KID-POWERED, EXPERT-APPROVED TOY AWARDS

Hundreds of kids (and families) played games, snuggled dolls, raced remote-control cars, and otherwise tested more than 200 products so we could create this list of the top toys of the year just in time for the holidays.

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MUSICAL MOVEMENT

Five stepping stones, eight wavy balance beams, and one light-up musical base inspire lots of ideas, from playing The Floor Is Lava to pretending to be a gymnast. "It is fun to step on the bumpy beams and get the lights and sounds when you step on the base," one parent said. B. TOYS BALANCE & GROOVE SET, $50, AGES 3+

STUNT SUPERHERO

Kids squeeze Spidey's foot to make this animatronic superhero execute a backward flip or shoot a web dart. "Shooting a 'web' is truly thrilling for my 3-year-old," one parent said. "He screams with excitement and has built a whole storyline around playing with it." SPIDEY AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS AMAZING FLIP SPIDEY, $40, AGES 3+

ACTIVE ASSEMBLY

Toy versions of a power drill, wrenches, and a screwdriver help kids build, then take apart, this Goodyear toy engine. On the other side is a steering wheel, and budding mechanics can also tend to the tires. "My 4-year-old has taken it apart and put it back together more times than I can count," said a parent tester. GOODYEAR KIDS MEGA CAR ENGINE REPAIR SET, $50, AGES 3+

MATH MARKET

Preschoolers can run a store and get familiar with numbers 1 through 4 in the process. "My 3-year-old loved putting the coins into the slot, and my 6-year-old did math," a parent noted. HAND2MIND NUMBERBLOCKS ADD IT UP MINI MARKET FIGURE PLAYSET, $20, AGES 3+

COLOR-CHANGING COOKING

Kids can pretend to be chefs with this compact Melissa & Doug grill station. Fill the squeeze bottle and spatula with water first—that's the magic ingredient that "cooks" play foods like pancakes and burgers by turning them bright colors. MELISSA & DOUG FLIP & FRY GRILL PLAY SET, $38, AGES 3+

HIGH-TECH HOUSE