What do you by a child who has too many toys? And how do you encourage children to learn, imagine, and create away from the screen?
I’ve put a practical list together of items that are great gift suggestions for children ages 1-5+ that will enhance their imagination and give parents a break from constantly entertaining their kids.
1. Wall-Crawling Lizard
Just watching the tutorial makes me giggle! My son has a toy lizard he rarely puts down, and I think this would make for a hilarious gift to give any family with kids.
2. Yoto Player
This is one of the best investments our family has made for our kids. The Yoto Player is a cubed devise that plays stories from cards you slip in, acts as an alarm clock for morning and naptime wake-up calls, has white noise settings to use as a sound machine, blue tooth capabilities, a daily podcast for kids, and it even has a thermometer to measure room temperatures.
I especially love the feature where you can record your own voice onto DIY yoto cards. I use this for recording Bible verses Huck is memorizing so he can listen to it anytime He wants. It’s great for car rides and the battery life is really good. The Yoto Player is used in conjunction with the app you have to download onto your phone.
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Yoto Cards
There are several Yoto Card options you can find online, but this set is a great option for your little who may not be able to understand more advanced stories on other cards. Great for ages 1-3.
4. The Zog and Friends Collection by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Yoto Cards
We really enjoy these stories, and my 3-year-old has a hard time choosing between the stories he wants to listen to.
The Yoto Cards are difficult to bend and are simple to use once you download the card onto the Yoto Player app. You must download each card to the app and make sure your phone is connected to Yoto Player. Once a card is downloaded, your child can pop the card into the player at any time without your phone being connected.
5. Christian Books for Kids
Instead of attaching ALL the books I would recommend to this post, hope on over to THIS POST to take a look at all the resources I would recommend if you’re wanting to update your child’s library or even your church’s kids department bookshelves.
6. Story Dream Machine by Little Tykes
This is seriously one of the sweetest toys we own. My kids love it when we read to them, so this is a great alternative to watching television if your child is wanting some kind of “screen” time.
Once you prop your machine up in front of a wall, insert a “book,” and press play, you’re good to go! The stories are fairly short in length, but the audio is entertaining, and your child is watching pictures of pages slide over as if they are being read to.
There are several books sets you can purchase, and I’m hoping they will come out with more. We are currently enjoying all of the Berenstain Bears collection and we’re hoping to snag the Eric Carle collection soon.
7. The Biggest Story Bible Storybook
This is a great Bible to read to your kids. We’ve gone through our over 6 times now with our kids, and it never gets old!
It contains dozens of stories found in the Bible, and every page contains the most beautiful illustrations I’ve ever seen. We recommend this to all of our friends, and I can’t wait until my son can start reading this on his own.
His favorite stories are Noah’s Ark and David and Goliath.
One thing that makes this Bible unique from other children’s Bibles is that it contains a prayer at the end of each story. As parents, we don’t always know how to apply Scripture to our elves, much less our children. So this added bonus has really enhanced the way that I pray with and for my children.
8. Home is Right Where You Are: Inspired by Psalm 23 by Ruth Chou Simons
This is a new resource I’ve recently discovered, and the words in this books are absolutely beautiful!
Taken from the description:
Ruth shares from her heart the words she’s spoken over her own six children, from their very young days into adulthood. Ruth’s lyrical text and whimsical art take children and families on a journey that reminds all of us that no matter where we go, no matter what comes our way in life, the Lord keeps us close to Him.
This book is perfect for parents and families who want to
- reassure their children with the comforting truth that God is always with them, that He will guide them, and that He will provide for all their needs;
- teach their children that God is the source of joy, overflowing blessings, and wonderful adventure;
- be delighted with captivating illustrations and beautiful art; and
- soothe anxious minds with the comfort of God’s provision and presence.
9. Magnet Tiles
These have been a HUGE hit among kids over the last couple of years. These never get old in my house, and there’s so much you can make with them!
10. Little Pilgrim’s Big Journey
We LOVE these books! We read them regularly with our kids, and each chapter takes about 10 minutes to read. Great illustrations, and fantastic clarity for little minds.
Taken from the description:
This is a series that children will treasure for years to come. This box set includes Part I, II, and III of the beloved Little Pilgrim’s Big Journey series. Part I follows the classic story of Christian as he journeys from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Part II is the heart-warming sequel, which follows Christian’s family as they encounter new challenges and learn many new lessons along the King’s Path. In Part III, Jude and Eli are sent out to tell others of the coming Kingdom. Children ages 2-10 will learn timeless truths in an engaging way through these heirloom-quality books.
Hope this list of gifts for kids was helpful! Would love to hear which ones you decided to give.
/
