for the same price. If your child becomes very good at making pictures with their Pocket Etch a Sketch, then I would recommend getting the full size version next Christmas.

Connect Four for $8.99

A favorite that I still play every so often, Connect is a slight twist on the game of tic-tac-toe, where you drop checkers into a 7 x 6 grid. The goal is to get four of your colored checkers lined up four in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. It's a simple game concept, but it contains the potential to entertain for hours on end. It's recommended for ages 7 to 14, but anyone who has a grasp on the concept can play and enjoy this game.

You can probably find these toys at your nearest Toys'R'Us store. All them can definitely be found on their website www.toysrus.com. Hopefully, you'll find a toy that your loved one will love. Happy Holidays!