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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. An updated Lite-Brite set that comes with more templates and pegs and is bigger and brighter than the classic 1980s version. This gift might be the most affordable time machine money can buy for kids and, in all likelihood, adults.
2. A Craft-tastic "Make a Fox Friend" craft kit for kids to learn the basics of sewing while putting together a full wardrobe of clothes and accessories for this fantastic (and fabulous) little fox stuffie. No special tools or additional supplies to buy makes this a great all-in-one gift!
3. An animatronic (and amazingly cute) Star Wars Galactic Snackin’ Grogu with over 40 sound and movement combinations including one where the littlest Jedi wants to be picked up. The Force is strong with this prezzie!
4. A handmade (from American maple wood) kids wobble/balance board that allows kids to develop their motor skills and imaginations at the same time. It's a bridge, it's a slide, it's a surfboard, it's whatever they want it to be!
5. A rechargeable kids' karaoke microphone with four voice effects (high pitch, low pitch, chipmunk, and echo) for young crooners to sing along with their favorite songs (via Bluetooth connecting with a music app) or to 30 included Motown hits (like “Superstition”!)
6. A Popdarts suction cup throwing game to encourage players young and old to put down the screens and engage with some good old-fashioned family fun (and competition). There's no more satisfying sound than hearing one of these darts stick to a surface!
7. A water-proof, easy-to-clean, 27-piece jigsaw puzzle popper fidget game for solo or team play. Pop those bubbles and arrange that Tetris-like puzzle all while relieving some stress and employing some serious STEM skills!
8. A Taco vs. Burrito card game (actually created by a 7-year-old) to turn game night into a food fight by adding "disgusting but adorable ingredients" (via cards assigned point values) to your favorite Mexican meals.
9. A glow-in-the-dark Crayola light-up tracing pad with 100+ traceable images so aspiring artists (and inkers) can hone their artistic skills via the medium of colored pencil.
10. A rechargeable (for up to 10 hours of play), roll-up (for easy portability) electronic drum set for beginners ready to rock steady with some block rockin' beats (or any other kind of beats for that matter). The best part of this gift, other than it not being an actual drum kit, is the included headphones for quiet playtime!
11. A ThinkFun Gravity Maze falling marble logic game because kids love marbles and adults love when marbles are contained and aren't spilling out all over the floor.
12. A kids' origami kit that inlcudes 54 different paper projects (and luckily 55 pieces of paper) for nimble little fingers to learn the fine art of paper folding. Just be prepared for the migration of cranes that will soon be landing all over your home.
13. An indoor/outdoor hanging seat hammock to give kids a peaceful place to escape to while enjoying the soothing swinging sensations from their own little above-ground nook.
14. A durable metal Big Dig sandbox digger crane with 360-degree rotation for serious backyard, beach, or playground excavation projects. No permit needed! Just a great prezzie the kiddies will, um, totally dig!
For ages 3+
Promising review: "I don't write reviews often but we have had this for two days and my boys (3 and 5) woke up at 6:30 a.m., ate breakfast, and got dressed and hustled outside on a gloomy rainy mid-February morning in Seattle to play with this. They normally fight over whose turn it is, but instead they have been taking turns and playing like civil humans for an hour already. Best toy ever, bought a second one already so they don't have to share because there's only so long siblings can go before someone throws down." —Rk
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $53.19.
15. A three-chord Loog Mini acoustic guitar so you can start teaching your little punk kid the entire Ramones catalog. Comes with flashcards of chord diagrams and full access to the Loog Guitar app. Hey! Ho! Let's go!
16. A "magic" light up floating nebula orb drone for taking games of "Keepy-Uppy" to the next level thanks to the ball's ability to move at different angles and speeds, just like a UFO!
17. A wooden slingshot with 10 felt poms for ammo that'll ensure even with the best of aim, no one will get hurt and nothing will be damaged!
18. A two-sided Learning Resources "Big Feelings Pineapple" so kids can learn emotions (as well as their opposites) and express their big feelings (and little ones too). Adult bonus to this gift? You can store all the parts inside the pineapple!
For ages 3+
Promising review: "We love this pineapple! It’s been a great help for us when we talk about emotions as a family. I really like the feelings poster (would love if it was a bit larger!) and I love that the pineapple has two sides. Learning Resources products are impressive! I also appreciate the online resources they have (free printables) that can be used with the pineapple. Highly recommend!" —Katie Shuknecht
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $6.49.
19. A Kids Against Maturity card game with 600 question and answer cards filled with "age-appropriate toilet humor and funny innuendos" the whole family can enjoy. The player who gives the funniest answer to the fill-in-the-blank questions is the winner. But, really, there are no losers here either.
20. An easy-to-use Melissa & Doug wooden multi-craft weaving loom to encourage the kids to make art that's "wearable, usable, and displayable." It's a gift that says, "Get lost, screen time, I'm making something!"
21. A "Speak & Spell" electronic game that can only be described as a "retro-tablet from the '80s" for teaching kids how to spell. The best part is the old-school speech synthesizer that's been used in quite a few song samples (looking at you, Beck!).
22. A 19-inch tall (!!!) Transformers Kingdom: War for Cybertron Autobot Ark action figure packed with accessories (like another robot that turns into the ship's computer) that'll take all of 26 steps to change from spaceship to giant robot. Truly, more than meets the eye!
23. A tramapoline, uh trampampoline, no, OK, an 8-foot "Jump N’ Dunk" trampoline with a safety net so no one bounces out and takes a header into the backyard lawn.
24. A two-pack of Pop Fidget llama sensory toys that kids will literally decompress in order to, well, decompress themselves if they're feeling stressed or anxious. Such a simple (and helpful) solution.
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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