Gift buying around Christmas time can be very overwhelming, especially if you are trying to go easy on the toys and buy for multiple children. Years ago, I landed on aiming for a 1-2 books, an item of clothing, a game/puzzle/hobby gift, art supplies, and a few open ended type toys per child. This has decreased the overwhelm for me quite a bit. I decided to compile a list of things that we have really enjoyed over the year or have our eye on for this year. I hope this helps you with your gift buying this year! Let me know in the comments if you have any additions.

Books! I love adding to our home library by giving books for Christmas. Usually, I am giving a mix of non-fiction books that will spark interest in different topics, I Spy and activity books, to story books or novels I know they will love.

Here are some of my favorite Treasury style books to give as gifts. Most of these have reduced prices for Black Friday:

1. James Herriot’s Treasury for Children 
2. The Complete Brambly Hedge
3. A Little House Picture Book Treasury: Six Stories of Life on the Prairie
4. Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury
5. Jan Brett’s Animal Treasury
6. Keats’s Neighborhood: An Ezra Jack Keats Treasury
7. Beatrix Potter Treasury
8. The Folk Tale Classics Treasury
9. The Paddington Treasury

Paperpie (formerly Usborne Books)

Paperpie (formerly Usborne Books) has some of my favorite non-fiction activity books out there. These books make amazing additions to your home library or as gifts for friends. Here are some quick links to my favorite things they offer:

1. Graphic Novels-The Robin Hood one is my favorite!
2. Experiment/Lab Kits – I am going to get the Architecture one for one of my kids this year!
3. Encyclopedias
4. 24 Hours In… – We have 24 Hours in Space and In the Jungle and plan to add 24 Hours in Antarctica this Christmas. I love these graphic novel style books because they tell a story but have so much great non-fiction information. 
5. Illustrated Classics – They have great options like Alice in Wonderland, Around the World in Eighty Days, Heidi, Black Beauty, and Little Women
6. Lift the Flap (Upper Elementary) – I have my eye on Lift the Flap Biology, See Inside the Microscopic World and See Inside Atoms and Molecules 
7. Lift the Flap (Elementary) – We love Look Inside Your Body, Wild Weather, and Look Inside Space. 
8. Activity Books – They have awesome sticker books, maze books, drawing books and more!
9. Stories – my favorite picture books and storybook collections are: Where Happiness Lives, A Tale of Two Beasts, Farmyard Tales (20 short stories of 2 kids on a farm… one of my favorites for ages 2-6), Aesops Stories for Little Children (my favorite collection of Aesop stories), Nibbles (there are a few in this series now and all of my kids adored these stories and still ask for them).
10. Puzzles  – I love their solar system, planet earth, and dinosaur puzzles.

Stocking Stuffers:

1. Pocket Microscope
2. Rubix Cube
3. Slinky
4. Wooden Sword
5. Learning Wrap-Ups
6. Dinosaur Excavation Eggs
7. Walkie Talkies
8. Mini Squiz
9. Yo-Yo
10. Old Maid Cards
11. Tiny Polka Dot Game – great for learning numbers up to 10
12. Match a Leaf – A Tree Memory Game – a beautiful game for learning tree names
13. Mini Magna Tiles – great for traveling

Games: Games are great for having fun as a family and building skills such as logic, reasoning, strategy, counting, and the list goes on! Here are some fun ones to consider.

1. Storytime Chess – Legitimately taught me and my son how to play chess. They include a storybook that goes through how each piece is supposed to move on the board. It’s awesome!
2. Dragonwood – My 8 year old son loves this fantasy game. We play it together all the time. 
3. 5 Crowns – Gin Rummy style game where the wild card rotates each round. This game is a great way to practice adding double digit numbers (you count your score after each round) and strategy.
4. Racko – this game is a simple but fun game for the whole family (8 and up can probably play on their own) where you have to put your cards in numerical order from smallest to greatest. 
5. Rubik’s Race – We got this game last year and everyone loved it!
6. Qwirkle
7. Trekking the National Parks
8. Trekking Through History
9. Ticket to Ride
10. Ticket to Ride First Journey
11. Shut the Box – This game is particularly good for learning sums up to 12. However, there is so much strategy to it that you can enjoy it even if you have those facts down.
12. Sleeping Queens
13. Dixit – Storytelling Game
14. Gravity Maze
15. Nature Study Games – I love these nature themed games: Ocean Bingo, Match a Leaf, Bird Memory Game, Cat Bingo & Match a Track are just a few. They are beautiful, fun for the whole family, and teach you names of things in nature.

Subscriptions/Activity Kits: Giving a subscription is a great way to help your child explore some of their interests or try something new. 

1. Crunch Labs – Engineering Subscription Box by Mark Rober (former NASA engineer)
2. Kiwi Crate – Maker kits for all ages
3. MEL Science Kit – Science Experiments in Chemistry, Physics, STEM, Space, and More!
4. Raddish Kids – Cooking and Baking Subscription Box
5. Young, Wild, and Friendman – Playdough and Sensory Kit
6. Universal Yums – a monthly box of info, games, and snacks from a different country
7. Life in a Rotting Log Kit -not a subscription

Art Supplies: I love giving Art supplies because it can create a whole stir of creativity and inspiration. 

1. Clay – This is the clay we have at The Orchard that the kids love to play with. It doesn’t dry out so you can use it over and over again. 
2. Watercolor Set – My kids each have one of these sets. You can put water in the brush that comes with the set, so all the child has to do is squeeze the pen to get the water they need.
3. Watercolor Pad
4. Do a Dot Markers – Do a Dot Markers are fun for all ages, great for developing motor skills in little ones, and less messy than traditional paint.  
5. Wicki Sticks
6. Colored Pencil Set – we have been impressed by this set we own from Amazon
7. Paint Markers
8. Wood Carving Kit
9. Woobles Crochet Kit
10. Latch Kit

Open Ended Toys (Preschool – Elementary): These are toys that can be played with in a variety of ways. Children are able to use their imaginations to create and build however they want.

1. Magna Tiles– These are played with almost daily at my house and have endless uses. If I could only have one toy in my house, it would be this!
2. Wooden Blocks
3. Bristle Blocks
4. Lego
5. Marble Run
6. Play Silks
7. Magnetic Blocks – I love these as much as magna tiles
8. Lincoln Logs
9. Calico Critters
10. Magnetic Fort Building Set – These are pricey but would make a good group gift idea to send to grandparents

Gifts for Upper Elementary to Middle School

1. Hammock
2. Mini Karaoke Machine
3. Longboard
4. Cake Decorating Set
5. Latch Kit
6. Poloroid Camera
7. 3D Printing Pen
8. Jewelry Making Kit
9. Puppet
10. Light Up Message Board

Educational Toys

1. Letter Transformers
2. Beaker Creatures Alien Experiment Lab
3. Circuit Switchboards

I hope to add to this list as the years go on so please let me know if there is a book, toy, game, brand that your family is loving! Merry Christmas!