Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Saint Louis, MO

My kids prefer making christmas list collages with cut out pictures from advertisements, catalogs and print outs from web pages. I cut the pictures out for the little ones and let them glue their pictures on construction paper with a glue stick. Here are a few selections from this year's wish list:

My kids are completely enamored with Spike the Dinosaur thanks to the large display at our local discount department store. Every time we visit, they have to push the button to make him roar and stomp. Spike is expensive, loud and could make a mess but so are my kids.

My three year old triplets love to "help" me cook. This Cranium Bloom Let's Play Measuring and Cooking set is right up their alley. Counting items comes naturally to them and is more fun than work. This toy keeps them busy and distracted when I'm doing my holiday baking and keeps them nearby at the kitchen table.

We have many Leap Frog toys, books and even DVD's in our home. We didn't have the Phonics Bus until the kids saw it at a friend's house and tried to take it home. It has the same familiar kid voice as the rest of the toy line which is easy for small children to understand. It is cute and makes it easy for kids to understand word sounds. They also love to sing along to "The Wheels on the Bus" which is one of their favorite songs.

Blocks. The kids cannot get enough of them. I find my sons building bridges with the arched pieces and roads out of the long wooden pieces of the Melissa and Doug 60 Piece Block Set. We bought this set for our oldest's fourth birthday and five years later, he is playing with them next to his younger siblings. None of the blocks have splintered and while a few have been written on with markers, they still look relatively new. We have lost a few along the way so I will replenish their supply this holiday.

Playing dress up is a great go to activity on cold winter days when we are stuck inside. All three of my three year old triplets have worn this firefighter costume and stomped around the house. One day, I found one of my sons asleep in his playroom wearing it. Extra cute and quality dress up gear. I plan on adding to our dress up arsenal this Christmas with other dress up costumes.