This year I’ve put together a list of gifts for little kids and toddlers that are sure to be a hit. I focused on items that encourage open-ended play, learning, and creativity. For more kid’s gifts ideas, check out my TOP TODDLER AND LITTLE KID GIFTS post from last year and more recently the HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR BABIES.
- LESSONS :: Horseback riding lessons, swimming lessons, dance classes, music lessons, art classes. These activities can be so much fun (and even life-enhancing) but the cost can add up for parents. Just be sure to check with the kid’s parents first, since it will be a time commitment on their part as well. If you live nearby, you could even offer to take the little one to and from the classes.
- SEASON PASSES :: A season pass to a local kid’s museum or science center is a great gift to give, especially around Christmas when there isn’t much to do in the wintery months. A season pass to a local zoo or aquarium is also a good idea, because somehow kids never get tired of seeing those same animals over and over again.
- WINTER GEAR :: If the gift recipient lives somewhere where it snows, winter gear like a snow suit, snow boots, hats, mittens, and sleds would be great gifts. Even a little snow shovel to help Mom and Dad shovel snow would be a cool gift.
- COLORING BOOKS :: Coloring books, fresh crayons, and stickers are always exciting for little ones.
- REUSABLE DOODLE BOOK :: Jaq Jaq Bird’s Mess Free Chalk Board Doodle & Drawing book is reusable and travel friendly. There are options for a coloring book style with outlines ready to be colored in for the younger set and these blank page Doodle Books for the older crew. They come with Butter Stix, a dust-free chalk, and are available in a bunch of cute covers.
- BOOKS :: Old reliable. Books are a great gift to give, because they don’t take up much space but can be invaluable tools to help nurture growing minds and imaginations.
- DUPLO BLOCKS :: My son is three years old and his favorite toy, besides his PJ Masks figurines of course, are the larger version of Legos: Lego Duplo. He plays with those blocks every day, stacking and building increasingly intricate buildings.
- HOT WHEELS THROWBACK STO & GO PLAYSET:: For my son’s third birthday he got this awesome Hot Wheels Car Garage that is basically like the Barbie Dream House of die-cast cars. There are ramps, levers, garage doors, lifty thingys….everything a little kid could want in a play setting. Thomas already has a growing collection of cars so this set pulled it all together. A bonus for parents is that it folds up compactly and has a handle for easy storage and travel!
- SOFT DOLLS :: These gorgeous Sweet Shirley Dolls from Anthropologie look like the more expensive Meri Meri dolls, but come in at an affordable $20. They are beautiful dolls that would be right at home at a tea party and are soft enough to sleep with too. For just a bit more money you can pick up a soft Mermaid doll too.
- MINI SUITCASES :: Speaking of Meri Meri, they have the sweetest mini suitcases I have ever seen. These gorgeous cases can be used to collect, store, and transport all sorts of little kid treasures like doll clothes, small toys, sun glasses, and bows.
- BACKPACKS :: Or is it ‘bookbags’? Whatever you call them, a small, child-sized backpack is a great non-toy gift that encourages a bit of independence with kids. They can choose what to pack and carry around their goods all by themselves. Skip Hop has some very cute animal backpacks and the iconic Fjallraven Kanken Mini has a more sophisticated look.
- WOODEN MAGNETIC DRAWING BOARD :: A step up from the old magna doodle, this high quality wooden drawing board is shaped like an elephant and includes four shape stamps held to the board by magnetic power. I love that the drawings show up in color and you can easily erase and start over.
- FIRST VOCABULARY STROLLER CARDS :: These vocabulary-expanding cards come in an ABC set, First Words set and also Spanish and French! I love that they are small and come on a ring because my son’s other set of ABC cards were hard to tote around and a good two-thirds of the deck has been lost along the way.
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