I try not to get my kids’ gifts too early because I’ll forget that I have them, it’s happened more than once. I also hate waiting until the last minute and stressing myself out. October seems to be my sweet spot. Pulling together my kids’ lists reminds me of all the great toys we’ve had and loved in the past. I’ve grouped together some of my favorites below!
If you want to see some of the toys in real life, check out my Amazon live, linked here!
Before you scope them out, I want to mention… Some of the BEST gifts we’ve given our kids are experiences, not things. Some examples of those experience gifts – a membership to the zoo, a membership to our local science museum, an iFly indoor skydiving trip, a trip to an amusement park, etc.
Some Favorite Small Shops
Gathre (rainbow arches and tent), KiwiCo (STEM kits and marble run board), Jaq Jaq Bird (toddler travel chalk book), Freshly Picked (swaddle, belt bag, magnetic/padded blocks), Lovevery (infant and toddler toys to help development)
We’ve gifted Kiwi Co and Lovevery subscriptions to our kids and absolutely loved them… The gift that keeps on giving!
For the rest of the gifts, we have personally owned or played with about 80% of the below and can totally vouch for them. The remainder are gifts that have been on our radar and have great reviews. My favorite gifts are ones that are easily stored, high quality, collections that you can add to, educational to some extent, and fun!
For the Builder
1. Tinkering Labs Robotics, 2. Fort Boards, 3. Magnetic Marble Run, 4. Hape Marble Run, 5. Brainspark Digit Blocks, 6. Brain Flakes, 7. STEM Robotics Kit, 8. Magnatiles, 9. Playstix
Things with Wheels
1. Scooter, 2. Brio Train Set, 3. Roller Skates/Blades, 4. Toy Stroller, 5. Fold Up Skater Aid, 6. Skateboard, 7. Remote Control Hot Wheels Car, 8. Hot Wheels ID Car, 9. Hot Wheels ID
Musical Gifts
1. Kid Keyboard with Mic, 2. Toniebox Audio Player, 3. Roll Up Drum Set, 4. Kidz Bop Karaoke, 5. Adult/Kid Karaoke Machine, 6. Picasso Tiles Roll Up Piano, 7. Electronic Drum Set, 8. Rock N Roll Up Piano
Active/Indoor Sports
1. Door Play Gym, 2. Pro Mini BBall Hoop, 3. Reactive Catch Trainer, 4. Bball Metal Hoop Decor, 5. Skip-It, 6. Pop N Catch, 7. Cordless Jump Rope, 8. Door Pong, 9. Ollyball, 10. Floating Soccer Ball, 11. Stair Slide
For the Artist
1. Instax Mini Camera and Magnetic Frames, 2. Cardboard Rocket, 3. Chunkies Paint Sticks, 4. Crayola Art Case, 5. Sparkle Gel Crayons, 6. Crayola Color Wonder Paint, 7. Diamond Painting, 8. Mad Matter, 9. 3D Pen, 10. Lite-Brite
Family Game Night
Blokus, Bop It, Headbanz, Beat the Parents, Sleeping Queens, Catch Phrase, Farkle, Zingo 1-2-3, Tic Tac Pong, What Do You Meme?
Outdoor Toys
1. Pickleball Set, 2. Glow Frisbee, 3. Nerf Blaster and Target, 4. Light Up Bocce Ball, 5. Inflatable Gymnastics Mat, 6. Pogo Trick Ball, 7. Walkie Talkies, 8. Nerf Tennis, 9. Stomp Rocket, 10. Zip Line
Educational
1. Connectrix Matching Game, 2. Mastermind Strategy Game, 3. Gravitrax Marble Run, 4. Wooden Sudoku Puzzle, 5. Magic Chemistry Set, 6. Magnetic Letter Board, 7. Fast-Paced Trivia Game, 8. Snap Circuits, 9. Osmo Coding
Electronics
1. Nintendo Switch, 2. Mario Kart Deluxe, 3. Gabb Smart Watch, 4. Preschool Learning Center, 5. Toy Smart Phone, 6. VTech Smart Watch, 7. STEM Kinderbot, 8. Osmo Math Wizard, 9. Leapfrog Leapstart, 10. Handheld Video Games, 11. Coding Robot Set, 12. Leapfrog LeapTop Touch
Play Pretend
1. Kid Tool Set, 2. Espresso Maker, 3. Doctor Outfit, 4. Playmobil, 5. Bakugan, 6. Beyblade, 7. Baking Set, 8. Heart Purse, 9. Power Ranger Costume, 10. Magnetic Tile People, 11. Diaper Bag Set
On-The-Go
1. Bakugan, 2. LEGO Make-Your-Own-Movie Kit, 3. LEGO Gadgets, 4. Magnetic Drawing Board, 5. Highlights Hidden Pictures, 6. Paint by Sticker, Color by Number, 7. Memory Cube, 8. Princess Puffy Sticker Activity Book, 9. Plus Plus, 10. Writing Tablet
Stocking Stuffers
1. Polar Express Bell, 2. Parachute Guys, 3. Nerf Football, 4. Math Dice, 5. Rocket Slingshots, 6.Sensory Fidget Toy, 7. Hasbro Gaming Simon Micro, 8. Mad Matter, 9. Pikachu Stuffed Animal, 10. Glow-in-the-dark Stretchy Strings, 11. Bubbles, 12. Cat’s Cradle
Toddler Gift Guide
1. Montessori Toys, 2. Musical Symphony, 3. Stackable Balance Beam, 4. Step 2 Roller Coaster, 5. No-Spill Bubbles, 6. Spinning Stacker, 7. Bluey Playset, 8. Sensory Pegboard, 9. Rainbow Stacker, 10. Climber, 11. Magna-Stiles Structures, 12. Light-Up Cubes
Teen Girl Gift Guide
Lip Glow Oil, Revlon Curling Hair Dryer, Cushionaire Boots, Laneige Lip Mask, Jade Roller and Gua Sha, Wireless Headphones, Lancome Perfume, Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, Stanley Tumbler, Sunglasses, Adidas Shoes, Cheetah Plush Blanket
Teen Boy Gift Guide
Spikeball Game, Adidas Hat, Men’s Baseball Glove, Waterproof Speaker, Yeti 30 oz Tumbler, Airtag Keychains, Fossil Watch, Pickleball Paddles, Wireless Headphones, Nike Socks
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