Every year the newest and greatest toys are shoved in our faces for the holidays, and to be honest, most of them end up obsolete within a few months. We have now also started opting to include more experience gifts in place of some of our tangible gifts as well. But for the tangible gifts, here are some of the tried and true gifts that have been loved by kids for many years:
- Magnetiles — We have so many sets of Magnetiles. We have the marble run set as well as the car track set. We started our Magnetile collection when our oldest was about two years old… and at age 9 (our other kids are 5 and 1), all three of them still play with them, just in different ways!
- Scooters — Scooters get used on the daily! We really love the Micro brand. They have the Micro Mini for younger kids and the Micro Maxi for older kids. A good scooter is definitely worth the investment. Trust me, we’ve had low-quality scooters in the past and they don’t work well and break quickly.
- Money — Money feels so impersonal, but for older kids, they love this. My 9-year-old loves getting money because he is always saving up for something big like a cool camp, skateboard ramp, etc.
- HABA Toys
- Pikler Triangle — This is a great toy for a first birthday and will get used for YEARS to come. It can be set up in all different ways and will grow with a kid.
- Curved Wood — This is such a simple, open-ended toy that is used by my 1, 5, and 9-year-old. The one-year-old will crawl on it.
- Giant “Jenga” — Sometimes we play this as “Jenga,” but most often these are used as building blocks to create a huge variety of structures! These have been well-loved for at least the last four to five years.
To view all of these links together on our Amazon Storefront, click here!
Some of our favorite experience gifts that have been a big hit are…
- Family bowling day at an upscale (or not!) bowling alley
- Tea at the Hello Kitty Cafe (or tea somewhere else near where you live!)
- Racing day at K1 Speed (or some other go-kart type place)
- Tickets to Legoland or a local amusement park
- Annual passes to a zoo, amusement park, aquarium, etc.
- Tickets to a movie, show, concert, musical, etc.
- Indoor rock climbing
- Escape rooms
- Art/Pottery/Ceramic painting classes
- Ice skating/Roller skating
- Passes to a trampoline park
Kids often forget what they were given for Christmas, but they will always store the memories, the smells, the love, and laughter… even if they don’t consciously remember certain aspects of the holidays. As the old cliché goes, they want your presence more than presents… so choose fewer, intentional items, and give them your love and the holidays will be a success.
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