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What a year! The holidays are finally here! And while we’re doing our best to make sure the products we feature will arrive in time, shipping times are especially tricky this year, so we suggest shopping as early as you can.
Stock and shipping times can vary depending on where you live, which product you purchase, and more. So order earlier than you think you need to and be sure to double-check the retailers’ websites for shipping information to ensure that your gift will arrive in time for when you need it.
1. A three-string Loog Mini acoustic guitar — it comes with flashcards of chord diagrams and access to the Loog guitar app so they can actually start learning how to play at a young age. Look at that little rock star in the making!!
2. A glow-in-the-dark fort-building kit to keep little architects busy. They'll have so much fun coming up with new designs for castles or igloos or rockets — the possibilities are endless!
3. A Melissa & Doug loom if your kiddo is more of an old soul and is already expressing interest in making their own blankets, scarves, or purses. Just set this up at the kitchen table and they'll be weaving away and picking up the skills for a new hobby in no time.
4. A 24-piece Melissa & Doug pet vet play set if you've noticed your toddler has a serious soft spot for animals and you want to encourage that empathy by letting them care for pretend furry creatures. This set includes vet essentials like a toy stethoscope, a scope, tweezers, and a cone of shame, naturally.
5. This simple magnetic maze game that not only will help with fine motor skills, but it will also make your kid focus hard on moving the ball along. Which means you finally get some peace and quiet!
6. Or this National Geographic geodes kit if your little geologist likes a bit more of a hands-on approach to their educational playtime. They'll absolutely love smashing into the rock with a hammer (with parental supervision, of course) to reveal the beauty within.
7. A crystal growing kit to give them a taste of science in the most aesthetically pleasing way. It comes with a light board, so they can show their friends their ever-growing crystal collection in all its glory.
8. A Leapfrog learning pot if you've got a little foodie who is already expressing interest in learning how to cook. This will guide them into making a pretend meal thanks to five step-by-step recipes that also teach them vocabulary, colors, and numbers.
9. An interactive shopping cart if they love accompanying you on trips to the grocery store and you want to recreate that fun experience during playtime. It comes with a scanner so they can "scan" shopping items, and it'll teach them food names, colors, shapes, and numbers.
10. A Craft-tastic "Make a Fox Friend" craft kit — it comes with all the tools necessary to create their own fox stuffie as well as a wardrobe of clothes and accessories for the fox. It'll teach them the basics of sewing, and it comes with a tote so they can keep all their new crafts in one place.
11. An Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. talking telescope if your little genius is constantly asking you about stars and constellations. This comes with built-in photos from NASA and 240 facts and quiz questions to keep their curiosity alive. AND! The telescope talks in four different languages!
12. A "Role Play Fingerprint Kit" so they can pretend they're Nancy Drew or the Boxcar Children as they learn to find and collect fingerprints around the house. Fair warning: now they'll know exactly who ate the last cookie out of the cookie jar! (Looking at you, pops).
13. A Learning Resources Botley The Coding Robot 2.0 activity set that doesn't even require a screen to help then learn the basics of coding — yes, really! They can program Botley to follow a sequence of up to 150 steps. They'll love seeing the little robot battle obstacles and follow courses they've mapped out for it.
14. A Fat Brain 2-in-1 musical "Jump 'n Toss" game to teach them some valuable motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination. They can either jump over the pole as it spins around (slowly, don't worry), or as a ring toss. Either way, it's sure to provide them (as well as the whole family) with hours of fun.
15. A "Speak & Spell" electronic game if you're looking to give your kids a bit of '80s nostalgia for the holidays. They'll get a kick out of the speech synthesizer reading out words for them to spell!
16. A Lego movie activity kit if even at 6 years old, they have aspirations to be the next big Hollywood director. Get ready to be blown away with how fast they'll catch on to creating stop-motion videos with a phone, tablet, or computer.
17. A marble run set because nothing's more satisfying than creating a tall, winding tower and watching marbles perfectly race down each bridge, funnel, and tube. This will help encourage spatial thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and even teamwork skills if they work on this with friends or siblings.
18. Or this Gravity Maze game if you don't have tons of room in your house but still want them to enjoy the challenge of making a marble weave its way through a puzzle. You'll practically be able to see all the wheels churning in their brain as they try to figure it out!
19. A DIY robot kit to pique their interest in STEM at an early age. They'll love how satisfying it is to build their own robot from scratch and see it move across the living room floor. Best part? You won't need to run to the store to get batteries — this baby is solar-powered!
20. This 100 Words Book to help develop vocabulary in English and Spanish — pretty soon, you'll catch them rattling off the Spanish words for dozens of different items around the house!
21. A monthly subscription to Little Passports, which will send them new interactive material to help them learn about geography, science, and culture. It's a great way to interact with your kids as you work through the monthly kit with them and answer any questions their curious little minds have.
22. A toy cash register so they can learn basic math skills as they play a game of pretend grocery shopping with their siblings or friends. I had one of these as a kid, and I still remember the thrill I would get when I would get the change exactly right!
23. A light-up terrarium kit if they love helping you out in the garden and they want to tend to their very own plants. It'll also teach them about responsibility — they have to water it every day to make sure they have healthy, growing sprouts!
24. A National Geographic Volcano Kit so they can conduct the world's best science experiment right on their kitchen counter. They'll create their own volcano, paint it, and then follow the instructions to make it erupt!
25. A set of incredibly realistic dinosaur figures with an accompanying sound book for the dino-obsessed niece or nephew on your list. Get ready for them to start proudly spouting off new dino facts as well as very authentic rawwwwwwrs to you the next time you visit.
26. A sports center for even the smallest of athletes to get some practice time in. They'll improve their gross motor skills as they score goals and slam dunk, and they'll be endlessly entertained by the LED scoreboard and the 50+ songs, sounds and phrases the center emits.
27. A Melissa & Doug activity book so they can snip, snip, snip away and create all kinds of crafts while they're developing those important fine motor skills.
28. A beginner microscope STEM kit that will make them feel like a bonafide grown-up scientist. It comes with all the necessary equipment to help them examine bugs, leaves, and any other teeny items they want to get a super-close look of.
29. A light-up tracing pad for the little artist in your life who is ready to take their masterpieces to the next level. Watch in amazement as their drawing comes to life as they trace along the lines of the picture below.
You might even learn something new as you join your kid for playtime!
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