I’m SO excited about this years Christmas list for our kids! So far I’ve made a list with 8 affordable kids Christmas gifts to spark creativity and I just hope my kids end up loving what I’ve selected as much as I think they will!
This will be our second Christmas here in the beautiful PNW. Last year was so special being so near to all the evergreens and snow. The only downside was my husband and I were still recovering from moving from the Midwest and last winter was so hard on us health wise! Finances were a little tighter than normal too, and my husband had to work half of Christmas day!
Perhaps it’s needless to say I’m looking even more forward to this Christmas. There’s just something so special about being among the snow and evergreens for Christmas!
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Since we have a larger family I wanted to get a head start and begin collecting gifts in October, but we ended up blowing the budget fighting off a miserable flea infestation that our girls kitty brought in! It was a nightmare!
So I’m just getting started on the Christmas shopping. Because of October’s curve ball I don’t know yet if we will be able to get everything on the list, but I’m praying we will be able to and just leaving that in the Lord’s hands. We may have to stretch Christmas out over two months, but that will just extend the joy, right?!
Why I Like Toys That Spark Creativity for Christmas
Being a homeschool mom means I’m always wearing two hats-usually both at the same time. One is a teacher hat, one is a mama hat. It took some getting used to initially but I think wearing both hats comes pretty much natural most the time now.
My point in explaining that is because all the gifts on the Christmas list are undercover educational and sensory toys!!! Sneaky sneaky teacher/mama!! What can I say, when you are a homeschool mama on a budget your brain is just wired differently and you look for ways to sneak education in any way you can, lol!
But there’s another reason I love selecting toys that double as educational toys.
For many years we lived in a very small home. By the time we had our fifth child we had been squeezing into homes that were 1,100 square ft and less for 11 years. Through that time we learned minimalism in pretty much every area of life, including toy minimalism (which I highly recommend doing before Christmas!).
It was during those years I discovered which toys were just junk and clutter to my kids and which ones were of value and brought the most extended quality play time. I talked about this in my post, Minimizing Toys.
The toys I’ve included below fit the criteria for being among the types of toys that get the most play miles, and the kind it seems most children enjoy the most!
Before you think this is going to be a boring list take a look! Here’s what’s on the list.
A wooden rainbow. I can’t decide between this one;
I’ve been eyeing these wooden rainbows for about 1.5 years now. I recently took a closer look at them and realized all of the things kids can do with them! Here’s a YouTube link-check out how versatile these are in play!
I would love to get this Rain Rush toy for the youngest (above). I know he would love it! I might not be able to get it for Christmas- if not it will make a good birthday present.
Below; I’ve been meaning to get these for about a year now. Did you know that toys like these wooden dolls are good for children’s brains and inspire creativity and imagination? I know my 4 year old especially is going to love these so they are a must have for Christmas. I know they will get miles of play and they are under $15.00! I’m trying to decide whether we will paint them or leave them as is….If there are any Montessori and Waldorf mom’s out there I would love your input on this!
We’ve been building our kids Lego’s collection for quite some time now. I think everybody knows that Lego’s are good for kids development but just in case you haven’t had a chance to look into it check out this article on the Top 10 Ways Legos Are Educational. I’m hoping we can finally go for the gusto and get the big set this year! If not I’ll just get a smaller set.
Below; I’m hoping to get this for the youngest with high hopes it will entertain him while I’m teaching the older kids lessons.
So far here’s what we have already collected.
I’ve recently discovered CubicFun 3 D puzzles. One of our middle boys still struggles with living in town vs the country, and he get’s bored easily. He loves building things though and so I thought these might be of particular interest to him.
I want to get all these puzzles for the kids as geography enrichment for school! I started with London though. I think both the middle boys will love putting these together! I love that they will be getting a little culture and learning while they play!
Below; You guys! THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! When I bought it I thought it was just a beautiful book. Once it came in the mail I realized it’s a cut out book to teach the children the phases of the moon! So not only is it lovely but it’s totally BRILLIANT! I want to collect all of Britta’s beautiful books now!
I got this for our youngest (below). He get’s to play on one in the Dentists office and there was also one at the eye Dr.s and he had so much fun with it, so I decided it would be a perfect gift for him.
I don’t know about you but these toys get me SO excited for Christmas this year! Do you have your Christmas shopping done yet? Leave a comment and let me know how your Christmas preparations are going!
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All of these are great options, Legos are so much fun and great for building a creative mind.
These are brilliant ideas! It’s 30 days before Christmas and to be honest, I haven’t completed my list yet. My son would love the CubicFun 3D puzzles. Can’t wait to check all the available designs. Thank you for sharing.
I love all these ideas! Puzzles and books are some of my favorite kid gifts to give. The doll bodies look like a lot of fun to paint and even create little clothes for!
These are great gift ideas for kids! I’m always looking for toys that spark creativity in my toddler. Thanks for sharing!
These are great ideas. I especially love puzzles and legos.
These are some great idea! My daughter would probably love the Moon book, cars, and rainbow!
Giving gifts that make kids think is the best gift you can give 🙂
These are all incredible gifts, and my kiddos either HAVE enjoyed them over the years, or (Legos) are still enjoying them! And yes, I’m almost done w/my shopping 🙂
We are always looking for toys! I love the wooden rainbow.
These are great ideas. I loove the wooden rainbow!
These are all great gifts. Most kids love LEGO sets.
Unexpected expenses around the holidays are the worst! My son always loves playing with those roller coaster toys at the doctor’s office, too. I should add it to his Christmas list!
I love that London 3D puzzle! We had one of the statue of liberty it was fun to build. My daughter loves art sets. We have some cool fashion design ones. Legos she is obssesed with,although that might be the opposite of toy minimalism, since they have taken over her entire room!
Great list of toys. I love toys that are multi use because kids can definitely come up with much more imaginative ways of playing than adults. It’s so useful to have toys where they can rearrange them as they see fit.
Your living room looks fantastic. Thank you for all the great Christmas ideas!
I absolutely love this guide. Inspiring creativity in our kiddos is so important
I’m a huge fan of educational toys. I needed some ideas for my kids this year. I love the 3-D puzzle and just a big ol box of legos to inspire creativity!
These are great gift ideas! Our kids are big fans of all the wooden toys!
What wonderful toy suggestions. I’ve been debating about legos for my son but think I’ll wait until he’s a bit older.
I love the peg people. We paint ours! Last year I painted a set of our family for her Christmas gift. I also have made a nativity sets and Shakespeare characters. I also let my kids paint their own occasionally.
Toys are taking over our house and the kids dont even play with the majority of them. it terrible. I have been trying to cut back and buying more educational toys or things that will last years but telling other people not to buy toys for the kids doesnt always go over well. That 3D puzzle looks pretty cool and would fun for the whole family.
I love the simplicity of the wooden dolls! They can become so many things and inspire creativity in the littles.
These are so cute! I love gifts that get kids to be creative!
As a former teacher and kid at heart, I love educational toys and games. Our children always loved playing with Legos and I love this 3D puzzle idea too.