One of my favorite gift ideas has always been experiences for my kiddos. However, I know that has been more difficult with the pandemic so I pulled together some other ideas for Christmas. I left out some of the obvious items such as Legos and Barbies.
WATCH
Our boys are at that age where they ride around the neighborhood on their bikes. They often run into friends and want to stay and play. While we don’t mind, we also don’t like not knowing where they are all the time. Therefore we are looking into the Gizmo and Gabb Watch. The Pro is that we can keep track of where they are but the con is you have to pay a monthly fee. The watches are around $100 and the monthly fee around $10. We feel it is worth it for peace of mind. They can send and receive calls and texts. I think this is an item that you should plan on ordering sooner rather than later!
Click here for Gabb Watch
Click here for the Gizmo Watch
Another option we will look into when they are older is the Gabb phone. It has no internet or social media so it is a great starter fun option.
BOARD GAMES
We get a few of these each year to play as a family. We recently received Scrabble Junior as a birthday gift and it is great. My 7 year-old loves it. Another family favorite is the game of Life!
Here are some other suggestions:
OUTDOOR FUN
The more time my boys spend outside, the better! Bikes, scooters, and hoverboards make great gifts. There are a ton of bike options out there. My kids are still growing so I don’t like to spend too much but still want them to hold up. We have had good luck with Mongoose. Here are some options.
Bike Links and other outdoor toys….and more
Don’t forget some outdoor games:
MARBLE MAZE
I might love these as much as the kids. They now have so many different options!
There are some for younger kids that even have fun sounds. Now they have come out with some that look a little more difficult for older kids. The great thing is that they are compatible and can be joined together.
GAMES
Even though we prefer our kids to be outside, we do allow them video game time. We all know about the Playstation and XBox but now they have a VR Headset that is pretty cool. I got it for my husband a couple years ago for Christmas and everyone fights over playing it. I have to admit the graphics are pretty darn cool!
Another big gift item we recommend is an arcade basketball game. We got a Pop-a-Shot that has held up great. We keep it in our loft area and it fits perfect. There are many different options out there.
Other ideas are a multi-game table, ping-ping, air hockey, darts and foosball! There are a lot on sale now for Black Friday.
STEM TOYS
There are a lot of different STEM products out there and we are going to try some this year. The nice thing is that they have toys for a wide range of ages. There are some good options for older kids such as a video game maker.
CAMERAS
I am still trying to wrap my arms around the fact that the polaroid camera is back….well sort of! It is a little different but the same idea! That seems like such a fun gift. Last year our boys received the water-proof kid cameras that are similar to a go-pro. They love to take them on vacation and go down water slides and play in the pool with them.
Lots of variations for different ages!
FORTS
I love Forts because the kids get to use their imagination! We have the tile style and I enjoy them trying to build castles and cabins with secret passages. Then it is real easy to clean them up and tuck away in a closet.
SUSCRIPTION BOXES
I am sure many of you have already heard of Kiwi, which has a great variety of boxes for different ages.
There are also ones specific to art, cooking and even coding!
CLOTHES
This is just boring so I won’t waste your time on this topic but I will say I try to put a twist on it and get things that they have been asking for or clothing that I normally wouldn’t purchase. For example, my little guy has been asking for Baby Yoda slippers and a robe. My oldest wants Rock-n-Roll shirts. I suggest thinking outside the bix and get creative to make it fun for them…while secretly getting them some things they might need (just don’t tell them)!
RANDOM
Here are some other miscellaneous items that we received in the past or plan on purchasing this year.
My boys received Kinetic sand in the past and loved it. The benefit for me is that it cleans up much easier than playdoh! Plus there are a bunch of deals right now.
Magic and prank sets are always a big hit with my boys.
I am thinking about one of these Table-top pinball games
Hope this helped and at least gave you an idea or two for Christmas gift giving.
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