Some families love to go all out on Christmas gifts for kids. Some families keep it simple with a “4 gifts” route (Something to… wear, read, want, need). Whatever your gift-giving style, you want quality gifts kids will be excited to unwrap and want to PLAY with for hours. Right?! I have unique, fun, and engaging Christmas gifts for kids right here!
Books Make Great Christmas Gifts for Kids
Books and other paper gifts are wonderful ideas for kids. Here’s a few ideas to get you started!
Calendars are a great non-toy gift idea!
Kids love having fun pictures on their walls, so why not give them a monthly changing gallery with these 2020 calendars from Quarto? Whether your kids love animals (goats? hedgehogs? llamas?), or vehicles (Mustang, airplanes, construction), there’s sure to be a gorgeous calendar for them. Younger kids can start learning the names of the months, days of the week, and counting. Older kids will enjoy planning their days on the calendar grid.
My boys loved the hedgehog calendar especially, because we just became happy owners of our own hedgehog pet! We have this calendar hanging in our homeschool room, where our hedgehog, Snufkin, can enjoy it as well!
Find all these calendars on Amazon, or at the Quarto Group.
For more book gift ideas:
Christmas gifts for kids: STEM and Educational toys
Magnetic building toys – adventure and imagination!
A great building toy set is a must-have toy for kids. I love the new Magformers AMAZING Sets. They speak to a child’s interests in exciting police, fire, and construction themes, that invite kids to create their own adventure stories while building. Yet there’s room for creativity because kids can play with the various parts in any way, and even combine them with other sets! The booklets come with fifty ideas to get kids started, but there’s so much room to grow with these toys. I especially love that my boys are growing their collection of Magformers pieces at the same time, because Magformers are such a wonderful open-ended toy. Also, they just feel so satisfying to snap together, and their rounded edges offer a lovely tactile sensation for younger kids.
Find Magformers on Amazon or in local stores. Check out all the Magformers sets available at Magformers website.
Science kits spark discovery!
Have you seen the new Ms. Frizzle show? Our boys have been Miss Frizzle fans for years (I, myself, am a fan of her and her quirky dresses!). To celebrate the new show, The Young Scientists Club updated their award-winning science kits! We’ve reviewed these kits before and love them!
This year, we checked out the Volcano kit. As usual, this kit was jam-packed with information and experiments to “take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” as Miss Frizzle always said! The boys labeled volcano parts with stickers, referenced the large information poster for answers, and created several eruptions using the enclosed volcano and lab gear. We still haven’t even finished all the experiments in the kit!
Other kit themes include: Going Green, Human Body, Slime, Electricity, Magnets, Space, Solar Energy, Flight, Dinosaurs, Rainbows, and Microscope Lab.
Get these awesome STEM-concept kits at TheYoungScientistsClub.com or at Amazon.
Robotics toys get kids started on the hobby of a lifetime!
Who doesn’t love a robot toy? The Air-Walker is a four-legged bot kids build and play with. I loved that they had to measure and cut their own tubing to create this bot. There are four different models to create with the same pieces. Kids will learn about suction and mechanical devices in different real-world applications. Engineering and physics concepts are introduced through playing with air pressure! Using suction cups and pumps, the Air-Walker can crawl and even walk up walls and windows (we did have a little trouble with this, as the surface of the wall AND the suction cups has to be kept impeccably clean for this to work well, and my kids needed a lot of adult help to keep things clean).
Find the Air Walker on Amazon or online at Thames and Kosmos.
STEM Building toys build thinking skills
I love giving kids open-ended play toys that have loads of replay value. Toys that teach STEM concepts are high on my list. Geomagworld is an award-winning magnetic building system with sets to appeal to all kinds of kids. My 6-year-old enjoyed the Geomag Classic panels. This set had several designs to build from the instructions and then left room for imagination to take over! Abstract sculptures, buildings, and structures made from magnetic rods, spheres, and different geometric panels offer endless building opportunities.
My 7-year old liked learning more about how magnetics can make things work through attraction and repulsion with the Geomag Mechanics kit. Build the construction and then move the parts with your hand or a mechanical knob. Learn about chain reactions! He loved building his magnetic motion device so much, he even did a homeschool presentation on magnetism and brought this toy into our co-op for show and tell!
See all the kit choices for kids 18 months-adult at Geomagworld! Or find GeoMag toys on Amazon.
Christmas gifts for kids: Games and Puzzles
Puzzles kids will not put down
Remember the Rubik’s Cube? Yeah, well they’re back and… they aren’t your uncles Rubik’s! These puzzle cubes from agreatlife brand have had a generation to develop into: The Cube – The Next Generation of Rubik’s Cube! This is an all-new, magic 3-D puzzle and comes with an online solution guide so you can solve it twice as fast! Fun, inexpensive, and loads of playing power. A great gift idea for kids and teens (but hey, we all know we grown-ups will be trying it out too!). Pop it in a stocking or wrap for a unique gift.
Find The Cube on Amazon!
Cooperative board games for kids
I have two boys at that age where one wants to play strategy and the other just doesn’t want to lose. But they both LOVE board games! When faced with this dilemma, instead of packing it all in, bring out the cooperative board games. Cooperative board games teach kids that winning can happen together.
The Baby Beluga Game from Cooperative Games (remember Raffi!? He helped develop this game!) is a fun cooperative play game where kids play together to free Baby Beluga and Friends to swim “wild and free.” Kids learn to deal with emotional situations like getting a “trouble” setback, but with the teamwork and compassion of other players. I think this encourages kids to overcome disappointments and gain confidence. Plus, kids learn about whales and sea creatures and engage in creative problem-solving and critical thinking as they have to make choices that affect the fate of their animal friends.
Need more game and puzzle ideas?
Christmas gifts for kids: Plushie Friends!
Cuddly friends to hug and love!
My children are stuffed animal lovers to the core! They simply cannot get enough and they use them ALL in their imaginative play. When I help them gather up the animals after a play session, I understand why their new Moosh-Moosh animal pillows are always in play- it’s like hugging marshmallows! . Moosh Moosh toys come in over 72 styles. My boys love their shark, penguin, bat, bee, and dog! But there’s also unicorns, zebras, piglets and more! (Did you know they make Slipperz, Hooded Blankets, and a piggy bank, too!?)
These squishable friends are also stackable! My boys love to stack theirs up: Large-Medium-Small! They have no end of fun watching them topple. The small Moosh Moosh animal pillows are actually clip-ons that can dangle from a backpack or jacket. These are great stocking stuffers! The medium and large sizes are perfect for snuggling or just as a–pillow!
Find Moosh Moosh on Amazon, in local stores, and at Moosh-Moosh.com.
Even More Christmas Gifts for Kids!
Shop Christmas Gifts for Kids Ideas
Air-Walker Gravity-Defying Wall-Walking Robot
Magformers Amazing Police SetMagformers Amazing ConstructionSetMoosh-Moosh Softest Plush Stackable ToyGeomag 86-Piece Mechanics Construction SetSpin Master Games Perplexus OriginalThe Magic School Bus – Erupting VolcanoesThe Baby Beluga GameSainSmart Jr. Wooden Tetris Puzzle
Thanks to the brands mentioned above for sending products to review. All opinions are my own.
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