PAL Award Winners – 2013
Exceptional toys, games and books / media that encourage language, spark fun and invite creative play.
PAL Awards
Established by respected speech and language expert Sherry Artemenko, the PAL Award recognizes exceptional toys, games and books that, through their design, content, quality, and character, promote play that advances language. PAL winners in the hands of kids spark fun and creative play with lots of talk!
TOYS
Dr. Miriam Activity Kitten by Galt Toys
Babies love a cuddle with Dr. Miriam Activity Kitten, a soft velour playmate with textures, sounds and features to explore. Squeeze her tummy and...
Artzooka! Sketcher-Tape by Wooky Entertainment
Kids love stickers and tape, giving Artzooka's latest craft kit a big high five! Our little artists chose one of the six scenes to decorate with the...
NogginStik by Smartnoggin Toys
Aware of an increased emphasis on the learning potential of infants in the first 3 years of life, new parents are looking more closely at toys that...
littleBits Base Kit
Most waking hours we are connecting, being entertained or working with some form of electronics. The fundamental elements of these pervasive gadgets...
Tickey Toc Talking Tallulah/Tickety Toc Talking Tommy by Just Play
Little fans of Nick Jr.'s Tickety Toc series can take Tallulah and Tommy along on their own adventures or re-enact their favorite chime time...
Busy Bead Maze- Mermaid Adventure by Alex Toys
This mermaid adventure board will indeed keep little hands busy as they wind a fish, seahorse, sun, starfish, mermaid and turtle "over," "under,"...
Rolling Busy Bus by Alex Toys
Toddlers love to get their first vehicle and give this substantial school bus a push around their town. Slide the side panel to reveal a mouse,...
3D Dinoland by Alex Toys
Kids love to take over the floor to construct their 3D dinoland jumbo puzzle. Piece together an ocean, forest, desert and mountain scenes as a...
Musical Gator by Alex Toys
Toddlers love to bang on pots and pans so why not give them a whole alligator band? Kids loved the variation of playing the xylophone, banging the...
GAMES
Early Reader Treasure Hunt App by uKloo
Take the uKloo fun on the road with their new FREE app, an extension of their popular Early Reader Treasure Hunt game that exercises emergent...
Choice-A-Quence by Let’s Choose
Grab this little pack of cards for a lively, thoughtful conversation about behavior and consequences as kids can speak into a toy microphone (or...
Doodle Jump by Ravensburger
Leave it to Ravensburger to use their exceptional die cut engineering magic to fashion a 3D Doodle Jump playing surface adapting the popular app to...
Bugs In The Kitchen by Ravensburger
What do you get when you combine a Toy of the Year Finalist HEXBUG™ nano™ and the classic high quality, uber-creative, die-cut marvel, Ravensburger...
Skunk Bingo by Gamewright
Get ready for some log-jammin' fun as players slide their animal cards in one end and wait anxiously to see who pops out the other side. Spin to see...
That’s It! by Gamewright
If you want just the right party game that can also double as a perfect learning tool for teachers, play "That's It!" by Gamewright. The tiny box is...
Rory’s Story Cubes Voyages by Gamewright
Take a trip with Rory's Story Cubes Voyages, using the 54 images to generate epic stories! Players took off in many directions, inspired by the 9...
Disney Doc McStuffins All Bettter! Game by Wonder Forge
Playful pretend meets problem solving in Doc McStuffins All Better! Game. I could hardly open the package fast enough as little hands were grabbing...
Disney Jake and the Neverland Pirates Shipwreck Beach Treasure Hunt Game by Wonder Forge
Yo ho ho and away we go! Kids gathered around to place their doubloons on the grid over a map of Shipwreck Beach (which doubles as a clever storage...
BOOKS / MEDIA
Little Red Writing by Joan Holub and Melissa Sweet
This clever adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood has so many levels of creativity and learning, I don't know where to begin. Beginning with "Once...
Magic Forest Friends by HABA
Magic Forest Friends decorate six interactive sides of a reversible house complete with a bunny to reside inside or out. Open the hut to reveal...
Peppa Pig and the Busy Day at School by Candlewick Press
Join Peppa Pig and her animal friends Pedro Pony, Candy Cat and Rebecca Rabbit during a busy day at school filled with learning, fun, and of course...
Alphabet Anatomy: Meet The Capital Letters by Linda Ann Jones
Looking for a fun and clever way to introduce your child to the alphabet? “Alphabet Anatomy: Meet the Capital Letters” is a wonderful way to do...
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Last week research came out from the University of Waterloo finding that children hear more complex language from parents when they read a storybook...
The Ant and the Grasshopper by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley
Readers are drawn into the vibrant collage of colors on the first page of The Ant and the Grasshopper, "Somewhere on the boulevard of backyards an...
ABC Puzzle And Book: My First Puzzle Book by Tiger Tales
Don’t we love the activity all contained in a little box? ABC Puzzle+ Book by Tiger Tales arrived and I had such fun with my 3 year-old friend. A...
Penguin And Pinecone by Salina Yoon
I love Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon for language lessons because of its simplicity in storyline and illustrations which leaves a lot to talk...
Up! Tall! And High! by Ethan Long
Any parent who has proudly sat through their child's first attempts at reading a book, can relate to how boring some of the early readers are. It...
About The Award
Learn about the application and selection process for the PAL Award.
Reach Out
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erika@playonwords.com