Respected speech-language expert Erika Cardamone announces her Top 10 PAL (Play Advances Language) product lists by category representing the longest standing industry recognition, promoting language development through great play. Parents and educators alike value Erika's decades of experience and benefit daily from her work with children, consulting practice, media appearances and articles.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Regular interaction and work with children guides Play On Words CEO and speech-language pathologist, Erika Cardamone, towards this unique set of the best toys, games, books and media that have the chemistry to develop language while delivering great play. Today, Play On Words is announcing its annual "Top 10 PAL Picks for 2025/Holiday Gift Guide" by age and product category. Our Top 10's take the guesswork out of giving great holiday gifts. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers use our lists to shop for smart toys with lasting play value.
Winners are assessed and reviewed by Erika with input from parents, kids and educators. Observing kid's play in action, combined with her critical eye for language potential, Erika awards products and writes insightful reviews offering practical tips on how to maximize the educational value in each winner catalogued on Playonwords.com.
Language catalyzing PAL winning toys and games are powerful additions to a child's tool box, since children learn through play, and language is integral to learning! Our 2025 Top 10's include a number of great winners that inspire imagination and story-telling with engaging props from the Lakeside Truck and Trailer from Schleich, to exploring the ocean with pirates with PLAYMOBIL, to recreating dental hygiene with the Hippodontist by Battat. Promoting children's critical thinking is a strong theme throughout this year's winners, often combined with STEM skills as children design and build with CONNETIX, get virtually transported to the outdoors with Abacus Brand's "ESPN Virtual Reality," and learn spatial reasoning and planning with "Sweet Victory" by ThinkFun. The toy industry continues to value new toys, games and books to promote literacy. Kids listen to stories from whimsical characters with "The Great Adventure of a Little Owl" and practice fine motor and coloring s with "Safari Zoo Playset" by DoodleFace to encourage more storytelling and creativity.
Erika's expertise has been tapped by FOX6 News in Milwaukee, PHL17 in Philadelphia, WSYR in Syracuse, Honest Company Blog, The New York Times, and ASHAsphere (official blog of the American Speech Language Hearing Association).
For Erika, great play is not just about fun, or language development, it's about going deep in both. Her expertise has been built on science and thousands of hours of client experience. Each set of Top 10's represents a breadth of themes and genres, but they all have one thing in common - they are trusted lists of fun products that boost learning through play. Here are 2025's Top 10 PAL Picks - See her reviews at http://www.playonwords.com
TOP 10 TOYS: INFANT
- Calming Moments Projector by hand2mind
- Fun Elefun Fill N Sprinkle by Yookidoo
- GUND Baby Peeki the Puppy Animated Plush
- GUND Disney Peek-a-Boo Winnie the Pooh Plush
- Ms. Rachel Spin Along Learning Wheel by Spin Master
- Rabbits by Piccoli Horses
- Pea Pod Pals by Hape
- Pour N Grow Pop-Up Garden by Yookidoo
- "The Great Adventure of a Little Owl" by Kimberly Rogers
- World's Softest Plush Spots Piggy Lushee by Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co.
TOP 10 TOYS: TODDLER
- Blockables by Melissa & Doug
- Hippodontist by Battat
- Hugarounds by Hugimals
- Multi-floor Block Set by Avdar
- Numberblocks Add It Up Mini Market Playset by hand2mind
- Pixel Piano by Hape
- Splash & Sparkle Sink by Battat
- Shake & Match Sound Memory Game by Battat
- Sort & Learn Magnetic Puzzles Colors and Shapes by The Learning Journey International
- The Kingdom Block Set by Avdar
TOP 10 TOYS: PRESCHOOL
- 28-Piece Light Star by CONNETIX
- Gabby's Dollhouse: Kitty Care Ear Purrfect Playroom by Spin Master
- Goodyear Kids' Water Pressure Car Cleaner Set by Red Toolbox
- GraviTrax Junior Starter Set Disney Frozen by Ravensburger
- Happy Puppy Vet Set by Battat
- Kindertown Buildings by MindWare
- Kinetic Sand Splash Starter Case by Spin Master
- PAW Patrol: Rocky's Crush N Roll Recycling Truck by Spin Master
- Safari Zoo Animal Play Set by DoodleFace
- Three Bear Family Storytime Picnic by Learning Resources
TOP 10 GAMES: PRESCHOOL
- Campfire Chatmallows by Educational Insights
- Dance Like a Lemur by SimplyFun
- Eric Carle Discover and Learn Scavenger Hunt by MindWare
- Guessing Things by Petit Collage
- Lotti Karotti: Disney Edition by Ravensburger
- My First Bananagrams by Bananagrams
- Patch's Pockets by MindWare's Peaceable Kingdom
- Snack Party Pals by MindWare's Peaceable Kingdom
- Ta-Da Bing by Blue Orange Games
- ThinkFun Friends by ThinkFun
TOP 10 TOYS: SCHOOL AGE
- 70-Piece PRO Constructor Set by CONNETIX
- Art-chitect Landscape Designer by MindWare
- BRIO Mega Spiral Set
- Coding Chameleon by Thames & Kosmos
- ESPN Virtual Reality by Abacus Brands
- Hey Bestie by Battat
- Lakeside Truck and Trailer by Schleich
- Pirate Harbor by PLAYMOBIL
- Run the Runway by MindWare
- Squeegee Art Kit by Educational Inisghts
TOP 10 GAMES: SCHOOL AGE
- A Daily Cloud: The Game by MindWare
- Bug Crafts by SimplyFun
- CrossSpin by JoPat Games
- Feelin' Cute by Hootenanny Games
- Minecraft Builders & Biomes Junior by Ravensburger
- Patata by Blue Orange Games
- Plundering Times by SimplyFun
- Slidewise by Educational Insights
- Sweet Victory by ThinkFun
- Tacta by The Op Games
Each holiday season, millions are spent on kids' toys, games and books. These PAL winners above are not only great fun but also encourage rich language development. This optimizes your toy purchases to build language while maintaining all the fun. Now's the time to be intentional about your child's toy chest, game drawer, bookshelf and tablet!
ABOUT PLAY ON WORDS
Playonwords.com is run by well-respected speech-language pathologist, Erika Cardamone. Her nearly 20 years championing language rich play, esteemed PAL Award and insightful tips to parents set her apart as the leading advocate for the language component in toys.
Thousands of hours working directly with children has shown her that a unique set of the best toys, games and books have the capability to develop language while delivering great play. Studies show:
- Kids with highest IQs at three, had the most words at one and two
- Language learning is cumulative – early words => early sentences => language & reading
- Most kids maintain their verbal advantage through childhood
- Creative pretend play that sparks story-telling can advance future literacy
Erika continues with the PAL Award to identify unique toys, games and books that through their design, quality and character, encourage play that advances language. PAL winners in the hands of kids, spark fun and creative play with lots of talk. Such toys, recognized on the basis of her child development expertise, are complemented by practical coaching in her blog, showing parents and caregivers how to get the most from toys, games and books to build language and underlying cognitive skills.
Media Contact
Erika Cardamone, Play On Words, 1 2032284438, [email protected], www.playonwords.com
SOURCE Play On Words
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