HEATHER’S HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: Gifts for kids
The following holiday gift guide (gifts for kids) contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product from one of these links, I may receive a small commission from the supplier. As always, all opinions and weirdo children are my own.
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I’ve written before about how to find out what your kids want for Christmas, and one of the ways is by figuring out what’s “trending” right now in their little worlds. It’s not to say that they’ll only want something because it’s popular, but it can be a good indication that you’re getting a gift they’ll love.
I’ve done the research — i.e. talked to my children and their friends, and spent 92% of my waking hours on the internet — and here’s what I’ve come up with …
1. A bath toy that isn’t for babies.
You guys have seen our MASSIVE Playmobil collection (and awesome DIY storage/play shelves), so we were pumped when our friends at PLAYMOBIL sent us the Drago Ship from Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon. My favourite part is the cage, and the kids looked at me strangely when I suggested we put people in it. “It’s for a DRAGON, Mom.” Oh.
D had the whole thing snapped together in about four minutes, and begged in the middle of the afternoon to get into the tub to play with it! He spent an hour in there acting out scenes with the characters, and it was the cutest thing to listen to. Although his buddy did think he was LOCO when he came to the door at 3 p.m. and I explained D was in the bath. 😉
2. An updated version of Army men.
I’d never heard of Awesome Little Green Men, but apparently they’re made by the creators of LOL Surprise Dolls and Num Nums so clearly they are HUGE right now. They’re the non-doll answer to LOL Dolls because there are blind boxes (ooooooh) and we know kids are obsessed with surprises these days!
I like that the characters have funny names like “Private Porkchop” and “Captain Obvious.” I also really like the ponytails.
The kids and their buddy, Alex, recorded a fun video of themselves “unboxing,” if you like manic giggling … and silence when C disappears because apparently the boys can’t vamp. 😉
3. Quality art supplies.
I love that our kids love to draw as much as I do, and I also love that they’re old enough to appreciate (i.e. not EAT) nice art supplies, like these dreamy Djeco felt-tips.
4. Barbie’s home away from home.
We bought the Barbie Camper for C two Christmases ago, and she still plays with it almost daily — despite also having a Barbie house. What can I say? Barbie likes to travel! It was well worth the money.
5. Circuits!
We have a science-obsessed kid in our house. D doesn’t have this exact kit but I’ve had my eye on it for a while. It has excellent ratings and you can make more than 175 different projects.
6. Memberships.
I bought a Discovery Centre membership when they re-opened earlier this year, and my mom’s taken the kids a TON of times already. Since we live outside of the city (>100 km away) we pay for a “rural” membership that’s just $100 a year. Awesome deal, and I’ll do it again next year for sure.
7. Experiences.
We LOVE going to Clay Cafe here in Truro, so gift cards — they’re actually gift TILES — make a great gift. Is there a paint-your-own-pottery studio in your area? If so, you’re giving the gift of spending a couple of hours painting, AND the gift of the finished pieces when they’re out of the kiln. It’s like giving two gifts in one!
8. A starring role in their very own book.
Our kids love their “Put Me In The Story” personalized books, and I’ve also bought them as gifts for friends’ children. I’ve suggested them to NUMEROUS random grandmothers at gymnastics, ballet, etc. when they bemoan not knowing what to get their own grandkids, and they always love the idea, too.
9. The dolls everyone’s talking about.
Yup, I mean LOL Surprise Dolls! C was talking about them months ago and I had no idea what she meant, and neither did anyone else. Then suddenly they were THE THING TO GET and everyone was obsessed with them. (Is my child on the ball or what?)
Here’s a quick LOL Surprise Doll primer, if you’ve never heard of them:
- There are “LOL Surprise Tots” a.k.a. little girl dolls with an outfit, shoes, an accessory, and a cup. They all have a special “talent” related to water, so they’ll either pee, cry, spit, or change colour in water. You don’t know what they’re going to do until you try them out.
There are “LOL Surprise Lil’ Sisters” a.k.a. smaller baby dolls with an accessory to give to their big sister.
There are “LOL Surprise Charm Fizzes” which are jewelry-like charms that come inside a mini bath-bomb. No dolls.
Thanks to my kids (and their buddy, Alex) for being eager guinnea pigs over on their YouTube channel. 😉
10. A pillow they won’t stop playing with.
You know those pillows with sequins that change colour when you rub them in different directions? Well, they’re called mermaid pillows, and I’m obsessed with this mermaid pillow from Indigo. I really hope C gets one for Christmas, because I want to play with it, too.
11. A book with an important message.
I interviewed Lisa Britton about this book, Mommy Says I’m Beautiful, and I think every little girl needs to read it. (Lisa is from Nova Scotia and now lives in L.A.!)
12. A Netflix friend.
Our kids are a bit old for these next two, so we’ll be donating our (un-opened) samples to a local toy drive. The kids certainly had fun pressing the “TRY ME” buttons through the packaging, though! If your child is hooked on the Netflix original, Luna Petunia, these are really cute gifts. The Luna Petunia 14″ Talking Doll has the funkiest sense of style and talks when you push her magical necklace. I also liked the Luna Petunia Amazia Necklace that lights up and plays sounds.
13. A slimy sensation.
Last but not least, we have something D recently bought online with his allowance — Glow in the Dark Slime Science Lab. It was such a hit that I threw it in here at the very last minute.
D mixed up the blue slime right away, just by adding powder to water and stirring with the (included) wooden stick. At first it was looking wet and drippy, but suddenly it all stuck together in a single glob and looked just as good as “store-bought” slime. We were so impressed that we all forgot it was supposed to glow in the dark until that night at bedtime, and WOW I don’t think I’ve seen these kids more excited.
Well worth the money (his money, in this case), and C is already talking about ordering her own kit.
Thank you for checking out my gift guides this week, and feel free to leave other gift ideas in the comments!
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One Comment on “HEATHER’S HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: Gifts for kids”
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Heather's Handmade Life 
Holy cow, I watched a 10 min video of D and C and A opening Little Green Men!! I loved it!!! I want to find them because my own A and his new bride K are Navy and Air Force medics and she has a red hair and a ponytail!!!!
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