What are your best gift ideas by age group for kiddos? Let’s discuss — if you’ve got a child who just aged out of a certain age group we’d love to hear what they loved while they were in it!
Pictured above, clockwise: play kitchen / spelling puzzles / Magnatiles / balance bike / beginner chess / blank coupon book
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A few thoughts from me on the toys my kids actually played with during the different age ranges…
Ages 0-2 – I think some of the best gifts you can get are experiences for the family! Anything that makes it easier to bring your child along with you — stroller attachments, baby carriers, etc, etc.
Ages 2-4 – Magnatiles! Play kitchens and other pretend play sets. Quality blocks. Anything Melissa & Doug. All the playdoh stuff. My youngest was super into puzzles at this point, also (we loved this one from Melissa & Doug), as well as tangram-type games like these awesome “imagination patterns” from Mindware. A balance bike, Big Wheel, scooter (or all 3) plus a good helmet are good ideas around now. Anything involving water play was also a big hit around this age, including those big water towers for summertime.
Ages 4-6 – My kids still both enjoyed Magnatiles at this age; I’d also say this was a big age for a ton of art projects — having paints, brushes, good paper, and other materials is a big help. Board games also start to be a more reliable gift — there’s a huge line of “junior” games from Parker Brothers.
Ages 6-8 – My eldest started to get into Nerf guns and Xbox/Steam/Nintendo games around here. No-Stress Chess is excellent. I think both boys got their own iPad around this point in time also. I’ve tried to get them into more educational games and apps like Tynker and Osmo but I don’t think either of them consider it “gifts.” Depending on what their bedroom looks like, now is also a good time to get rid of baby decor and upgrade to “little kid” decor.
Ages 8-10 – My eldest is here now and it’s a hard age to buy for — all he wants is Fortnite money and so forth. But he’s also at the very beginning stages of the pre-teen years, where Mom and Dad become less cool — I’m hoping in 2021 we’ll definitely get more family experiences. I’m also (shhh) thinking of getting him a virtual cooking class to do from afar with his beloved grandma, who he hasn’t seen in person for months and months now. I actually just got him a blank coupon book from Amazon that I plan to fill out with things like “breakfast with mom,” “day off school,” “weeknight movie,” etc.
How about you, readers — what are the gifts that actually got played with by age? What gifts are you most excited to get your kids this year — and what are they (or will they be) excited about this year?
AnotherAnon says
Can confirm that the most popular gift with a 2.5-3.5 y/o boy are: balance bike (the one linked) and magnatiles (think we have the picasso tiles version).
katy says
If you have a 2 – 3 year old and don’t have a balance bike, do yourself a favour and get one! Especially handy in COVID times. We used it everyday (once the deep snow was gone) in quarantine, until at age 3 he learned to ride a pedal bike with no training wheels.
We have a hand-me-down Strider brand bike that I originally bought for my nephew 7 years ago (his 2nd birthday). It has gone through 3 boys with TONS of use. The adjustable height seat (and handle bars) is key. I can easily carry the bike in one hand. Highly, highly recommend that brand.
[After a couple early spills we also purchased the Strider brand elbow and knee pads and they were great – mostly for mom’s piece of mind. Obviously you need a helmet too.]
Anon says
I do Legos paired with a book. Duplos from ages 1-4, classic open-ended Lego sets for 5-7, and then bigger Lego sets for 8+. Around tween age, I start doing gift cards for a favorite store or website paired with something smaller yet “cool-ish” like themed scrunchies or socks or water bottle stickers.
P says
For a second birthday I suggest a doll with stroller (the play stroller is a big hit with both girls and boys), a wheelbarrow, a puzzle with 30-48 piece, gardening tools.
For a third birthday, a hiking backpack and a stickers crafts book were favorites.
3.5 is a good age for a first real bicycle.
B says
Duplos, play doh and anything Melissa and Doug for 1-4 and Legos and kinetic sand sets 5+. Oldest is 6 now :). My kids also love board games so we always get a couple new ones at start upping age ranges. I actually ordered Tubelox this year so hoping they are a hit (especially considering cost!) since they love building with blocks I think they will get lots of use. For older nieces and nephews we get the teen board/card games with funny questions (similar to Apples to Apples) and they were a hit.