Top ideas for the younger set (especially in that 6-and-under category I know best)…
- This tiny Vespa has got to be the cutest balance bike I’ve ever seen.
- A sweet (gender-neutral) backpack for teacher’s pet—even if all it carries is their lunch and a collection of sticky treasures. (Sorry, sold out.)
- We love this Balancing Cactus game: Toddlers will just enjoy getting the pegs in the holes; older kids can pick up speed as they see who makes it tumble first. (Also, good practice for not falling to pieces oneself when assembled toys do.)
- The Land of Nod has a great collection of hallways activities. I could see this bean bag toss being a big hit. (One could also fashion a DIY version, if so inclined!)
- I still have my Flower Press. A good gift for many ages.
- Inspire their imagination with a fairy door—in your yard along a baseboard. (Sometimes you can find these in parks—Golden Gate, for one!)
- If one can die of sweetness, I’m think I’m dying over this fawn bonnet and these bloomers. [Update: similar bloomers]
- This VW Van pop-up tent can go anywhere.
- Hudson loves playing with flashlights and is just figuring out how to make shadow animals with his hands. He’d love this Story Flashlight. (Or one could make up his own story with these nightime shadows.)
- Practice for the budding explorer: A guide to tying sailor Knots. (It’s in French, but the diagrams are the key.)
- Something to read. Consider: The Madeleine Treasury, Nature Anatomy, Atlas of Adventures, or Ballad. (And for you, for them: How to Make Toys.)
- Magnadoodles are our new backseat sanity-saver. This one’s a beauty! (But they’ll love this more reasonable one, too—we have one for each child.)
- Low tech and lots of fun: spinning Tree tops. [similar]
- Real Binoculars are the coolest. (Similar)
- The cutest Animal Patches for their knees (right where they can see them) or their rucksack.
Also, always safe bets: Magnatiles, Playdoh, and bubbles. (These ones are amazing—and stackable. It’s wild. But use them outside.)
And, an idea that doesn’t require wrapping: Passes to their local play center or children’s museum.
P.S. Previous gift guides. Also best toys for preschoolers, picks for one-year-olds, and a DIY felt-project.
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