Personally I struggle with gift giving at Christmas. I love giving gifts, but I also don’t want a house full of clutter and toys that they will stop playing with in a few weeks or months.
Over the years we’ve collected some pretty fun toys that are also educational. Here are my top picks.
Spot It
is a fun card game for kids. The best part about this game is that they don’t need to know how to read to play it! It is a fun game for the entire family and small enough to take with you on a road trip. They also make Spot It Junior
if you only have young children.
ThinkFun Rush Hour
is a great game that allows kids to use their analytical skills. This another one that is good for all ages and is portable. Yay!
According to Amazon.com I bought these Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards
for Christmas for my kids in 2004! They are still going strong. Not only that but I continue to buy pattern blocks to add to the set. They also encourage creativity. Your kids can follow the pattern boards or make up their own. My kids also love to trace their own patterns and color them for beautiful artwork. This is a must buy for any young child!
There are many versions of these reusable sticker pads
but I have this one so I’m recommending it. If you need a quiet activity for your kids, this reusable sticker pad is the gift! These are great for younger kids who want to sit at the school table and “do school” with the big kids. While writing this post I found the Melissa & Doug Habitats Reusable Sticker Pad
which just got added to my shopping basket.
To be honest I hate Play-Doh
but it is really a great toy for your kids. It keeps them occupied for hours, is inexpensive, there are about a billion Play-Doh activity sets. If you only want to buy the Play-Doh you can let them play with your cookie cutters and some plastic knives. For easier clean up, lay down a cheap plastic table cloth and just throw it away when you are finished. I purchased this mega pack last Christmas and it’s about time to reorder! If you don’t want to buy it, you can make your own Play-Doh with this recipe.
We gave this Step2 LifeStyle Custom Kitchen II, Brown/Tan/Green
to our son nine years ago when he was two. Yes, we gave a kitchen to our boy, because I thought it would be smart if he liked to cook. It was expensive, but nine years and three little sisters later this toy kitchen looks pretty good. I’ve seen some pretty nice toy kitchen’s at yard sales, so if this isn’t the year to buy one, watch for a new to you one over the next year. It makes a GREAT gift!
We’ve had the Fridge Words Magnetic Word Builder
for several years and it is a consistent favorite with my children and any other kids who come visiting. Really, any Leap Frog
toy is a great educational toy for your kids. This year Cora is getting the LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Kids’ Learning Tablet, Green
but don’t tell her!
The Rainbow Loom
is sitting under our Christmas tree this year. I try to stay away from the latest fad, but this is a great way for kids to use their hands (fine motor skills) and be really creative. There are so many bands available this makes a great gift, stocking stuffer, or item to bring to a birthday party!
Do you want your kids to build, create and learn without even knowing it? Give them a Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Kit
. This is one of the best gifts my children have ever received and they don’t seem to outgrow it. At $20 it is also pretty reasonable for Christmas.
Do kids ever outgrow LEGO’s
? I don’t think I need to sell anyone on Legos- but with all the LEGO kits out there I think sometimes people forget that the basic kits are still available. You can buy these digital Lego Activity books to go with any LEGO kit for even more educational ideas!
This Portable Art Studio
is an awesome gift! It is under $20 on Amazon right now, so now’s the time to buy it. I’m sure any budding artist would love their own art set!
These are just a few of my favorite educational Christmas gifts that have delighted and inspired my kids over the past ten years! What are some of your favorite educational Christmas gifts.
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