Bella Dancerella

I have to put in a good word for this toy. My 4-yr-old got it as a b-day gift. I was skeptical when I saw it advertized. Afterall, the 8-yr-old got a new Twister game complete with a music CD for her b-day and was so frustrated with the new-fangled toy that she has never used it since.

The Bella Dancerella on the otherhand is simple enough for a 2-yr-old to use but enjoyable enough for a 10-yr-old. My girls are both loving it. Starr got it on Saturday and they have both used it every day for numerous times throughout the day.

It gets them up and moving. They do stretch exercises with Bella on the DVD which takes them into jumping exercises and lots of active dancing. The mat is two-sided and takes the little dancers through a quick study of the basic ballet movements.

It is by no means a thorough workout or dance instruction, but it's fun, gets the kids up and moving, and certainly gets them motivated towards dancing.

So, if your child has expressed an interest in dancing and you'd like to wait another year before signing her up, and seeing if she'll stick with it, do get this gift for Christmas. Your pennies will be well spent.

And, no, I'm not being paid to endorse Bella Dancerella. We just really like it. I give it two thumbs up and a five star rating.