I may not understand it all, but my eight year-old says the Minecraft game is awesomeness, and given how much he and his sisters play it on my iPad, I’ll take his word for it. This is a evidently a huge deal among their elementary school-age friends, which is why I’ve had my eye on some of these Minecraft toys–real toys–for the holidays. –Christina

If your kids love building in the real world as much as they do in the Minecraft world, the LEGO Minecraft set will be a huge hit. With over 400 bricks, this would keep little hands busy while I take my iPad back to play Word W.E.L.D.E.R. It’s tough to snag, as evidenced by how fast it sells out once it’s back in stock, so keep an eye on the LEGO site for it.

  

When I want my kids to work out more than their fingers, I open the back door and tell them to take their Minecraft-filled imagination outdoors. They’ll love to do that with a Pixelated Pickaxe or Pixelated Sword which look like they ripped them right out of my iPad. Don’t worry, they’re foam, and really only going to be used to fend of Zombies and Creepers.

Free and foldable, this set of printable Minecraft minis is a great craft for able-fingered kids who just can’t get enough Minecraft. Coupled with their set of wooden blocks, my kids will have a blast turning my living room into a Minecraft world. Sigh.

My kids love the Minecraft Pocket Edition app which is available for iOS and Android.