Putting creativity in Santa's bag.

If you want to spark a little creativity and imagination in your offspring this holiday season, arrange for Santa Claus to bring them something besides the latest computer game. Instead, try dolls, clay, balls, building blocks, miniature human and animal figures, board games, and art projects, suggests Eric Dlugokinski, a child psychologist at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

"People should give children toys they can create and pretend with. Toys that require the child to use imagination encourage a creative outlook and also provide an opportunity to practice social skills they will need as adults."

Moreover, dolls and stuffed animals can be an extra friend to youngsters if they are feeling lonely. In some cases, a child can work through situations that bother him or her--such as a divorce, a conflict, or a friend moving away--by playing them out with dolls.

Probably the worst Christmas gift for a youngster, Dlugokinski maintains, is his or her own television set. "TV tends to create a kind of passivity with the world--especially when it's in the child's own room."

Outdoor toys...