Christmas gift ideas for preschoolers

At parent-teacher conferences I had a few parents ask me for gift suggestions for the preschool age group.  So I've written this post to answer that question as best I can.  I tend to prefer to buy gifts for my children and for other children from online vendors.  There are several reasons for this.  First, the convenience.........I love to be able to "shop" in my PJs late at night and have the purchases delivered to my house.  Second, the online shopping world is so vast that I am able to find unique items that I just can't find at my local big box toystore or department store.  So today I'll share with you some of my favorites. 

  

This Hammering Shapes set from Montessori Services  is probably one of the most favorite activities on my shelves in the classroom.  It appeals to both girls and boys.  Montessori Services also has a  Farm Yard Hammering set that I secretly covet for my classroom.  It would be very popular, I'm sure.

  

Wedgits  are another very popular item that is always out on my shelves.  I would recommend purchasing the Design Cards to go with them.  When you click through to the Amazon link I've provided you will see a link for the Design Cards.  They don't come with the Starter Set.  This material will appeal not only to your preschooler, but also to children (and adults) of all ages.

 

This Hex Bolt Board is also from Montessori Services.  There are several different boards available to purchase from them.  

  

This set of Matroyshka Dolls is also available from Montessori Services and would make a lovely heirloom-quality gift for any young child.  Children this age love working with nesting dolls (boys and girls alike).

 

This Blue Number Counting Book (also from........Montessori Services....love that store!!) would be a perfect gift for your little ones who are just learning number concepts to 10.  Each page has a beautiful flocked velvet numeral for little fingers to trace accompanied by a picture with flocked objects to count.  Another perfect keepsake gift.

 

This Red Letter Alphabet Book from Montessori Services is similar to the number book.  A flocked velvet letter on each page with accompanying pictures of things containing that letter's sound.  

 

To promote creativity with little mess, I HIGHLY recommend getting a set of these Do-A-Dot paint markers.  We have used them for many projects in the classroom and they are so fun and versatile.  A must have for your budding artist.

  

Another must-have for your preschool artist (in my opinion) are these Crayon Rocks from Let's Explore.  They come ready for giving in a little velvet drawstring bag.  These are so perfect for helping very young children use a tripod grasp.  And they are just plain fun to draw with.

  Photo courtesy of Magic Cabin

Another great art supply investment are these Lyra Chubby Colored Pencils.  These are an absolute dream to work with.  I hand-colored some work for the classroom a few weeks ago and used the ones I have at home.  I had never used them before and did not realize (until then) that there could be such a difference in colored pencils.  It's kind of like buying generic peanut butter instead of JIF.  It's just not the same.  Well.......I am here to tell you that these pencils are a great investment.  They will last a LONG time, are sized perfectly for little hands, and are so smooth and creamy.  A great gift idea.  

  Photo courtesy of Magic Cabin

This Wooden Stencils Kit would be a super gift paired with the colored pencils.  Stencils are wonderful for developing beginning writing skills and your preschooler is sure to love having them available to use for drawing and card-making.  

You can tell from all the previous suggestions that I love Montessori Services.  I also really love the variety of items available from Amy at Let's Explore.  In fact, my two little artists are getting art totes for Christmas.  I purchased them from Amy this summer (but it looks like she doesn't have them any more).  I am planning to fill them with lots of artsy goodies including new markers, glue sticks, tape, mini-staplers, and maybe some Stockmar Modelling Beeswax .  My nieces (who attended Waldorf schools) used this modelling wax both at school and at home to create such neat things.  So..........I think that's on Santa's list for us this year.  We'll see.

Photo courtesy of A Toy Garden

Also for the little guys on MY gift list, I am really thinking about investing in some more instruments for our collection.  We have a few egg shakers and a drum, but not much else in the way of instruments.  I am really loving the set pictured above from A Toy Garden.  I am thinking about purchasing some instruments (probably the ones pictured here) and putting them in a vintage suitcase I have along with some other ones we have and maybe some ethnic costumes from Creative Diversity. Then my boys could jam in style.    

  Photo courtesy of Amazon

Here is a great CD that we own and that I love with a variety of ethnic music on it.  I am particularly fond of the song "Bongo Bong" (don't read anything into that, OK??).  In fact, I am thinking that it is time to invest in a larger drum (for me as much as the kids) such as this one from Montessori Services so I can more effectively jam to this particular tune.

   Photo courtesy of Amazon

Every household with young children should have a good set of wooden blocks.  I personally own the set pictured here.  At this time it is at school and the children play with it EVERY day.  It is a really great set.  You can also buy it in natural finish, I think. 

 

Animal figures go great with a set of blocks (or without!).  Over the years we have invested in a variety of animal figures for the boys and they have been played with endlessly.  As you can see from the photo I keep them in a canvas bin for easy access.  A great source for purchasing high-quality figures such as those made in Germany by Schleich is Ouray Toys.  They sell many great things on their website, and you can pretty much find any animal figure you are looking for no matter how uncommon it may be.  It is really easy to navigate their site to find the specific animal you want and they can all be purchased individually.  I have ordered from them several times and their customer service is excellent. 

    Photo courtesy of For Small Hands

Bead stringing is another very popular activity in my classroom and is chosen regularly by boys and girls.  Pictured above is the Animal Necklace Threading set from For Small Hands.  This company is a sister company of Montessori Services.

  Photo courtesy of Montessori Services

I have had my eye on this activity ever since I first saw it in the Montessori Services catalog.  You use a plastic pen to punch the laces into the holes to create a design.  Then the lace can be removed to do the whole thing all over again.  It is called Filo Design with Laces.  I am totally wanting it for my classroom.  I actually saw it at Target this past week but didn't buy it.  I'm trying not to buy everything I want for the classroom since I am not made of money (haha).  However, I think it would be a really great and unique gift.

  Photo courtesy of For Small Hands

I have also had my eye on this marble run for a while.  It is not something I could afford to just go out and purchase for my classroom, but I am VERY sure it would be a great investment if I did have the funds for it.  This would be a great gift that could be passed down from generation to generation.  I love the open-endedness of it and the great spatial thinking that it requires.  It is called Quadrilla and is available in many configurations.  The Basic Set is pictured here.

  Photo courtesy of Magic Cabin

Something else I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE is this Butterfly Lacing Set from Magic Cabin.  I have never seen anything like this and I just love it.  (Can you tell how much I love it???)  There are a bunch of wooden butterfly wing pieces that can be sewn onto the flower and butterfly body.  How totally cool is that??  And what an amazing gift this would be.  Truly outstanding.  Love it!!

   Photo courtesy of Magic Cabin

I also really LOVE (sorry.........I need a thesaurus, obviously) this set of Nesting Rainbows.  It is just so happy looking and visually appealing.  And, once again, would be a beautiful heirloom-quality gift to give a special little person.

  Photo courtesy of Magic Cabin

This set of six Big Punch Balls from Magic Cabin would make great stocking stuffers.  I can kind of vaguely remember having one of these as a child.  They are really fun.  My youngest guy in particular is a balloon fanatic and would go ape over these.  I may just have to head over to Magic Cabin and order a set after I write this post!

Well, I'm going to end this post now.  It's taken me several hours to write (in bits and pieces of course.......I never have several uninterrupted hours to write!!) with all the links.  I'm pretty happy with the list I've compiled.  You may notice that nothing on this list requires batteries.  There is nothing in my classroom that uses batteries either (except our CD player).  I am not necessarily against electronic toys.  There are certainly great ones out there and my own children have many variations of them (mostly purchased for them by other people).  However, I have observed that young children in particular tend to play with those types of toys a few times and then they don't go back to them.  The initial attraction is gone after you've tried all the buttons.  The toys listed here are classic and timeless.  They are open-ended and invite exploration and discovery.  They are toys that children will likely return to again and again.  In my humble opinion, they are a good investment of your gift-giving dollars.  I would love to hear from all of you about your favorite toys to give young children.  I'm sure there are many, many more than those I've highlighted here.  So.......drop me a line and a link.  Maybe I'll try to do a follow-up post that includes your suggestions.  In the meantime.........happy gifting!

 

  

  

  

  

 

  

 

     

 

     

Comments

[Christmas Gift Ideas for Toddlers]

Very good ideas, I have to agree. It is very difficult to find a site like yours whereby all the gifts suggested are from the heart rather money making point of view.

[onno david]

Great post! This blog is so helpful. I have been looking for ideas. I have so many nieces aside from my own kids. I think this will be great for my kids.

[Rachael]

This is fantastic! Thank you so much. I have been looking for ideas. I have so many nieces and nephews aside from my own kids. I love shopping online. One thing I found that I love is a bilingual book. "Tim and Kim" by Kay Linda Nord. I love it. It has both English and Spanish on the same page, so the kids can follow along and see the difference. I found it on amazon, but just found the author's site here;http://kaylindanord.com/

I love the A Toy Garden. Thanks again! I am so excited. But, I always get excited to shop:) he he

[Lara]

This is fah-bulous! Thanks for the tips I've been wondering about Christmas and this gets me started. yay! Thanks again.

[Amy @ Let's Explore]

Thanks for including my shop in this great list of toys! I love the Filo Design with Laces - I saw it at Target too and almost bought it. I think my girls would love the hammering shapes set too! :)

[Tina]

For anyone interested in the Quadrilla marble run. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it much earlier than five. My DS got it when he was almost 5.5yo, and he can make his own runs now at 6yo, but still needs some help. The 4yo can only make simple ones with one or two lengths/turns. So, I'd consider it too big of an investment for purchasing until they would use it more fully, like at age 5/6. Just my two cents! They are quite nice, made by Hape in China, but in their own factory, not outsourced. I almost bought the Haba one. Those are great too, and have so many add-on pieces that add interesting levels of fun.

[Amber]

Okay, so we already have: a farm yard hammering set, a gorgeous set of Middle Eastern nesting dolls (my bestie lives in Dubai & brought it home for Lovely), Lyra pencils (though I am super excited about getting the metallic ones), some Schleich animals (a bath favourite as anther person noted), blocks of course, & I have bought instruments as the main christmas presents for my boys! A gorgeous set of natural wood shakers, a bamboo shaker & two beautiful tibetan brass bells.

Aside from these things... I WANT EVERYTHING ELSE ON YOUR LIST! Thanks so much for taking the time to make it. It's so cool. If only postage wasn't such a big deal to Australia or I'd be addicted to Montessori Services! I've been looking at the World Playground Cd for a while (we have another in the series - American folksongs I think that Lovely has as his "sleeping music" in the car :) & I'm beside myself about the nesting rainbow. One of the lovely baby stores nearby has them & I would love it... I keep wondering if it would be for me or my boys! I had seen something similar to the Quadrilla but having read this I might now suggest it to my dad for the boys. Wedgits look really good & I like the tip about the book.

Wow. Sorry my "comment" is so long. Just loving what you're doing here :)

p.s I bought a Lyra watercolour paint set for Hug for his birthday & it is so beautiful & so reasonably priced. The colours are far more vivd that any other set we've had & I hope to buy one for Lovely too.

[Miriam]

Wonderful post! I've been drooling over a lot of those Montessori Services items for a long time, too.

Also, thanks for the link to Ouray Toys. I hadn't been there before but am getting a set together where I need a lot of little animals so it is perfect!

[Jenny]

Great Post!
Another great kid- friendly activity your readers would enjoy is to grow a TickleMe Plant from seeds and then watching the plant MOVE when Tickled! As a first grade teacher I no longer plant Lima beans, as the growing of this interactive plant, proved to be much more exciting and educational for my student's.
I found my supplies for a classroom kit at http://www.ticklemeplant.com but they also sell individual greenhouses and even party favors, with everything you need to grow your own TickleMe Plant from seeds. I assure you your kids will be more excited about gardening, and its just fun to watch the expressions of the faces of children (and even adults) when they see the plant close its leaves and droop when tickled,

[Melissa]

Great post! O has the rainbow tunnel blocks (she got them last Christmas), and they are one of her most played with toys. We all love them. I've already starting thinking about next year's Christmas when O is 3.5, and I definitely think the filo lacing set and the hammering patterns will be on her list. I think she's a little too young for them this year, but they are both so cool. We have several sets of nesting dolls from visiting my dad in Ukraine years ago, and O LOVES to play with them daily. This week we are at Disneyworld, and I have been on the look out for musical instruments for souvenirs (that I'll put in her stocking). So far I've gotten a thumb drum, a shaker (like the one you have pictured), and another shaker/rattle. I also bought an art tote and crayon rocks from Let's Explore, but I'm saving them for O's 3rd birthday in July.
I LOVE the butterfly lacing cards. I hadn't seen them before, so thanks for posting about them :) The marble run is also very cool, but it's a little pricey. I've been looking at the marble runaround at hearthsong.com, and I think my dad may get it for O for Christmas. It's much less expensive and hopefully just as fun and well-made :)
Thanks again for this great post!

[Tina]

This is so funny. Like a previous poster said, we already have a ton of these toys at home, or we have them at school so I don't want to buy them for home, or they are on my "want" or "I've considered getting that" list. I, too, am fond of Montessori Services and For Small Hands.

I am giving my boys art boxes for Christmas as well (the ones from Amy at Let's Explore). I also did art boxes for the cousins, but I bought the little wooden ones from Magic Cabin (free trade, handmade). Another fun store to buy art supplies is Stubby Pencil Studios. They sell all eco-friendly products. I just gave J's M teachers the holiday Smencils, and they loved them. I could see the wheels turning as to how to incorporate them into the children's work. They are graphite pencils (they also sell colored ones) and the smells are amazing. Made from 100% recycled newspapers.

We have the Twist & Rail Quadrilla marble run, and it is very awesome. My 6yo can make some pretty complicated runs by himself now (with the suggestion book), and my 4yo enjoys making up runs on his own. Different personalities! That is definitely an awesome "big" present idea.

We love Putomayo music too! We have the World Playground CD and love it. I want to get another one for Christmas but am having a hard time picking only one.

We also have a ton of Schleich animals and love them. A good place for them is Ridge Road Station, price-wise. Another good part of them is that they are solid, and make wonderful bath toys because no water gets inside, which is why I hate bath toys in general because they get all icky and mildew-y. We have a bunch of the sea creatures ones that are for the bath, like sharks, whales, stingray, etc.

Okay, just one more comment about the Matroyska nesting dolls. You can buy blanks, and then hand-paint them yourself as your family. Wouldn't that be so much fun?! I bet you could find someone on Etsy to make them for you too. That is on my crafty-think-about list for someday.

[Mozi Esme's Mommy]

Thanks for this wonderful list! I'll be on the lookout for some of these...

[Julie]

Great list! Thank you for taking time to connect the links. I also compiled a battery-free list:

http://funmajors.blogspot.com/2008/11/classic-boy-toys-ages-2-4.html

[amy]

these are awesome and amazing picks. May i use this for blognosh.com? please? email me! xo

[Amy]

thank you so much for the suggestions! I am trying to find educational, fun and quality gifts for my two little ones-awesome ideas!

[amber]

Great suggestions Miss Laura! I just might have to look into a few of those!

[RM]

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! WE ARE SO ALIKE IN OUR SHOPPING, HALF OF THAT STUFF I WANTED ALREADY AND THE OTHER HALF THAT IS NEW TO ME I WANT NOW!! Oh and some I already have! Great ideas! Sadly we have had a few problems with the house and Egg has had to lose a lot of his toys and I am worried to buy new ones as I know the same will happen so I am not sure what we are going to do this year, but oddly I just checked out his christmas present (I was cleaning out a chaotic cupboard, then decided to try out the present) a karaoke machine with a camera! IT IS AMAZING. Egg loves to sing, dance and perform and he loves being filmed. This present rocks!!!! Oh I bought him an adult karaoke machine, not one "for kids" all the ones for kids I found need batteries what a dangerous waste of money.