Whew! It’s been a busy couple of weeks for our family around here. We were out of town over Thanksgiving and the week before we hosted a joint birthday party for my two little ones. Then we flew back on Thanksgiving day, had a yummy and relaxing dinner with family and then another birthday celebration and more company and today I’m catching up on life and work!
With the holidays just around the corner, I thought I’d share some of our favorite things. I have only gotten a couple of gifts so far! I may be relying too heavily on Amazon Prime, and I should probably get it together! I have a list going, but lists are only good if you actually take action.
Today it’s all about the kiddos! We usually don’t get our kids too much at Christmas. Just a few gifts to open. They tend to get more than enough from grandparents, etc. and I’m all about less is more. I’d rather spend money on an experience and a memory then more stuff. We also like to pick up gifts to give to kids in need of some special things. With that being said, my kids do have some favorite toys that they go back to over and over again and have lasted throughout the years. So if you’re anything like me, and need some ideas for gifts, I’m rounding up a few of my favorite things.
My kids are 7, 5 and 3 {boy, boy, girl} and these have been some of their favorites over the years and now!
The Kid Craft Kitchen showed up last Christmas and has been a hit ever since! My daughter had just turned 2 and this toy has gotten good use over the last year.
{Our kitchen. The princess stickers add a nice touch!}
If you have a little girl in your life, you can’t go wrong with anything dress-up related.
I read about Magna Tiles a few years back and was a little hesitant because they are a bit on the pricey side. The smaller packs are more affordable, but you don’t get many and to really build, the bigger the pack, the better. Especially if more than one child is playing with them. I pulled the trigger a couple of years ago and bought these for my boys. They loved them, and now their little sister loves them too. I’ve added to their collection and they love building all kinds of things with these.
This is another favorite around our house. This shopping Cart gets played with most by the 3 year old, but I have seen the older kiddos a time or two taking it for a spin around the house.
Again, can’t go wrong with a doll Stroller if you have a little one to buy for.
This Batcave was a hand me down and is the hit at a play date! Boys and girls both love this toy.
This is a terrible picture, but this little Fisher Price Little People North Pole Cottage gets played with year-round. I try to hide it in the closet, but it finds its way out! We even have the little doll house version of this, {it’s about the same size}, but this gets played with more. It may be the Christmas music that plays!
Fisher Price Little People North Pole Cottage
Hotwheels have been a number one toy in our house for the last 6 years or so. They have provided endless hours of entertainment for all 3 of my kids. They are fun, inexpensive, portable and easy to store.
We have more of these Trash Packs than I can count. They are funny, cute and small enough to make a good collection. I remember reading years ago that adding to a few collections of toys that your kids love is better than to have a million different types of toys. Hot Wheel toys, action figures, and Trash Packs are great for collections, and easier to store and manage.
Action figures are great for playing pretend, as bath toys, to use in the Batman Cave, with the Magnatiles, etc.
Kendamas were all the rage here last Christmas. Every kid you saw out had one in our area. They are great for hand-eye coordination and something small and non-electronic. They still get played with a ton at our house and there are all kinds of tricks they can master!
My older son got a baseball card binder, card sleeves and baseball cards as a birthday present and it’s been a hit! He’s loved collecting the cards and we have actually given it as a gift since then and it’s been a “homerun” of a gift! :)
My boys are also into Pokemon cards right now, so really any collection of cards, a binder and some sleeves would be a great gift.
Baseball Cards // Baseball Binder// Baseball Card Sleeves
You can never go wrong with Legos.
If you know my boys, you know this is a toy that is on regular rotation. My boys LOVE any kind of bug or reptile and we’ve gone through a few of these over the years. They are actually asking for a more complicated bug habitat this year and I am a little hesitant because I think the simpler the better when it comes to bug homes!
My daughter’s favorite for coloring. My favorite for places like church or if we’re going out to eat because it doesn’t get pen everywhere!
These foam bats are awesome because I don’t have to worry {too much} about someone getting hit in the head by a swing. They are soft enough that they won’t hurt too much and strong enough that they kids can actually hit with them. These may be added to my gift list in a couple different colors. They fight over our single bat and who it actually belongs to, so maybe I’ll pick up a couple more.
We got this a few years ago and it’s still a hit. They only down side is there are a lot of little pieces to keep track of with the coins and paper dollars. I find plastic dimes all over our house!
This tricycle is a bit pricier and we got this years ago from grandparents as a gift, but seriously, if you have little kids, this is a GREAT tricycle. We have even had bigger kids ride this down our driveway and have fun. They fight over this bike All.The.Time. It is sturdy and solid and won’t tip over. We have a good little hill for a driveway and they ride this down it all the time and it stays steady. We’ve had other tricycles and have given them away because they just don’t compare to this one. We’ve had it at least 5 years and have had to have it repaired once, but as far as tricycles go, I highly recommend this one!
So there is my list of some of our favorite toys we have at our house, we’ve given as gifts and that my kids have loved over the years. Are any favorites at your house, too? I’d love to hear any other great toy ideas you may have…Feel free to leave your favorites in the comments!
More to come this week for more of my favorite things!
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