Ever feel like you just don’t have the brain space to make one more decision or come up with one more creative gift idea for your kids or their friends? Me too! In a state of such mental fog I polled a few friends to come up with some go-to gifts for kids ages 1-10 that won’t break the bank. Here are our favorites to give, or that our kids enjoyed receiving. (I tried to stick with items that are mostly gender neutral, so I’ve left off things such as makeup, or more interest-led such as sports equipment.)
Consider shopping local this year. Here’s a list of Favorite Toy Stores in Columbus.
Kids Gifts Ideas
1-Year-Old Gift Ideas
- Stacking blocks
- Shape sorter
- Board books:: a few favorites are The Hungry Caterpillar, Little Blue Truck, anything by Dr Seuss or anything by Sandra Boynton
- Dimpl Duo
- Stuffed animals
2-Years-Old Gift Ideas
- Wooden Puzzles
- Bubble machine
- Mega Blocks
- Doll (available in multiple ethnicities)
- Construction vehicles
3-Years-Old Gift Ideas
- Color with Water Pads
- Magnetic tiles:: This is probably my favorite kid toy ever because kids age 1 to 10 can all play with them and enjoy them. You can get the pricey brand name ones, but I love this set on Amazon.
- Mr. Potato Head
- Barn
- Kitchen play set
4-Years-Old Gift Ideas
5-Years-Old Gift Ideas
- Fort building kit
- Stomp rocket
- Ice cream gift cards:: To make the gift a little more fun ask for an ice cream bowl and spoon to put the gift card in.
- Walkie Talkies
- Lite-Brite
6-Years-Old Gift Ideas
- Games such as Connect Four, Twister, Tenzi, Operation, Uno and Sequence for Kids (Here’s a related post with family game night ideas too: Modernizing Family Game Night)
- Smart watch
- Digital camera
- Water color set
- Science kit
7-Years-Old Gift Ideas
8-Years-Old Gift Ideas
- Series books such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Last Kids on Earth, Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, Amelia Bedelia and Percy Jackson
- Laser Guns
- Bey Blades
- Journal
- Tie-dye kit
9-Years-Old Gift Ideas
- Gift cards for laser tag or a trampoline park
- Rubiks Cube
- Metal detector
- Inline skates
- Friendship bracelet kit
