The best gifts that your kids will love for years!
Gift guides are a dime a dozen and they're usually filled with age-specific toys that your kids might only enjoy for a little while. This one is different! It's full of toys and materials your kids will LOVE for years. They'll grow with your family and you won't regret investing in them - financially or space wise. Trust me - they stand the test of time.
Everything on this guide has been tried and tested by my own family over the past nearly 8 years. I hope you'll find something you love here!
*Please note that many of the links in this guide are affiliate links which means I make a small (very small) commission if you shop through them. It's a great way to support my work at no extra cost to you! Thanks so much!
Open Ended Toys
Unit Blocks!
Unit Blocks are my top block play recommendation! Not only will your kids play with blocks for years and years, but they are an heirloom toy. You'll be able to pass them down for generations! Blocks are a perfect learning through play tool. They facilitate deep imaginative play as well as intrinsic STEM learning. They can be roads, buildings, cities, zoos, restaurants... I've even had my kids build drink machines or phones out of blocks. DO IT.
Read my Unit Block buying guide if you want lots of guidance in buying a great set! Here I'll link the set we started out with - the Small School Set from Constructive Playthings. You can use my code - EVERYDAY23 to save 15% on non-sale items over there. Or consider a set from Guidecraft and use my code SAMI10 over there to save 10% on almost everything!
If you already have and love blocks check out this gift guide I wrote specifically for kids who love block play. It's full of great block play accessories and add on sets!
Legos
You might assume I'm not a lego fan because I'm all in on blocks but legos are great. I recommend starting off with an open ended classic set and getting into the more complicated builds later on. While I will always pick blocks over legos I cannot deny the hold these tiny plastic bricks have on my children nor the amazingly creative things they do with them. You can't go wrong with legos. They are also an heirloom toy IMO - most of my kids' collection once belonged to their dad or older cousins.
For older kids (6+) I highly recommend the lego train sets. They are motorized and my kids have come up with amazingly cool ways to use the motors both as trains and in other creations.
Notch Blocks
Large scale block play is SO COOL. These notch blocks can be used both indoor and out for kids to build kid-size block builds that stand up to play thanks to being notched together. I think these are a fantastic big-ticket gift for siblings!
Stapelstein Elements
Beautiful, versatile, open ended play. My children were instantly drawn to these when we got them and over 18 months in they still get used in some way every single day. They're stepping stones, wobbly stools, bowls, wheels... they can be stacked or rolled or spun around... so many possibilities. Stapelstein makes mini elements and huge grow elements too, but we love the originals the best. If you're shopping holiday 2024 there's a cool deal going on where you get a free winter element if you buy a rainbow stack!
Play Silks!
Sarah's Silks are the best! They get used every day and they can be anything! A cape, a scarf, a skirt. Silks become landscapes when we add them to our block play, they can be the roof of a big fort. The potential for play is endless! You won't regret adding silks to your open ended play and they make fantastic stocking stuffers!
Gems
Loose parts are so fun but these are the best. Our very favorite. We cannot get enough of them. Use them as loose parts for counting and play, pretend they're play food, use them in sensory play, they're so fun in water and for potion play! Sort them, organize them, just gaze at them adoringly! They are a 10. These perfect gems are not always available but go check out The Stemsory Experience shop on Etsy and see if you can grab some! Patrice is a resin queen and you won't regret starting your gem collection asap.
Little Bricks
These are so fun. They're a soft silicone coated texture but they're HEAVY! Like real bricks! Highly recommend, especially for kids who love construction play!
Figgy Play Couch
Do you need a play couch? no. But if you're going to get one get the Figgy. It's so superior I can't say it enough. The velcro connectors are a TOTAL game changer. Before we got our figgy we had a nugget and I wasn't a fan. It was the kind of thing where I always felt like 1 wasn't enough to do anything cool With the figgy one is enough AND it's so fun I wasn't mad when my kids wanted more pieces.
Family Games & Puzzles
We love games and even more, my husband and I love finding games that we all actually enjoy playing. Some of these started out as team games where we helped the kids build an understanding of the rules by by the time J was 4ish we were all able to play on our own together.
Favorite Family Games!
Outfoxed - a collaborative game sort of like Clue! So fun!
Uno - A CLASSIC! And it's a classic for a reason. If you haven't tried playing with your kids yet do it.
Sleeping Queens - This game is meant for older kids (8+ i think) so at first we played in teams. Once E was comfortable with the rules he started playing independently. Not long after, even 4 year old J was able to keep up with us! This is probably our family's favorite game to play together.
Guess Who? - another classic for a reason. SO fun to play in teams or to have tournaments. A great opportunity for kids to learn about process of elimination and fun for grown ups too!
Puzzles!
Our favorite puzzles for family play are from Paper Pie. They are really well made - the pieces go together easily and they're very satisfying. I also think it's pretty cool that they come with books! We love doing 100-300 piece puzzles as a family. Have you tried family puzzle time? It's pretty great.
Sensory Play
Sensory play toys are a great investment. There's so much to learn from play here! Here are some of our favorite sensory play toys.
Play Dough Subscription
This dough subscription from Chickadees Wooden Toys has been J's favorite thing. Every month he gets a new dough trio PLUS a set of play dough activity mats! It's been such an awesome way to make sure play dough is always an option in our home! (Use this link to get $9 off your first month and $4 off going forward!)
Dough Roller
This Kiwi Co dough roller is so fun. We've had ours for over 2 years and it still gets so much play! My kids think it's the coolest - it encourages dramatic play, fine motor play and sensory exploration!
Wooden Peg Board & Pegs
After wanting this peg board for ages we finally got it this year and it was so worth the wait. It's so fun and open ended. My favorite aspect is that it's thick, so can use it right on the table (without any sensory table bins!) We have the small board but the large one is dreamy too! Grab all kinds of pegs for open ended play or use golf tees! There's so much to do with this sweet board. I have tons of ideas on my instagram!
Art & Craft Supplies
Consumable gifts like art supplies are so good. They also make great stocking stuffers and you'll be happy you have them on rainy days! Here are 3 favorites we use constantly.
Crayon Rocks
They're my favorite crayons for crafts. The colors are lovely, they're great for little hands and they're excellent for coloring in pictures. My kids have traditional crayons available too but they still reach for these daily.
Tempera Paint Sticks
Have you tried paint sticks? They are so pleasing to use. They are also great for coloring on cardboard, making banners, and other large-scale coloring projects!
Masking Tape Dispenser
I bought an older version of this tape dispenser over 4 years ago for a newly 3 year old E. It's still by far our most used art/craft supply. The dispenser is super heavy which makes it easy to pull and tear tape, even for little kids. Masking tape is such a great open ended crafting supply. Perfect for cardboard construction, taping up signs, recycled material crafts, and I promise your kids will think of more. Load it up with colorful tape if you want to be extra fun!
Cardboard Tools
Have you seen these kid-safe cardboard tools by Makedo? My kids love them! They are super kid-friendly and very effective. If you have a kid who loves cardboard crafting they're a worthy investment! (use EJ10 to save at Makedo)
Less Open-ended Toys
6 Lane Hot Wheels Track
Are you shocked by this one? LOL It is the only huge piece of plastic I will ever recommend. This track has held up for over 3 years of absolutely intense and loving play. It works well, it folds up when not in use, and it's extremely kid friendly - meaning that once it's set up they can joyfully use it without help.
Hot Wheels Cars
An always favorite. They last forever, they look cool, they're not expensive, they're small and easy to travel with! My kids play with hot wheels and Matchbox cars every single day. I always have some in my purse and some in the car. Excellent stocking stuffer!
Giant Dump Truck
Any dump truck works, but this is our favorite for big block play because it is so big and sturdy and heavy duty! It can carry A LOT of blocks and when my kids are in construction mode it’s used non-stop. It is also super well loved for block clean up!
Miniland Dolls
These dolls are the best. Anatomically correct, diverse, beautiful! There's nothing better. We have several of the 15" dolls and adore them and J got the 8" baby for Christmas when we turned 1. It's still his favorite baby!
Technology
Kid friendly tech is awesome - 2 favorites for us are the Yoto Player and the Kidamento camera!
Yoto Player
We've had yotos for almost 3 years now and they are an essential part of our lives. My kids are huge audio book and podcast fans and there is almost always something playing in our home. Having the ability to control their audio totally independently and screen free was a game changer when we first got it and it's stood the test of time! (This link is my yoto referral link and saves 10% on your first purchase over $70)
Kidamento Panda Camera
We've had our panda camera for over a year now and my kids still love it. Best part? You can print the photos instantly from the camera itself and since it's a thermal printer the film paper is not even expensive! They also make sticker paper and that's my nearly 5 year old's absolute favorite. They bring the camera on trips and to parties and even on play dates to take photos with their friends. Plus it's a kid-friendly camera that isn't full of video games which I love! Highly recommend.
Highlights Magazines!
My aunt subscribed my kids to highlights years ago and renews it every Christmas. We got Hello! (the baby mag) when J was tiny and E got High Five! (the mag for 3-6yo). Now E gets real Highlights and J gets High Five and they both have loved everything about it for years. We have stacks of these magazines and they get read and re-read daily. Plus what kid doesn't like getting their own mail!!?
I hope you found some great gift inspo here today! Let me know if you have any questions here or over on instagram @everydaywitheandj!
About Sami
Sami is a homeschooling mom and progressive educator with a special interest in learning through block play! She has her masters of science in childhood and early childhood education and taught in progressive education classrooms for over 10 years before leaving to stay home full time so she has had lots of experience observing and facilitating block play. Find her on instagram @EverydayWithEandJ