I try to pay attention to which games and toys get the most play with the kids and their friends, and there have definitely been some solid hits lately! A few people asked, after Hudson’s birthday, for some suggestions as to what make great gifts for first and second graders, so I’ve listed those favorites below. I’d love to hear what ideas others have to add…
Games to play with others. Two of the biggest hits with Hudson this year were card games: Sleeping Queens has been a lot of fun for all of us—with just the right balance of strategy and luck; and a classic deck of cards with a book of games for kids opened up all kinds of new possibilities. Of course it’s a great age for Uno, too! And Pokémon—but I’m lost when it comes to that. Here’s a post with more of our favorite games (right now).
Books and gift sets that help them make slime, crystals, and rockets—and do all kinds of cool science-y stuff. Hudson just got this Makers Lab book (the sequel to this one) and made the water rocket with Aron this weekend. He’s already looking up his next project!
In a similar vein, stomp rockets are always a hit. The dueling one is especially fun.
Arts and crafts supplies. Watercolor sets, weaving looms, lumps of clay… all fantastic! Kids Made Modern makes a great arts and crafts library.
I’ve also seen these LCD Writing Tablets popping up lately, and they seem like a great gift for kids who like to draw.
Legos. There’s a themed set for everyone—including Harry Potter fans!
Things that bounce could be an appropriate suggestion for a huge age range of children. But I’ve found that most first- and second-graders I know would especially appreciate their own red bounce ball for practicing their newly-emerging four-square skills.
A good laugh. “You’re so silly” is a huge compliment, and making you laugh is the ultimate get. Hudson reads Silly Jokes for Silly Kids and tries to stockpile the best ones for later. Current favorite? “Did you hear the one about the butter?” “I butter not tell you, it might spread.”
In fact, it’s a good age for whoopee cushions and other practical jokes.
Something soft and cuddly. It wouldn’t be the first thing to come to mind, but Hudson and plenty of his friends have a serious thing for Beanie Boos. And anything giant—like a giant stuffed bear—would still get plenty of love.
Books they can read by themselves. Safe bets in our house are all the Dave Pilkey books—like Dog Man and Captain Underpants (probably how Hudson started reading). Hudson’s teacher just told us they would love more copies of these in Spanish for free reading time because everyone wants them. Two other picks? The Lemonade War series and Charlotte’s Web.
And some other items I’ve written about in the last year:
and a Perplexus ball.
Finally, our gift to Hudson this year was a skateboard by SkateXS—which is designed for kids. He loves it! But it’s not hard to make this kid happy. It seems the rumors are true: seven is a pretty sweet age!
P.S. This year’s gift guide for the Kiddo was one of my most favorite!
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