Holiday Gift Guides for Kids

This blog post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase using my link. I am very picky about what I am affiliated with, so I will only ever share brands and products I love and think you will love, too. Thanks for supporting my blog!

October through December is a busy time of year for everyone. At our house, it’s extra busy, because in addition to all the holidays we’ve also got four birthdays to celebrate. While I’m a firm believer in waiting until after Thanksgiving to celebrate Christmas, I’m a big advocate of getting holiday (and birthday) shopping done early. In this post I’m going to give you some general tips for successful gift shopping, as well as my gift recommendations for kids by age.

Let’s start with some tips for successful gift shopping.

• Shop early. There are issues at every level of the supply chains this year, from limited goods, to bottle necks at the ports, to truck driver shortages. So while it’s tempting to wait until all the major sales happen around Thanksgiving, chances are things will sell out and ship slow. So if you haven’t already begun your holiday shopping, start now! It’s better to have gifts on time than to get them for 30% off but not have them on Christmas Day. Lots of brands are doing their sales early this year, too, so there’s really no reason to wait!
• Shop in store. If you’re planning on buying gifts from your favorite major retailers (like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, etc.) check in store first instead of shopping online. Buying things in store avoids shipping issues, although it can’t help when it comes to supply/availability. So be sure to still shop early, even if you’re shopping in store.
• Shop small. The pandemic has had an extraordinarily negative impact on small businesses. Any support you can give to small shops and businesses during this time of year is helping real people put food on their tables and provided Christmases for their own families. Check out your local downtown area to find small shops with awesome, unique gift ideas. If you have friends who own small businesses, there’s no better time to support them than now. And if you still can’t find what you’re looking for, do a search on Etsy or Instagram and you’ll easily find lots of great options.
• Less is more. I am not a fan of stuff. Especially stuff for the sake of stuff. While it’s tempting to fill your kids’ stockings to the brim with lots of cute little toys and surprises, eventually stocking stuffers leave the stockings and wind up on your floors, under your furniture, and all over your house. So don’t buy things just to fill up space. Dollar store toys are great for road trips when you want to keep your kids busy with a variety of options but don’t want to stress about losing expensive toys. When it comes to presents, though, you want quality gifts that will last, not junk toys that will end up in the trash in a couple of weeks. So avoid the dollar store! Better to get fewer toys that are better quality than a ton of cheap stuff just to take up space.
• Focus on functional gifts. Educational toys, clothes, makeup, subscriptions, kitchen tools and small appliances, and other functional gifts kill two birds with one stone. They’re thoughtful and useful. Young kids are so excited to be opening presents that they don’t necessarily even care what’s inside. So if they need new socks, underwear, shoes, coats, etc. Christmas and birthdays are a good time to get them those things. Obviously older kids care a little more about what they’re getting and aren’t going to be thrilled with new underwear as a gift. But there are still tons of functional gifts you can get for every age. Educational toys, crafting or STEM kits/subscriptions, dance or music lessons, books, etc. all make awesome gifts. As a homeschool mom, I recommend using Christmas as a time to buy things like math manipulatives, globes, sensory materials, and fidgets as gifts. When you’re trying to figure out what to get someone, ask yourself “what do they need?” and use that as a starting point for inspiration.
• Aim for variety. A mixture of toys is always a good idea when it comes to gift-giving. This keeps things interesting for the gift receiver and helps build a diverse and exciting playroom. I recommend trying to get toys from two or more of the following categories: manipulative toys (blocks, magnets, marble runs, Lincoln Logs), imaginative play toys (baby dolls, stuffed animals, toy cars, doctor sets), sensory toys (play dough, kenetic sand, slime—although you do slime at your own risk), crafts (science kits, art supplies, subscription boxes), and functional toys (toy cameras, phones, computers, tools, and other toys that actually function as simplified versions of the real thing). Sometimes you may choose to get several gifts from one category—such as buying baby dolls, a doll crib, and a doll stroller—and that’s just fine. But if you aren’t intending to purchase a set like that, aim for a variety of gifts from different categories to diversify your child’s toys.
• Establish rules and traditions. Every year, our children get to open two gifts on Christmas Eve: a new book, and a new pair of holiday pajamas. I knew a family that always put a movie, candy, and a bag of microwave popcorn in everyone’s stockings. And I heard from a friend that they stick to the gift-giving rule of buying everyone “something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” There are lots of ways to streamline your shopping by establishing traditions and rules for what and how much to buy. I highly recommend doing that, as it alleviates some of the stress of figuring out what to get everyone. And traditions always add to the fun, in my opinion.

And now on to the gift recommendations! These are just suggestions, so if you’re not seeing any options that you think your kids will love, I suggest checking out the following brands: Melissa & Doug, Fat Brain Toys, Learning Resources, LEGO/Duplo, Chuckle and Roar, and Le Toy Van. They all make quality toys that are fun and adorable! You can’t really go wrong with their stuff. Below are some of my favorite toys for kids ages 0-3, 3-5, and 5-8.

Baby dolls – I love this doll cradle, highchair, and stroller if you’re looking for a complete set!| Radio Flyer Walker | Mickey Mouse Stacking Train – this brand makes a ton of Disney wooden block sets and I think they’re all great options. I also love this one | Baby Carrot Harvest | Shape Sorting Dump Truck | Picnic Basket | Shape Eggs | Busy Board | Wooden Activity Cube | Rainbow Stacking Arches | Pet Grasping Toys | Dyson Functional Toy Vacuum | Touch and Feel Puzzle | Whirly Squigz | Popup Toy

Car Ramp | Doctor Pretend Play Set | Paw Patrol Marshall’s Wooden Rescue | Letters & Numbers Pop It! – There are a bazillion versions of pop it toys, and any of them would be great. I like this one because it has letters and numbers on it, so you can use it for lots of educational activities | Squigz | Wooden Tea Set | Pattern Blocks | Train Set – another great option, if your kiddo isn’t ready to build train tracks, is this city rug. My son has this set and loves it! It’s a little bit easier for independent play for kids under 5 | Mosaic Drill Set | Mickey & Friends LEGO Fire Station – there are a bunch of LEGO sets aimed at kids 4+ and they are awesome (here’s another option), but if you’re not comfortable with LEGO’s yet because of the small pieces, try out Duplo instead. This one is a great option | Dinosaur Excavation Sensory Bin – Fat Brain Toys has a bunch of these sensory bins, including this cool ocean set | Robot Constructors | Magnetic Tiles – these are a magnetic tiles we have, and we love them. They are a cheaper, knock of Magnatiles. If you have the money, Magnatiles are the way to go. They are incredible quality and have stronger magnets. But if you want to save money, there are lots of less expensive versions that still work great | Family Counters – I bought these for homeschool, but Oliver loves them just as regular toys! They’re great for counting, color sorting, size discernment, and pretend play | Play Doh Kitchen Creations

Poly Pocket Camping Playset – I love mini playsets for kids this age! Poly Pocket has lots of options, but so do LEGO and Disney | Marble Run | Surprise Ride Subscription Box – These kits range from building and painting a volcano to sewing your own penguin. They’re great for developing STEM and art skills. You can buy the kits individually or get a yearly subscription | LEGO Classic Creative Brick Box | Kid’s Waterproof Camera | Arts & Crafts Supply Library | Bunny Play Set – These cat and dog options are adorable, too! | Magnetic Dot Art | Mercy Watson Box Set – This is a great age to start establishing a read-aloud routine. Mercy Watson is a great option, but so is The Chronicles of Narnia, or even the Harry Potter series (if your kid is a little older) | Li’l Woodez Toy House – this is such a great option for a dollhouse! It’s inexpensive and comes with all the accessories and characters. Li’l Woodez has tons of other cute options to look into as well | Stomp Rocket | Go Go Gears | Pop Beads Jewelry Making Art Kit | 3D Maze Ball – This is another great maze game option | Sneaky Snacky Squirrel – Learning Resources makes tons of great games for young kids. This one is another favorite of ours.