Festive shopping

Getting the right toys for the kids is sometimes far from child’s play, so here are some ideas to help you choose well.

We all hope for smiles on Christmas morning when children are opening their gifts.

But with the huge array of fun-packed toys available, it can be hard finding the right ones to please those little excited faces.

Depending on your child’s age, there’s everything from child-friendly tablets full of learning apps and games - such as the VTECH InnoTab Max to the Kurio 7s and 10s - to train tracks for pre-schoolers, like the Thomas and Friends Avalanche Escape playset.

Meanwhile, girls will love My Magical Mermaid, Barbie Colour Changing Bag and Flutterbye Flying Fairy.

Also popular this year is the LeapFrog TV - aimed at three to eight- year- olds - which provides educational, active video games.

Loom bands are still in fashion, so the Cra-Z-Loom Ultimate Bracelet Maker might be worth adding to your list, along with the Doh Vinci Style and Store Vanity, which allows a child to become a 3D designer.

Interactive toys are flying off the shelves this year. From dolls to dinosaurs and dogs - they’re all talking, walking and ready to impress.

Toys R Us marketing and e-commerce director Mike Coogan said: “Toys with a technology base appear to be taking a lead and are all the rage this year.

“Cayla, Dino Boomer, MiP