As promised, here is our 2017 kids holiday gift guide! Shopping for kids is near impossible and somehow easy at the same time. We have noticed in the past that we tend to overthink buying kids’ gifts. We are so concerned with it being super unique, exciting and something they have been wanting forever. Ultimately we discovered that kids wanting a certain toy is either short lived or once they have it the thrill only lasts a few moments. They are just as happy with a few knick knack toys that they can play with for a few days and be done with. However, if you are planning on buying the bigger items, like a bike, a device or even an instrument, then make sure you are doing thorough research before diving in. With that being said, for the Secret Santa gifts we are getting this year we figured to ask their mommies what the kids are into or what has been on their wishlist (if any) to make life easier. Here are some of the items we have come across.
Holiday Gifts -> $25 and under
1. National Geographic Kids Book: $10 – For those little curious minds, this is a great series that introduces so many things to them for the FIRST time, space, how things work, the wonders of the world and why things happen.
2. Remote Stunt Car with LED lights: $24 – Boys and Girls the same love anything remote. Nina’s girls are always playing with their boy cousins’ remote cars, bikes, etc. Any kid that loves a little action is going to love this.
3. Pretend & Play Doctor Set: $25 – Our kids love this set! They always play doctor on each other and get excited when they go to the real doctor and see all the familiar things! Anything that gets their imagination going is a sure fire hit!
4. Jenga, The Game: $17 – This game is a family fun game. Kids especially love it when the tower comes tumbling down. It is a sure fire gift in any household.
5. Fidget Spinner: $8 – If they don’t already have a million around the house, this is the perfect small gift item for the kids. Their friends at school have surely introduced them to it, why not give them a cool one of their own! If you know their favorite sports team, one with that brand would be exciting for them too!
6. SmartLab Human Body Toy: $22 – For those nerdy kids in the group, this gift will fulfill their desires. This interesting toy takes them into the human body and lets them discover so much about themselves and their bodies.
7. Crystal Growing Experiment: $20 – Kids absolutely love toys that feature some sort of live experiment, especially a growth. This kit would keep those kids busy for hours and they might learn something along the way.
8. Flashing LED Gloves: $13 – How fun! This is the best stocking stuffer ever! The kids would go nuts over these gloves! What kid doesn’t love things that flash and light up? These are the perfect perky gift for the little ones!
9. Sport Balls Set: $11 – Sheena’s boys are obsessed with all sorts of sports balls! They are always buying them wherever they go. Nina’s middle one is a sort of tom boy and loves to throw around the ball with the boys. Any kid will be in heaven with this set of sports balls.
Holiday Gifts -> $25-$50
1. Lawn Bowling Game: $49 – Do all kids love bowling as much as ours? They would love to get their hands on a bowling set that they can set up at home and spend the evening playing together!
2. Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker: $27 – What kid wouldn’t want to make Mickey pancakes? Our would love it for the weekend or holiday mornings the kids really want to get involved in cooking. Gift this with a box of pancake mix and you’re all set.
3. Talking Microscope: $45 – Our kids are obsessed with the microscope, mainly because Nana is working with one all the time. This gives them a chance to discover on their own and pretent play in Nana’s clinic.
4. Marvel Avengers Action Figures: $42 – Let the kids get imaginative with their favorite superheros! This set has 6 inch figures which are perfect for the kids to share and play with!
5. VTech Smartwatch: $45 – Maybe if they have one of their own they’ll leave ours alone? JK! What a fun cool gift for the older kiddies! It has a motion sensor for active play challenges, a pedometer to count steps and fun sound effects, and the best part – it has a Parental Controls setting to limit the play time!
6. Kid K’Nex Building Set: $42 – Again tons of opportunities to build, create, and play! This one is for 3 and up so the little ones can jump in!
7. Marble Genius Marble Run: $45 – Great game (for the older ones that wont choke on marbles) to stem creative structures to let the marbles flow down. Endless possibilities of mazes and formations. And great parent kid game!
8. Writing Tablet: $30 – The kids spend hours on this thing – whether its practicing their artistic skills, letters, taking menu orders or simply doing additional homework problems. The beauty of it for parents is that they cannot erase just one part – so if they make an error it is easy to see what they need more help with. So many things they can do with it – hours of entertainment!
9. Cornhole Game Set: $35 – The boys play this game everytime they go to tailgate with their friends and family. It would also be so fun to have at home so the kids can take it out in the playground once the weather is nice.
Holiday Gifts -> $50-$100
1. Star Wars Legos: $64 – This is a sure fire hit with the boys. All the boys in our households are obsessed with legos and there are just never enough. Even though they are in every corner of the house, seeing them spend hours on building their masterpiece is worth it.
2. Razor Scooter: $62 – Kids love their transportation devices and the more the merrier. Ours also love to have their friends over and share all their rides in the summertime. Never hurts to have a stylin’ scooter to offer or use.
3. Osmo Genius Kit: $67 – This kit is awesome. We love that it allows the kids to play on their iPads, which is what they want to do all day long and learn something at the same time. Educational toys are always a safe gift choice.
4. Radio Flyer Stroll N’ Trike: $96 – Speaking of rides, this little stunner is perfect for the little ones that have not yet learned how to ride a bike or scooter.
5. Camera Drone for Kids: $90 – This is SO cool! For those techy kids that you know would like this kind of stuff, this drone is a perfect price range and make specially for the little ones.
6. Sonicare Rechargeable Kids Toothbrush: $66 – Sheena’s boys use this brush and love it. Kids love it because it is nice and soft, it is easy to hold and not too heavy. Mommy loves it because it is rechargeable so she doesn’t have to run around looking for batteries all the time.
7. Portable Trampoline: $64 – Kids Love Jumping. This is the perfect addition to someone with a basement in their home so it can occupy the kids for long periods of times.
8. Magnatiles: $54 – These magnetic tiles are so fun for the kids to build with. They can build just about anything and have to figure out how to make it stand alone. It is a great tool for them to use their minds.
9. Puro Sound Kids Headphones: $70 – All kids need headphones either for travel, school, iPads or just watching TV on their computers. It is so important to have a well made pair so the sound is completely controlled and doesn’t hurt the kids ears.
We hope you enjoyed both gift guides and would love to hear you as to what you ended up getting for your Secret Santa gift exchanges. It never hurts to have as many ideas as possible. Leave your thoughts and favorite gifts in the comments and win a chance to have your recommendation posted and tagged on our social media! Follow Sheena, Nina, and Dipti on Instagram to see what else is on their holiday gift lists for teachers, friends, and more!
Also be sure to check out our holiday gift guides from 2016, 2015, and 2014! Some gifts are timeless!
