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From 2 year olds to 8 year olds. The 3-4yr old Boys or Girls up to 8 years all love to play with the Dora toys, so I thought I'd start there. Dora's Talking House This was a big want on my daughter's list last year and all the kids in the dayhome just loved to play with it. (This does not incl. 6-8 yr. old boys). It promotes imaginative play, creativity, and cooperation. The drawbacks are price and all the add ons that you need, i.e. furniture and people. The cost for the house is $60 Cdn the furniture sets are $20 Cdn. (prices in stores not Internet). Now with the nursery, van and pool etc. it doesn't look like the options will stop. The house is larger than Fisher Price's Little People house. The only problem with the house itself is that the roof is held up by two buttons on each side of the house. You have to push in both buttons at the same time and then push the roof down with your third hand. The kids would push one button and then try to force the roof down almost breaking it before I'd see and yell "Stop, I'll do it." There is an off/on switch to turn the sound off, nice feature when all you hear over and over is Dora saying the same thing. I like it because my daughter loves it and plays with it a lot. It is not one of those toys collecting dust in the corner. (US only) Dora the Explorer Dress Up A larger sized dress up doll, bigger than the baby dolls. The clothes are well made and easy for the kids to put on. She comes with an outfit and doggy. The books that come with her and her outfits are useless and annoying. She's made of hard plastic, this is not a cuddly take to bed type doll. The kids have pretend picnics and tea parties with her. Like all Dora stuff it's pricey $30.00 CDN and the outfits are $19.00 CDN. (In store price). Considering the price of Barbie clothes it's comparable because the outfit is bigger, better made and comes complete head to toe, with accessories. (In US) Dora the Explorer Dance Doll I haven't bought this one because I don't think its worth the cost. Yes it dances and comes with two outfits, but I can picture it sitting in the corner after the batteries die. It takes me forever to change batteries. I haven't been impressed with the Dora dolls that need batteries to do something. Dora the Explorer Dominos Save your money. The boxed dominos are cardboard which bends and breaks. They have come out with a metal boxed set of plastic ones but for the price I would look to the other Dora games. The kids never really played it properly. Dora the Explorer's I Spy Game This one is OK. The kids love to find the pictures, the little ones haven't got the hang of the rules, the preschoolers love it. It's cheap and great for brain development. Dora the Explorer's Memory Game Preschoolers love to play memory and finding Dora characters makes it that much more fun. It is great for brain development and well priced. (in US) Dora the Explorer's Interact TV I prefer this to watching the TV show, wish there were more DVDs for it. The kids actually have to answer the questions for the show to continue, very interactive. It is very easy for a preschooler to work, just put in the DVD, give them the controller and sheets, walk away. My daughter loves to play it, we call it her x-box. (both InUS) Dora the Explorer's Talking Backpack Save your money. It comes with some accessories and talks, which drives you insane. There is no on/off switch. The batteries die quickly. It doesn't work as a good purse because the case is narrow. The thing is collecting dust in my corner. By a proper backpack and fill it with accessories yourself. Power Wheels Dora the Explorer It's the same as all the power wheel's jeeps, they've just made a Dora one. If you were planning on getting a jeep and you have two or more girls to drive it, then consider it. Kids love go carts. The battery will drive you nuts, a 12V that needs to be charged constantly. It has a hard time going up hills, if it will at all. It's not built for power though, it's built for kids. If you can stand that then it will bring smiles to your girls faces. (in US) Dora the Explorer's Talking Kitchen Not on my must have list. its not built very well. There is better value for your money out there. Get a kitchen that will fit in your house, has a good sized fridge, stove, dishwasher, sink and is built as one unit, not screwed together pieces. The Dora one is small and made up of pieces screwed together, the back of it isn't even fully enclosed. It will break easily. You'll have dishes and plastic all over the place because there is not enough space to store them in the kitchen. Look to Little Tykes kitchens, better value for your money, they are put together very well. My First Leap Pad Dora the Explorer book You have to buy my first leap pad to go with it. If your child is 2 1/2 then get the my first leap pad. The regular leap pad is great for preschoolers and up through to the last stage they make, the writing leap pad is a separate group of books. There is no Dora book for the regular leap pad, this is the only Dora book for my first leap pad. I love leap pad, so do my kids, we take it on all vacations, it sits by their beds. We have gotten our money out of it. It hasn't broke and the batteries do last a long time. (In US) Dora the Explorer Figurines These are must haves. They are durable, just the right size and the kids play with them constantly. I love these. (In US) Dora the Explorer Playsets Castle, Rescue Station, Treehouse, School House. These are great because they are priced well and come with figurines. There are hours of play for good value in these. Quality wise, I think they are a little on the flimsy side, but the price is good enough that if it breaks it didn't break the bank. Good alternative to the talking house. (in US) Dora the Explorer View Master This is cool for all of 2 minutes, then don't expect it to come out again. They are marketing to your memories, today kids are used to toys that do so much more than we were. This is a definite save your money, keep the memories. Dora the Explorer portable CD player, TV, DVD player, boom box etc. I don't think any preschooler needs any of these items let alone one with Dora all over them. I have to admit when I first saw them in Wal Mart I wanted to get Kennedy some. Glad I didn't though. If you really want to get your kid some Dora electronics, go to the electronics department buy cheaper versions and then stick some Dora stickers on them. You can get some big sized stickers at scrapbook stores or the wall ones at home decorating centers. Don't waste your money on a gimmick, you work hard for it, spending time away from your kids for what - big business's idea of marketing products. There is so much out there, a lot I haven't even seen or tried out. Hopefully this is enough to get you started in your search for that perfect Dora the Explorer Christmas gift. If you have any comments about Dora toys and games please post them on the forum or email me.