Looking for children’s gifts that will be used for years? Look no further!!
Here are 6 of the best gifts for children this holiday season.
Not all toys are created equal. There are those that are only enjoyed for a single sitting or a week, and then there are THE GEMS. The ones that last year after year and then morph into a toy with a new purpose as your kids age.
1) Ball Popper: I love this toy! Babies love putting the balls in and letting them fly. As kids get older, this toy can be laid on its side to shoot balls outwards during battles in the living room. So. Much. Fun. Only negative is retrieving the balls when they get lost under the sofa.
2) THE Dr Kit! How do we use it?? OH!! Let me count the ways! For babies, the different parts are great mouthing toys; for toddlers it helps to play-act scary (shot ridden) doctor appointments with Mommy playing the patient (how many times has your kid given you a shot?!?). Preschoolers and school-age kids can check up on stuffed animals when they get sick, and transform their room into a pretend doctor’s office. This is a STAPLE of any home with a kid, so it makes a great baby gift!
3) Felt Boards: I know this looks old and boring in this age of computers –– BUT — I discovered that felt boards are great for playing on the floor with babies and toddlers to increase vocabulary and speech. The toy is soft with no rough corners – you just need to keep an eye on the smaller pieces for choking hazards. As my daughter grew older, she put together her own scenes and told me the stories. There’s just something appealing about all those felt colorful cutouts – even other kids who visited for playdates loved them. An added plus – it’s a QUIET toy. Need I say more??
4) Leapfrog’s My Own Leaptop: I know that there are great apps for children to use on our phones and iPads, and there are certainly more advanced toys on the market these days, but this particular laptop has many, many uses. First, it was great for the songs. Push a button and voila, “Wheels on the Bus” plays over and over again. Sure, this makes you plug your ears, but it makes toddlers giddy. Then as my children got a little older, they used it to recognize letters and sounds, and later to identify beginning letters of small words. Worth the investment – and it makes a great toy for car rides!
5) Elefun is a great invention. What kid wouldn’t love an elephant that shoots out butterflies that you can run around and catch? You can use it as shown. But there are SO MANY OTHER ways. Hit the air button (without the nose piece on top) and let the butterflies fly at once all over the room. Stick you head over it so it blows your hair up high. Get this toy – it’s perfect for our hot indoor summers.
6) Cash Register: This is our cash register. It may not fully work as it did a few years ago (it has been dropped a bunch) but it is STILL used today. There is just something about kids and their love of shopping. Let’s just ignore that this may be driven by our consumer-driven economy, and instead believe that kids really just love counting numbers and talking with “customers.” Whatever the reason, a cash register toy stands the test of time and will be used for years to come.
