Today has seen the release of the predicted desirable toys for Christmas 2011.

You can certainly see that predictions follow the same line each year. All singing, all dancing (not literally) plastic toys promoted heavily through consistent TV adverts on Children’s television stations. They are most likely to be requested by children and they will bring the expected squeal of delight when opened on Christmas morning.

However, from our own experience these expensive toys very quickly  lose their appeal and are soon gathering dust on the shelf. The more a toy ‘does’ for the child the less they play with it.

When our son was little he had a wooden train set and a plastic battery driven train set, which moved around tipping this out, collecting that.

The Battery train set was fascinating to watch to start with but then it became boring. Our son was the ‘passenger’ in play instead of the ‘driver’. The wooden train set lasted the distance as he was able to use his imagination to create stories and journeys.

Of course you want to get the gift your child craves but don’t go over the top! Try to save some of your budget to add in some traditional toys which will give longer lasting appeal and durability.

This year’s Dream Dozen, in alphabetical order:

Doggie Doo, John Adams, RRP £22.99
Fijit Friends, Mattel, RRP £54.99
Fireman Sam Pontypandy Rescue Set, Character, RRP £29.99
Kidizoom Twist, Vtech, RRP £49.99
LeapPad Explorer, Leapfrog Toys, RRP £79.99
Lets Rock Elmo, Hasbro, RRP £69.99
Milky the Bunny, Flair, £59.99
Monster High Lagoona’s Hydration Station, Mattel, £39.99
Moshling Tree House, Vivid, RRP £18.99
Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster, Hasbro, RRP £44.99
Ninjago Fire Temple, Lego, RRP £91.99
Star Wars Ultimate Force Tech Lightsaber Assortment, Hasbro, RRP £39.99