Y’all know I love the excitement of seeing our preschool babies open their gifts over the holidays. I’ve got a sure-fire list of 20 gifts that are sure to leave them engaged and excited. This year’s top picks provide indoor and outdoor fun and hit the ball out of the park in creative play with minimal mess!
As with all of my gift guides for little kids, this list of 20 gift ideas is full of:
- gender neutral gift ideas for preschoolers
- STEM based gift ideas for kids ages 3-5
- STEAM based gift ideas for boys and girls
- and gifts that will grow with your kids
Sustainability is heavy on everyone’s minds right now and these gifts are going to grow with your babes and along with your family. Perfect for playing and loving for years to come.
So go on ahead and send your favorites from the list to everyone you know and get ready to witness the biggest smiles of the year!
*Just an FYI, anything with an asterisk was a total favorite last year, so I HAD to include them in this year’s guide also!
Affiliate links are used in this post, therefor I earn a small commission on all qualifying purchases in this post and corresponding social media.
1.
Magnetic Building Blocks*: Magna-Tiles is back again this year and for good reason. These blocks are awesome for open-ended play and creative development. The things kids can build and make with them is absolutely insane especially if you think of the average preschooler’s attention span.
I find my kids playing with them for a good amount of time (I mean I can do a WHOLE TASK without hearing mommy a hundred times). As the kids get older, the shapes they make get more complex and the structures they build taller. Love them!
2.
Wobble Stools: Do you have a wiggle monster or know one? Wobble Stools are so great for our beloved wigglers. An active sitting stool that helps build posture while simultaneously giving them a little jump to help get that extra energy out.
These are great for sitting at learning desks or while watching their favorite movies.
3.
Cardboard Play Houses – I’m all for gifts that can be used to engage the whole family or groups of kids. These Cardboard Houses are great for sibling play or family/friends’ playdates. The setup and take-down is seconds. They’re easy to store under the bed or in a closet in between uses.
The blank design gives your little ones complete creative control so feel free to pass them crayons or markers. Want to get even more creative with this gift, head to your local craft store and pick up some pom poms, pipe cleaners, and sticky dots to add texture and design for added sensory play.
4. Glow in the Dark Dino Nightlights – Have you ever been on vacation with your kids organizing bedtime and realized you’ve forgotten a staple piece of their comfort – their nightlight! Compact Glow in the Dark Dinosaur Nightlights is absolutely adorable and amazing.
They’re cordless which makes them great on vacation, camping, or even during long car rides. They are so great they’d even work for bedroom decor!
5. Wooden Wobble Board*: Another return hit from last year this Wooden Wobble Board is unlimited fun – even for adults. Who doesn’t love a gift for their kids that they can secretly use!
This board holds up to 480 lbs and at least two kids at a time. With 10 plus uses for play, this can be a fun way for your little wobbler to practice balance for sports, use to race cars, lay down a read a book, and even stretch! This means your back can get some TLC once you’ve put the kids to bed.
6.
Glow In the Dark Sound Activated Building Blocks: Blocks – that light up – to sound!!! I really hope y’all hear the excitement in my voice as I write this. These Glow in the Dark Sound Activated Building Blocks are the total win gift for kids who love to build.
Imagine how awesome it will be when your kid builds their magic city and it comes to complete life at night all lit up. The blocks can be used as a nightlight or to show off to grams and gramps during visits.
7.
Night Sky Projector: When I was a little girl we had glow in the dark star stickers for the nighttime room decor so you can imagine how giddy I was to find this Night Sky Projector. Illuminate the room and your bedtime routine with the kids using this projector to see the moon and stars.
The projector itself is small so you’re not losing countertop space and projectors multiple color combinations for a fun surprise every night.
8.
Personalized Baking Set and Apron: Since the pandemic, it’s been fun having the kids participate more in the everyday happenings at home. Being in the kitchen helping out is a fantastic way to develop and teach life skills. I’m a huge fan of this personalized Baking Set and Apron combo.
Your baker in training will be so excited to sport their new baking gear and use their kitchen tools to help while trying to sneak a lick of the frosting bowl. But who can blame them right?!
9. Personalized What Can I Be Book: I’m such a sucker for custom books. I love the look of excitement when a child picks up a book and sees their name or image.
What Could I Be, is an ABC book that can be personalized with your favorite little one’s name and tells them all about what they can be with they grow up. Beautiful illustrations, 26 different jobs to teach them about, and endless encouragement to be who they want to be!
10.
Grow With Me Scooter: Think tricycle but scooter style! The Grow with Me Scooter is a versatile scooter that allows for standing and sitting. It gives your preschooler the ability to learn and practice balance over time with three grow with me options.
There’s an adjustable height feature, a flip-up and down seat, and a wide foot deck. But let’s be real the best part? The light-up wheels! Your kid will be strolling up and around the block in total party fashion.
11. Learning Desk: VTech Touch and Learning Desk is such a fun learning tool! This desk gives your little one so many options on what they are interested in playing with. It comes with activity pages on anatomy, colors, numbers, the alphabet, and a music jammer.
You can even grab more learning packs to add to the desk (sold separately). It converts to into a chalkboard for practice writing and a drawing station. I adore the little stool the desk comes with! Total prep for sitting in school and focusing.
12. Safari Exploration Kit: Dress is up isn’t just for princess dresses and superheroes! National Geographic has dropped this absolutely adorable Safari Exploration Kit, cargo vest, and safari hat included! The goodies come in the coolest travel trunk for safe keeping.
The set includes binoculars, animal figurines with information cards, a flashlight, and a play camera. Let your animal lover’s imagination go wild with this kit as they discover the wild in your backyard or in my case, in this mess in my basement. Haha.
13. Back Seat Art Tray: This Back Seat Art Tray has so many functions and uses it’s like buying multiple gifts in one. You can set it up in the car (or airplane seat) to convert into a tray for your artist to draw, color, and sketch on. If you’re more of a tech family then this is awesome to hold up your child’s iPad or tablet for hands-free use.
I love the multiple storage compartments that you can house markers, pens, and coloring books in. It’s spacious so there’s extra room to put enough materials in it so you’re not running out of coloring books mid-ride! For older kids, it’s great for cable storage for chargers and phones.
14. Balance Bike: I’ve seen this Balance Bike in action and whoa is it a hit! The fact that it looks like a big kid sports bike is hitting the maximum level of cool points for parents. Balance bikes are a wonderful way to build confidence and prepare kids for their future bike rides and physical activity.
Another plus is that this balance bike can surely be used indoors too!
15:
Fire Tablet: The new Fire HD Tablet is endless fun for your growing techie! Featuring a sleek touch screen design and 20k plus books, apps, and games. The space gives so much room for rotation of applications and no need to lug around countless books or activity sets for your kids on car rides or trips. Another cool feature is you can download streaming apps via the Parent Dashboard.
Think Disney Plus and Zoom for 1:1 chats with grandma and grandpa! This is truly all-in-one. It even comes with a kid-proof protective case.
16:
Personalized Wooden Stool: At this age kids are 3 going on 30! They want to be involved in everything and partake in all of your everyday tasks. This Personalized Wooden Stool is so cute and helps involve them in activities that need some height assistance.
Keep this in the bathroom so they can brush their teeth with you or practice drying small dishes by storing this nearby the kitchen sink. I also love that the stool can sub as a stage space for toys while playing.
17: Play Kitchen: Play Kitchens are becoming such a hit again and I absolutely love it. The neutral design is so appealing, especially if you want to put this in your kitchen for the kids to cook along with you – not busy at all! The Hape Gourmet Play Kitchen is hyper-realistic with turning knobs, cabinets you can open and use to store play pots and pans, and even a transparent stove window.
Get your mini chef ready!
18: Squigz: “Fun Little Suckers” is truly the best description for this gift. Squigz is a rubber rattle with suction cup ends. They can be attached on so many different surfaces for creative sensory stimulation. Take these on car rides or airplanes to attach to the window.
Stack and suction them to one another to create cool structures or even take them into the bath for simple bath time fun with no mess.
19:
Stomp Rocket: I know this is the preschool guide but I swear y’all can add this to the gifts for him too! The Stomp Rocket is as simple as it gets and so much fun!!! Run, jump, or stomp. It’s that easy and it keeps kids entertained for hours.
I love this gift because it’s fun for the whole family, can be used indoors if you have the space and is a good way to get your kids active on a nice day outside.
20:
Jumbo Sized Water Wow Pad: If you’ve ever purchased a no-mess coloring pad then here’s your upgrade! Water Wow Pads are jumbo in size, ideal for on-the-go fun, and give you a real bang for your buck. The pads are completely reusable so you’re not tossing them after use. They come with a refillable water marker, a red lens marker to reveal clues and pictures, and 8 fun pages of hidden pictures and colors.
Want even more Preschooler gift ideas?
Check out this post
and this one!
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