Home The best gifts for kids this holiday season
News and Views

The best gifts for kids this holiday season

AFP
christmas gift holiday
(© Konstantin Yuganov – stock.adobe.com)

In many ways, it has never been easier to find great holiday gifts for kids. There are tons and tons of amazing new games, apps, toys, and activities that are educational and lots of fun for your little ones and the entire family. While not all gifts need to be academic to be valuable to your child’s development, it’s a great idea to look for things that stimulate your child’s imagination, creativity and show that learning and fun can go hand in hand. We often remember things better and more clearly when we have a good time doing them. Things like Legos and building toys teach kids about organization and pattern building. Games teach them about decision-making and strategy. Arts and crafts let them explore expression. Any gift you give your child is an opportunity to learn something and connect with them to create lasting memories. This list will provide any family with great ideas for this holiday season. Let’s look at a few fun, safe and educational gifts to consider for any kid this coming holiday season.

Caribu

Caribu is a new app that allows you to read books, create art, color, and play games together in real-time. In addition, Caribu lets families connect and learn together using video calling to engage in fun activities together. With a three-month subscription, your entire family can have access to all of these fantastic features with just one family license. So invite any family members to join for free and let the fun begin this holiday season.

Science kits

Science kits that let kids do things like grow crystals, ecosystems and explore the outdoors are great ways to get your children excited about science. These are enjoyable activities that will entertain your children for their entire school break, and maybe longer! Science kits are great because they require a longer-term involvement than just opening it up and getting bored within a few minutes. You’ll need to explore the process together and observe the results to get the whole experience.

Coding and robotics kits

There have been numerous platforms and products that allow kids to explore simple electronics, coding, and robotics concepts in recent years. This is a fantastic opportunity to show them what they can do with technology, and get them thinking about complex mathematics at an early age. Kids First Coding and Robotics Kits by Fat Brain Toys is a great and comprehensive kit to get your kids building and coding early.

A classic in any millennial household, Lego remains one of the best gifts for kids and even toddlers. Lego allows children to build scenes from their favorite movies and video games and teach them patterns and basic building structures. Legos are one the best toys in terms of fun and learning without centering the focus around being educational. It’s just about building whatever you want, but in the process, they will start to understand how and why certain things fit together and why other things don’t. This is an essential developmental growth point for kids.

Instax Mini Camera

The polaroid style is making a comeback with the Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera. This camera is a simple point-and-shoot portable camera that delivers fantastic nostalgic polaroid prints. Instax cameras are a great addition to have around the house for the holidays, and they will let your kids create lasting memories for themselves of their favorite moments through the season! In addition, this could be an excellent opportunity to create a family scrapbook that you all add to every year.

Lite Brite

Anyone born in the 90s will remember the Litebrite light-up board that allows you to create your designs using colored pegs that illuminate beneath the light board. This is a great learning tool for kids and a boatload of nostalgic fun for the whole family.

For kids in 2021, look for gifts that will not only be fun for them to play with but create an opportunity for them to socialize with both you and the rest of your family. Any toy that encourages collaboration, creativity, and communication will be an excellent gift for your child’s development, confidence, and joy this holiday season. Gift-giving is a big part of winter holiday celebrations every year. Still, it’s more about finding activities that can connect your child with the world around them and create memories that your family can look back on for a lifetime.

 
 




Featured Video

 

AFP

AFP

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora and YouTube. Support AFP by signing up for our newsletter and/or powering our work with a one-time or monthly contribution.

Latest News

uva football tony elliott
Football, Go 'Hoos

UVA Football: Still trying to figure out the Tony Elliott buyout terms, if, you know

uva football
Football, Go 'Hoos

UVA Football: First look at Wake Forest, which wants the ‘Hoos in all-orange

Wake Forest and Virginia reportedly had an agreement in the summer to go black (Wake) and orange (Virginia) with their uniform color schemes for their scheduled Saturday, Oct. 31 game.

police court law
Local

How we got here: Summary of U.S. v. Valerie Hayes, the ‘Mennonite kidnapping’ case

In the late hours of July 29, 2018, a young Old Order Mennonite couple were getting ready for bed. The government says that’s when a long, drawn-out plan to kidnap five Old Order children from two respective families and execute their parents came to end.

Staunton fire department house
Local

Staunton: Fire department relocating temporarily due to renovations

tv
Football, Politics

Fox Sports runs America Next TV ad ‘Full of Hate’ on weekend football broadcasts

kymora johnson chance mallory uva basketball
Basketball, Go 'Hoos

UVA Basketball: Kymora Johnson, Chance Mallory named to preseason watch lists

Politics, Sports

MAGA group wants to force VHSL to let homeschool kids try out for high school teams