We love Melissa and Doug toys in our household, they're well made and simple but tap into kids' creativity and their spirit of investigation.

The Make-A-Face Sticker Pad series is no exception. It has dozens of brightly illustrated oversize pages and sheets of colorful stickers - but don't be fooled, this is not your run-of-the-mill sticker book.

Kids can use the blank face templates and stick on eyes, mouths and noses along with inviting accessories like glasses, jewelry, hair clips and bows to create their own unique portraits. My daughter Helen, 5, invented this trio of ladies, Grace, Katie, and Meg.

You can encourage your kids to make up personalities to go with the faces they invent. And thinking of a name that  suits the character is a game in itself! Having kids try to create a portrait of someone that they know is fun and can be very revealing. I learn a lot about how Helen views the people in her world through the portraits she creates of her friends, family, and teachers.

The most fun is in just making up silly faces! Either way, the cartoon caricatures born from your child's imagination are bound to surprise and delight you.