There’s something about the holidays with kids that adds a little extra sparkle to the celebrations. Their joy and enthusiasm are just so fun, and seeing their excitement over a new toy is hard to beat. But straddling the line with toys that a kid will enjoy and a parent will appreciate is tough! That’s why I’ve compiled a list of the best gift ideas for kids. It may feel good to get everything on their wishlist, but I’ve found that gift-giving is just as special with a couple of thoughtfully chosen gifts.
My husband and I are still new to the kid game, but our intention is to focus on quality, thoughtfully made toys—the kind that encourages open-ended play. We are also choosy when it comes to plastic, loud, and flashy toys that will find their way to the bottom of the toy basket in just a month or two. A friend of mine has four kids, and every year before the holiday season they do a toy overhaul. They clear out and donate anything that is no longer being used to a local women’s shelter and hospitals. As an aspiring minimalist, I love that it not only makes room for the new goodies (and keeps your playroom from being overrun with stuff) but it also teaches your kids how to edit and pare down, and most importantly, valuable lessons on giving.
So, in that vein, we’ve broken down the best gift ideas for kids into age groups. Baby (up to two years old), little kid (three to five years old), and bigger kid (six to ten years old). But of course, feel free to mix and match according to your child’s interests! There’s a little something for everyone.
Scroll on for the best gift ideas for kids, it might just be the inspiration you were looking for!
BABY (0-2 years)
My little guy has this balance bike and loves it! It’s cute, comes in six colors, and is super affordable! Try this one if your little one is three to five years old.
These play kits can almost single-handedly replace all other toys. They offer a monthly subscription with each box age and stage-matched towards a specific age, from 0-36 months. They’re simple, yet purposeful and perfectly engage your little one. You can rest assured knowing that each box is full of nontoxic, organic toys that foster your baby’s brain development and are fun!
We love the versatility of this baby walker, doubling as a block trolley, filled with blocks of different shapes and sizes—guaranteed for hours of fun, building, and knocking them over! Plus, it’s the perfect walker to help your little one take their first steps.
This set of eight stackable cups with distinctive and fun holes on the bottom for water play is a favorite at our house. They’re great for boosting the brain and stacking skills and are so much fun outside in the dirt and in the bath.
Raduga Grez Pastel Natural Stacking Tower
A new take on a classic toy, the Raduga Grez Earth Stacking Tower features eight circles in beautiful earth tones painted with non-toxic water-based paints. Great for developing hand-eye coordination, teaching kids color names, and introducing numeracy skills, it also looks stylish with any nursery room décor—another one of my little guy’s favorites.
If you want to keep it simple, you can’t beat these gift sets. A perfect gift for a baby’s first holiday, this set includes everything you need for some serious bathtime fun.
Wonder & Wise by Asweets Dinosaur Rocker
Throw it back to the Jurassic with the insanely cute dino rocker. It is made with soft fabric and a durable wooden frame, you can perch your little cutie atop this guy’s back for a fun adventure!
Nanchen Natur Star Baby and Musical Bed Set
This sweet star baby has a hand-painted face, a soft body stuffed with pure organic wool, and a darling star cap. The doll can be played with independently or nestled into its fleece star bed, which plays a soothing lullaby when the attached string is pulled.
LITTLE KID (3-5 YRS)
Pottery with a Purpose Air Dry Clay Kit
This subscription plan features curated DIY air dry clay kits. You’ll start out with our original Beginner Pottery Kit to learn the basics and then receive the newest featured kit every three months. How sweet is that?
Inspire your child’s musical creativity! A great introduction to stringed instruments, the Banjolele combines the foot-stomping fun of the banjo with the ease of the ukulele. Sustainably crafted from renewable rubberwood and organic pigments, the three strings make this instrument a bit less complex for young learners. Add these cute little hand drums for some family fun—plus, kids love to bang on things.
Magna-Tiles Magnetic Building Tiles 32 Piece
Okay, these are both plastic and not made up of a minimalist desert color palette, haha, but kids are obsessed with these magnetic tiles. They even magically seem to engage kids as young as one up to eight-year-olds. They’re colorful, easy to use and encourage kids to use their imagination.
This timeless doctor’s kit is made of wood (instead of plastic), and will provide your little one with hours of imaginative play!
Norman & Jules All Of Us Crayons
With traditional crayon packs seriously lacking when it comes to skincare, Norman and Jules step in with this amazing set. Made of just beeswax, carnauba wax, and natural pigments these crayons are inclusive and safe in case they find their way into your little one’s mouth.
These dolls are handmade, made from cotton, and completely posable. We love the sweet outfits and the variety of skin tones these sweet dolls come in. Add this cute little baby doll feeding set for the perfect gift.
This fishing game includes a variety of wooden, magnetized fish in the prettiest color palette that your child will “catch” with their fishing rod, teaching your little one about shapes and developing their concentration and fine motor skills.
This children’s low beam and wooden balance board are designed to encourage physical activity and develop balance control. They’ll provide a full-body exercise as your tot walks, rocks, climbs, stretches, dances, and tiptoes across and are fun for even older kids too.
This is not your everyday Bluetooth speaker. Your kids can enjoy music, podcasts, personalized messages, and so much more without staring at a screen.
These retro-style bingo cards can occupy up to 10 kids at a time, what could be better than that? Best of all, it’s fun regardless of age, making it the perfect post-dinner family game.
BIGGER KID (6-10 YRS)
For the holidays you can gift single kits or a recurring subscription to Ripple Reads which includes: a picture book, sticker sheets, postcards, and a workbook with a family discussion guide and other activities to help you have meaningful conversations with elementary age kids about race, justice, and empathy in a way that is not only approachable and honest but also FUN!
Everything Ripple Reads produces is crafted in partnership with leading experts and university professors in the field of race, teaching, and curriculum.
Perfect for the gadget-loving kid, this 3-D printer designed specifically for children works with the touch of a button—you simply pair it to an app, feed it “printer food” (made from all nontoxic materials), and choose your desired toy shape from the app’s library of about 500 of them. And once printed, you get to actually play with that dinosaur or race car or mini-planter you watched come into existence!
Net Playz Easy Fold-Up Portable Training Soccer Goal
Whether or not your kid is already a soccer lover, these pop-up goals will provide hours of outdoor fun. As a bonus, they’re uber easy to set up and take down.
Net Playz Easy Fold-Up Portable Training Soccer Goal, $30.49
I love gifts that get kids creating and this easel boasts dry-erase and chalkboard surfaces, useful trays for storing chalk, crayon, markers, and other art supplies. Add these nontoxic paint pods and easel paper to round out your little one’s art studio.
Ikea x Lego 201 Piece Brick Set + Storage Boxes
We’re obsessed with these LEGO storage boxes. They’re visually clean and minimal and offer fun building surfaces on top of each box that your child can build or display their creations on.
This timeless game encourages matching, strategy, planning, and good sportsmanship. It’s also fun for the whole family and a great way to spend time chatting and connecting.
Tiny Planetarium: See the Stars!
Yes, it’s plastic, but it’s low profile and brings the wonder of the night sky to your kid’s bedroom. It includes a projector, a disk that includes 12 Hellenistic constellations, and an illustrated mini-book about the mythology and lore behind each constellation. Perfect for your budding stargazer.
