Stumped for holiday gifts for kids?
Brighten the season for little ones by checking out these gift ideas:
Unique experiences
One-of-a-kind experiences can expand a child’s worldview and help create lifelong memories. There are numerous ideas to consider that will appeal to a broad range of interests.
For a sports enthusiast, consider a one-on-one outing to a major or minor league game. Many teams host special theme nights for fans, so you might want to do a little research so you can dovetail your plans with an event geared toward kids.
For a budding musician, consider a gift certificate to a local music center that could be put toward the instrument of their choice or lessons with an instructor.
Finally, if your gift recipient loves exploring the natural world, gift them tickets to the zoo or aquarium, or take them on an outdoor adventure where you can hike the trails and spot real-world flora and fauna.
Notable toys
When it comes to selecting the best toys, you can take some of the guesswork out of the equation by referring to the Toy Foundation’s Toy of the Year Awards. Toys nominated for this distinction represent the best of the best and are beloved by kids and parents.
Nominated for the Infant/Toddler category this year is the VTech Level Up Gaming Chair. Boasting a swivel chair, joystick and pretend headphones, this preschool game station gives little gamers an opportunity to be just like big-kid gamers. With no Wi-Fi required, the interactive gaming tablet teaches letters, numbers, animals and music with gaming sound effects, and progresses with kids to teach words and meanings. The tablet even detaches from the tray to be taken on-the-go.
Nominated in the Plush toy category is the LeapFrog My Pal Scout Smarty Paws, a cute, cuddly and customizable friend. Little ones can touch his front paws, ears and back paw for silly reactions, music, lullabies, games and mindfulness exercises. You can even personalize the play and learning across more than 15 activities by programming Scout with your gift recipient’s name and their favorite food, color and animal. Scout introduces first words, counting, feelings and emotions, and even teaches kids how to spell their name.
A third TOTY finalist you’ll want to consider putting on your gift list is the LeapFrog Clean Sweep Learning Caddy, which shows kids that cleaning can be all fun and games with boogie-down dance breaks and silly directions like, “Hop while you mop! Now dance to the left and dance to the right.” The cute face on the bucket lights up and sings as kids pretend to clean, with a press of the pedal the mop spins, and as you pump out imaginary soap it makes funny squirting sounds. To shop these and other TOTY-nominated toys, visit amazon.com.
From tailored experiences to this year’s best toys, you can have all your gifts for kids covered and avoid some of the usual stress of the holiday shopping season.
