Who doesn’t love seeing a child’s face light up when they open a gift and exclaim, “It’s just what I wanted!”  Sometimes it’s hard to find the perfect gift for kids when there are so many options available. As a former educator, I enjoy sharing gifts that promote imagination, learning, and creative pretend play, but in a sneaky way so kids think they are having fun.  We’ve tested some amazing toys in our 2020 Kids Holiday Gift Guide and discovered great gifts almost any child is sure to love

Kid’s Holiday Gift Guide 2020

We’ve divided our gift guide into 3 sections, All Ages, Toddlers, Preschoolers and Kindergarteners, and Ages 6 and up to make it simple to find the age group you need.

All Ages

Mimbleball– In our new COVID world, kids often feel stressed or anxious. Having something they can hold, cuddle, and squeeze can help relieve some of the tension. Mimbleballs are fuzzy balls with silly faces and hair that are designed to comfort. Available in 6 styles, Ira, Theo, Gabe, Ivie, Bimble, and Thimble, these cuddly companions are not just for small children. They’ve been used by therapists and school counselors to help break the ice with children, added to care packages for foster children, and used to calm children with sensory processing disorders, autism, and Asperger’s. As a former Special Ed. teacher, I can see how these would help soothe the kids.

Mimbleballs are also used in Senior care for patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia to help relieve agitation. They are soft enough to be used in arthritis treatment and can be held as a focal point for meditation and relaxation. The company also believes in giving back, offering 1 Mimbleball to a non-profit, such as a hospital, school, foster care program, senior living facility, or counseling center, for every 20 sold.

Toddlers, Preschoolers, & Kindergarten

WeeFarers – Critter has fought a battle against the sun since she was a baby. From cries of “Go away, sun!” on road trips to “Ack! The light is too bright!” at the beach, we’ve tried to find ways to shield her eyes. Enter WeeFarers, stylish sunglasses designed for ages 0-4 years. The frames are made from durable, bendable BPA-free plastic and the lenses are FDA-approved impact resistant. That’s important if you have an active child!

There’s plenty of sun-protection in these lenses too. They provide 100% UVA and 100% UVB protection with the highest rating available: UV 400. If your child, like ours, constantly misplaces things, WeeFarers offers an one-year free replacement pair if your pair is lost or damaged. They’re available in 2 styles, Original and Polarized. Original WeeFarers are available in black, blue, pink, white, and tortoiseshell, while polarized WeeFarers are available in the same colors with additional shades of lenses.

Greens Steel Kid’s Stainless Steel Water Bottle – Critter develops a raging thirst the moment we pull out of the driveway. We’ve learned to pack a water bottle for everything from short trips to the store to trips across the country. The Greens Steel Kid’s Stainless Steel 12-ounce Water Bottle makes this a cinch. Developed with 18/8 food-grade stainless steel inside and out, this bottle is BPA-free, seamless, and curved so little hands can grip it.

If you’ve ever carried a bottle in your purse only to discover it’s spilled and ruined your phone, you’ll be glad to know these are leakproof. Even the lid is designed to release the right amount of water with or without the straw. The flip-top allows it to refilled without removing the lid and it can be attached to a backpack. No more losing a water bottle while running through the airport!

Learning Resources– This is a company that makes my Kids Holiday Gift Guide every year. They’re committed to designing sturdy, well-made educational toys that are fun to use. “Critter” received the Alphabet Acorns Discovery Set and her Veggie Farm Sorting Set two years ago and still pulls them out for creative play. This year we tried 4 new toys; the Wriggleworms Fine Motor Activity Set, the Peekaboo Learning Farm, the Learn-A-Lot- Avocados, and the 1-2-3 Build-It! Robot Factory,

The Learn-A-Lot Avocados, for ages 18 months and up, has 4 adorable avocados which split in half, along with a carrying case. The avocados teach gross motor skills, colors, and, with the use of the “emoji” pits, emotions. The Peekaboo Learning Farm, also for ages 18 months and up, includes 5 colorful barns with removable roofs and 5 adorable animal finger puppets. Kids can learn colors, animal names, numbers, and more with this set. The 1-2-3 Build-It Robot Factory, for ages 2-6, provides endless building fun, color recognition, and early engineering skills. The Wriggleworms, for ages 3-7, teaches fine motor skills, critical thinking, colors, sorting, and early math skills. Best of all, these products stand up to lots of use.

Smarty PAD– Since Critter’s preschool remains closed, we are trying to fill the gap with age-appropriate STEM activities. The Smarty PAD captures her attention while teaching her the alphabet, colors, the numbers 1-25, and beginning coding skills. With 12 games, 3 each of alphabet, colors, numbers, and coding, this educator-approved PAD has LED visuals that light up the screen. There’s even motion sensors to help with fine motor skills and critical thinking.

The Smarty PAD is bilingual, allowing children to play games in both English and Spanish. That’s a huge plus for Critter, whose father is a Spanish Interpreter. If you are a frequent traveler, this PAD is a good addition to your child’s backpack. It does require 4 AA batteries which are not included.

Smarty Flutter– From the makers of the SmART Sketcher and the Smarty PAD, comes the Smarty Flutter. Developed for ages 3-5, this toy encourages physical activity while teaching colors, shapes, and numbers, basic concepts of right and left, up and down, fast and slow, and emotional intelligence (aka feelings.) The Flutterfly asks kids to complete basic tasks like, “land on something green,” or “Find one square or one triangle.”

Kids are rewarded with over 150 random reactions like, “You’re Amazing!” or “You got that right!” The bright, colorful patterns will capture your child’s imagination and the learning games, available in both English and Spanish, will keep them entertained for hours. The Smarty Flutter requires 3 AAA batteries which are NOT included.

Premium Joy Foam Building Blocks This set of 68 blocks from Premium Joy is a favorite around our house. Made with safe, non-toxic EVA foam, these blocks are a cinch to disinfect and clean. They come in a variety of eight shapes, including rectangles, squares, triangles, and semicircles, and in six colors, blue, red, green, orange, yellow, and purple. The pieces are thick, soft, and easy for little hands to grasp.

The blocks are waterproof and odorless so you can use them in the tub for creative bath time fun. Whether you are building a castle for your dragon or using them to sneak in educational concepts of sorting and basic addition and subtraction, these blocks will provide hours of screen-free entertainment. When the kids have finished playing, store them in their own reusable zippered plastic storage pouch.

School Zone Activity Kits– Because Critter’s preschool has been closed since mid-March, we’re trying to continue distance learning. One of our new favorite ways to have sneaky hands-on learning is with Jaz’s Preschool Learning Pack. It’s packed full of educational activities including a 96-page workbook, 2 sticker sheets, 2 flashcard sets, quiz cards, 2 books, game boards with press-out pieces, a Charlie and Company educational DVD, a Write & Reuse Sleeve and Marker, a zippered storage pouch, scissors, a dry erase marker, and an oversized beginner pencil. The retail value of the items purchased separately is over $52!

The carrying case is made from easy-to-clean vinyl and has a handle that’s wide enough for small hands to grip. Everything can be neatly stored inside the case, making it perfect for keeping kids entertained on long road trips. The bright colors will grab the kids’ attention while the activities are easy enough that preschoolers can complete several of them on their own.

Green Toys Cargo Plane– If you want a quality-built toy that will last for ages, look no further than Green Toys. Seriously, we’ve had some of their flower pots outside in all elements for the last ten years and they’re still going strong. All of their toys are made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs and surpass US safety standards. It’s no wonder we have plenty of Green Toys in our home.

The Cargo Plane is one of their newest offerings. Designed in a cheery blue and yellow pattern, it’s wide enough for little pilots to hang on and fly. The plane has a drop-down cargo hatch at the back and includes a mini-car which can be rolled into the plane or used separately. Worried about cleaning? Don’t be! All Green Toys can be easily wiped clean with a damp cloth and mild soap or placed in the dishwasher.

Clixo – Think with your hands. Unlock your inner creativity and find the thrill of trying something new. That’s why Assaf, the companies’ founder, created Clixo. Available in 3 color combinations, green/blue, blue/red, and yellow/red, Clixo pieces come in 7 designs; twodot, quad, superquad, flop, flap, tridot, and longy. These flexible 2D shapes can be taken anywhere and used to create whatever your heart desires.

They stack easily, are durable, and can be purchased in five sizes: the (18-piece) Itsy pack, the 30-piece Crew pack, the 42-piece Rainbow pack, the 60-piece Super Rainbow, and 3 Itsy packs. Small and portable, these are another great road trip game. Plus, you can wear your creations if you want. How fun is that?

Playful Panda– Who doesn’t love pandas? Especially soft, cuddly ones that interact with you! Our panda is named Sweetie and she laughs, wiggles, and rolls when we touch her. Available in 6 different styles, each panda has its own personality. One of the cutest things about these pandas is their singing ability. You can teach them any song and they will repeat it.

When you collect the pandas, they will interact with each other, playing and singing. Critter was quick to claim this new “lovie” and has paired her with the Fashionista Playful Panda for double the fun. Designed for ages 4+, they use 3 AAA batteries, which are included.  They are developed by Far Out Toys and are available at Target and Target.com.

Osmo Coding Starter Kit – We all know that technology is an important part of our preschoolers’ lives, so why not make it educational? Last year I featured the Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit, a toy that still gets lots of use in our family. This year, with Critter’s interest in learning to code so she can be like her mom who is an IT specialist, we were thrilled to find the Osmo Coding Starter Kit. Developed for ages 5-10, it teaches basic coding skills, including sequencing, loops, and problem solving, through 3 hands-on learning games.

Although Critter is 4, this has been easy to adapt to her level with a little help from us. The Coding Starter Kit is available for Kindle Fire or iPad and features 30 code building blocks, a sturdy carrying case with a lid, and a base. Set up is easy, but (for the iPad version) you will need a compatible iPad, an email account, internet access, and an iTunes account to play.

Cosmo Smart Watch – The world can be a scary place for kids and parents. Kids are connected to tech at an early age and are exposed to everything from inappropriate content to cyberbullying. But, staying connected with the kids is important. Now there’s a way to do that without a smartphone; the Cosmo Smart Watch. Developed for ages 5-12, this watch offers nationwide GPS tracking, an SOS alert mode, a secure phonebook, so you know who they are communicating with, video-chatting, and locked-down internet. One of my favorite features is Geofencing which alerts you the moment they’ve gone out of the boundaries you’ve set up for them.

These water-resistant, wifi-enabled watches come in two colors; blue and pink, and have straps made with durable silicone. They fit well and are comfortable to wear. Two plans, the basic, which includes a Free device, unlimited 4G data, and the parent COsmo app, and the Cosmo Plan, which includes the above, plus broken device replacement and annual upgrade, are available. There is a very reasonable monthly fee for data usage, which is well worth the peace of mind you’ll have from using this device.

Little Learning Hands Painting With Diamonds Clock– I’m a huge proponent of helping kids produce something useful while encouraging their creativity. The Little Learning Hands Painting with Diamonds Clock does that. Available in 4 styles, football, soccer, mermaid, and butterfly, kids can choose the clock that fits their personality and proudly hang it on their wall when they are finished. The kit includes everything you need for to make the clock; the clock face, the clock mechanism parts, diamond crystals, a tray, a pen tool, wax, and a step-by-step instruction sheet.

The clock is easy to assemble but does require patience and fine motor skills. It is recommended for ages 5 and up, although you might have to help younger kids. The finished product was a hit with our little mermaid fan. One note: Once the clock is assembled, it will require one AA battery which is NOT included.

Ages 6 and Up:

Thames and Kosmos Moonlight Elephant Safari – Do you want an adorable addition to your child’s room that can double as a learning activity? The Thames and Kosmos Moonlight Elephant Safari is for you. This kit, designed for ages 6 and up, contains 40 Creatto pieces and a set of led string lights. The Creatto pieces are soft, flexible, durable, plastic which can be interlocked together. There’s no complicated setup, just lots of fun. The kit can be used to create the light-up elephant, or, by following the included instructions, a fox, a safari lantern, and a kangaroo.

Kids can also design their own creations. The possibilities are endless. To use the lights in the kit you will need 2 AA batteries which are NOT included. We had no problems using this with Critter, although she needed a little help.

UpBrainery Brain Bin– I’m a huge proponent for making learning fun. It’s one of the reasons I became an educator. There’s so many hands-on STEM activities kids can do that teach and entertain at the same time. That’s the concept behind UpBrainery Brain Bins. They offer kits in over 50 diverse subjects ranging from cooking, to science, to culture and geography. All of their kits are created by their chief scientist, Ghazal Qureshi, and a team of educators and researchers who back the products with neuroscience researched curriculum. Kits are available for ages 3-99.

We received “Wag the Dog,” for ages 9 and up, which teaches the concepts of capacitance (the ability of a device to store an electronic charge), motors and gear ratios, and microcontrollers. The parts are included and you can sign in to UpBrain for step-by-step instructions. Children will love showing off how they built their own dog that walks and wags its tail when touched. It’s a fun project that you can also paint to match your personality.

Crossnet -Do you need an outdoor activity the entire family can enjoy? Try Crossnet, a combination of volleyball and four square. The net is divided into four squares with each player assigned their own spot. The player in square four hits the ball to square two and then the fun begins. Players try to score points by sending the ball over the net to any other player. If there’s a misplay, that person returns to square one. When a player in squares 1-3 misplays, square 4 gets a point. The games go to 11 points, and you’ll want to be in square 4 and win by 2 points.

The set comes complete with everything you’ll need to play; a Crossnet, a volleyball with a pump, and poles. It’s easy to set up and the net can be adjusted to heights for adults and children. This is a game the 4-year-old begs us to play with her. (We usually play with 4 people and add her in with one of us to be fair to her.) The entire family enjoys this game and it’s great exercise too!

These are some of our favorite toys of 2020. Do you have a child who would like one of these toys? Which is your favorite toy in the Kids Holiday Gift Guide?

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