Some Presents for a Small World

So what if the holidays are just a few days away, and the dog chewed up the kids’ gift list? So what if you’re facing a miserable six-hour drive to the in-laws’ or a jammed flight with your overstimulated, overtired bunch?

Pour yourself an eggnog and stop worrying. Add a few toys that are fun in confined places to the children’s Hanukkah piles and Christmas stockings.

Here are some of my picks.

For the diaper and preschool set:

* Smart Sticks from Playskool are designed to teach young kids about colors, shapes and animal sounds with interactive games played by pushing the brightly colored buttons. As long as the sounds don’t drive you nuts, this is a winner at $9.99.

* The Teacup Fairy audiotape or the Winter Cherries holiday audiotape from the Odds Bodkin Storytelling Library offer old tales for young children from the prize-winning Bodkin. The Winter Cherries tape offers Hanukkah, old European holiday folk tales and even a modern rock ‘n’ roll Santa story. Order for $9.95 each from Rivertree Productions at (800) 554-1333.

* Golden Read & Wear Books are small (just 3 inches high and 2 inches wide) and come with a little clip on the back so that the tiniest travelers can attach them to their sweatshirts. There are snowmen, trees, Santa and elves. They cost $1.25 each from Golden Books.

* Stickers galore, the more glittery the better, can keep them busy.

For the grade-school crowd:

* Sure, palm-size virtual-reality “friends”--Giga Pets, Tamagotchis and Giga Friends, among them--are ridiculous, but they’re guaranteed to please and are just flying off toy-store shelves. Giga Pets start at $9.99.

Boys will like the brand-new DigiMon, the original digital monster, from Bandai, the makers of Tamagotchis. They might even spend an entire cross-country flight helping their $15 pet monsters grow stronger.

* Lego Systems’ FreeStyle Tote set is backpack size and comes with 110 pieces, a building plate and a handy cardboard tote. The cost is $9.99.

If you’re traveling by car, consider the set that comes with 400-plus pieces for $19.99.

* The pocket-size Vacation Sticker Passport comes with dozens of stickers to note kids’ favorite snacks, theme park rides and vacation activities on designated pages. The price is $3.50 from Rand McNally.

I also like Rand McNally’s Fun Finder--Anytime, Anyplace Games. This collection of write-on, wipe-off activities on a laminated surface that folds up like a map includes Bingo. The collection costs $4.95.

* Elizabeth Koda-Callan’s Secret Diary is the latest in the enormously successful Magic Charm series and comes with a 16-page story in the front of the diary and a lock on a chain; $13.95 from Workman.

* Perfect for evening car, plane or train trips are glow-in-the-dark markers, cards and necklaces sold in toy stores.

For middle schoolers:

* The Etch-A-Sketch Book comes with a pocket Etch-A-Sketch, 12 stick-on games to put over the 3-inch screen and a 4-inch board book that contains hundreds of game and drawing ideas. The price is $16.95 from Klutz Press.

* Travel Brain Bash’s electronic voice directs players to hit one of the four colored buttons in a specific sequence. It costs $14.99 from Tiger Electronics.

Everyone will like the QuizWiz electronic question-and-answer games from Tiger. Try Sports Trivia, Travel Jeopardy or Silly Trivia. The games cost $9.99 each.

* The new CD of their favorite group, new books by much-liked authors or books set in the place you’re going.

Now, what about you? And that book you were eyeing? You actually might have time to read it on your trip.

Taking the Kids appears the first and third week of every month.