For this year’s installment of “gifts your kids will actually play with and not become land-fill items nor just look pretty and take up space on their shelves,” I had my kids, once again, tell me what their favorite gifts have been the last few years – and what they want this year. Of course last year I went rogue/desperate and paid them 25 cents per each gift rec – an odd parenting move for sure. This year I demoted them from the accidental paid kid influencer (I never paid them LOL – jokes on them!) and just kidnapped their favorite things while they were at school after a lengthy “sunday-sundae” information gathering session. Now, my kids are pretty “typical” in a lot of ways, while also being very specific (and opinionated). But they also have like 15 friends over a week and I see what their friends also gravitate towards, so I feel pretty confident about these recs. Don’t just skim this one – while I only shot what they have, I linked up a bunch of alternatives or other things they WANT this year, should you not think the specific thing is right for them. If nothing else it can spark the idea. Starting around 7 or 8 you really lean into their interests, with the normal Lego or stuffy landing less successfully. So listen to them, not me, or my kids. But these are solid ideas that mine LOVE.
I dragged everything into the art barn to shoot – kidnapping it all for the day. Yes, we have everything from their favorite lifelike Comfort Robo-Cat (??!!) to a Razor Go-Cart, art set, the only 3D printer they’ve ever loved, and a few video games that somehow seem like a healthy alternative to the more addictive kind.
Comfort Robo Cat – our kids were begging for a cat, I’m allergic and we were afraid our dogs would kill a kitten, so I found these comfort animals for senior citizens. And well, the rest is history. They got these two years ago and still love them. They purr, roll over, clean their paws and y’all, on a bad day I might pick one up and let it soothe me. They aren’t cheap, but cheaper than cleaning up the tears you’ll have when your kid won’t clean the litter box and you lose your mind having to be in charge of one more thing.
Charlie wants a vintage Game Boy (Urban Outfitters sells refurbished ones – the yellow one on the right) but those are really splurgy. We also got them those pocket Game Boys for their stockings (Tetris and Pacman). Yes, our kids are super into tech, tis the age, so trying to find non-addictive video games or YouTube-based toys is hard. Also, both our kids switched to Kindles for reading (less book clutter) and they love their iPads to make stop motion videos, music videos and use the Procreate and Canva apps. We got them for the birthdays on the last Target Circle sale so def wait til Black Friday for those, and while they are more expensive than tablets, they can do the above things on them which they love (and better for travel as they can download more shows to watch).
The ATM and the disco ball rotating light are two that have been popular in our house with both kids for years (we actually just rebought Elliot’s ATM after 4-5 years because it finally broke). Hot tip: plug in the disco ball for when they come down the stairs, it’s SO FUN (it comes with the right lights, and spins to reflect all over the walls and ceilings versus having to hang from the ceiling and rig up lights – don’t bother with those). Also, these plug-in disco ball lightbulbs are SUCH A HIT and for $12 for TWO, a great price.
Counter Pac-Man: This vintage-style arcade game was one of the big Santa gifts last year and our kids love playing it with friends. It was a fun one to leave out because it had big impact. Still a big hit, and a great video game alternative. Comes with so many different games. Looks like our exact one might be less available (or you’ll need to shop around).
Room Decor – Elliot loves her Cinema light box (we just lost the L on the way to the art barn and didn’t notice it – comes with a ton of letters) and Charlie picked out this yellow smiley face neon light for his room (they have gotten so much more affordable since 2 years ago, and soooo many more designs readily available – I love this one.) They don’t turn them on, it’s just more of a cool tween move to have these as decor.
Both kids are into art, with Elliot being far more of an enthusiast and willing to do it on her own. Last year, I got her a similar easel and art storage kit (not shown) which she LOVES, and then she recently got that art kit for her bday (which is super dialed in for being Target). The best air-dry clay they’ve ever used (and they’ve used a lot) is Hey Clay, which also comes with instructions on how to create a variety of creatures. They fly through them and takes up hours of creative time. She loves these fabric markers (with blank pouches or T-shirts), and these paint markers (from her favorite crafting influencer, WILD, but they are legit great markers). The art kit in the back she just got and LOVES – it makes her feel really grown up and like a serious artist.
The Razor Go Cart was a HUGE hit last year (Charlie’s big present). Charlie is begging for a hoverboard this year (which Elliot broke her arm from in 2020), and he’s promised to gear up. He also wants Uggs 🙂 Elliot wants an electric guitar and also wants slippers and a cozy robe. Other ideas – jewelry boxes (of all kinds) and diaries (with locks on them).
A GREAT Family Present
They got this 3D printer two or three years ago and it’s been a VERY huge hit. They can do it by themselves, but does require an iPad with software and wifi, etc. But once it’s set up the kids love doing it with their friends and make so many different creatures and gadgets. This toy has totally stuck (which is great because it has a lot of parts and was $$). I highly recommend it based on our kids (and their friends) frequent use and love of it but make sure someone is willing to figure out the setup and help them troubleshoot the first few gos. It’s not for everyone (it’s a bit techy for me, but every 8-12 year old seems to be obsessed with it and since it’s so expensive it’s a good “multiple kid” gift IMHO).
A couple of other fun callouts – We have bought MANY magic kits over the years – some fun, but all pretty janky. This small one from Justin Willman (the best magician/comedian out there) is really really good, clever, and SOLID. Plus, all the proceeds go to an Alzheimer’s fund (as his mom passed away from it). Both our kids love this kit and even bought it for some of their friends. That blue orb is a dumb toy that they both love a lot (you throw it up and it lights up and floats around, etc), and they can’t walk past this maze box without doing it (it’s for little kids so I can’t guarantee they’ll love it, but mine have played with it for 5+ years).
We obviously really really try to predict the big hits with varying degrees of success. We all know that what they LOVE on Christmas morning might not have any staying power, and yet we still want them to scream with joy. Squishmallows are in that category (so big and just sit there), and BTW Axolotls are the new unicorns. Brian wants to explore a BB gun, Elliot wants makeup and earrings, and oh, charms are very, very in. As are keychains, hair chalk, and Origami. We are still going to do a younger kid gift guide, too. Hopefully, this gets some ideas going if nothing else. xx
*Photos by Kaitlin Green
