2021 Kids Gift Guide

Happy November! We always welcome this month with open arms because it kicks off our holiday preparation festivities–our favorite time of year. Like a lot of others, I started earlier this year; and it feels good to have a good chunk of holiday shopping done to make room for the other things we love about the season (holiday bucket list and illustrated movie guide coming soon!).

This year’s kid gift guide is made up of favorite gifts our kids have loved that have withstood time and changing interests as well as some new things Santa’s bringing this year. Tomorrow, I’ll post the Gift Guide for Crafty and Creative Kids. With no further ado, the 2021 Kid Gift Guide:

1 – Dictionary Combination Lock Box
This was Dash’s favorite gift last year, given to him by my sister who is good at sweeping in and winning Best Gift Award. It looks like a dictionary, but when you open the cover it’s really a combination lock box to hide your stuff–like fidgets and the candy you stole from your sister and the stick you whittled.

2 – Canon Ivy Instant Camera
This is the kids’ camera we take on all our trips. I like it better than the Instax. It takes photos and prints them on inkless paper that has peel-off backing so you can stick the photos in travel journals. It’s great for everyday photos too.

3 – A-frame Dollhouse
I admit, I sort of bought this for myself. But if you have any kids in your life who’d love a dollhouse, may I present the most charming one on the planet. Add some fake snow and trees on the outside, throw some twinkle lights around it, and you have yourself a Christmas dream.

4 – Initial Baseball Hat
The cutest kids’ baseball cap I’ve seen. Dash is getting one of these this year.

5 – Jellyfish Lamp
This is one gift I bought on a whim, and it quickly became a family favorite and something everyone comments on when they come over (everyone asks if the jellyfish are real :o). The realistic jellyfish movement is highlighted by color-changing lights.

6 – Track a Shark Bracelet
This one made me smile because it’s the perfect gift for Lainey who’s obsessed with all things sharks this year. The bracelet comes with a unique tracking link to a real shark so you can follow him at any time.

7 – Canon Ivy Printer
The instant camera is fun, but if kids are using iPads and phones to take pictures (which allows you to edit photos before printing), you can send them straight to this purse-sized bluetooth printer. We have an comparable version of a this printer (not available anymore), and we love it.

8 – Hoverboard
The gift that keeps on giving. My dad and Gary bought our kids hoverboards a few years ago, and they’ve been loved and used ever since–not only our kids but all the kids that come to visit (cue me, running out to ask if they’ve ever used one…”please put this helmet on”….”Is it okay with your mom?”)

9 – Goodnight Chicago PJs
We love and miss our beloved Chicago trips. While we wait to go back, we’re enjoying these super soft PJs that capture all our Chicago loves from stuffed pizza to the Bean (they also have PJs for New York, L.A. & Texas).

10 – PB Kids Puppy Sleeping Bag
Another gift that keeps on giving! Santa brought these sleeping bags for Nella and Dash a few years ago, and they’ve received so much love since! We move our coffee table aside for all family movie nights and cover the floor with these sweet sleeping bags (the puppy head acts as a little pillow).

11 – Incoherent Family Game
Excited for Santa to bring this one this year–I can already hear the kids laughing.

12 – Walker Family Goods Little Louie Sling
We love our Walker Family treasures in this house from their duffel bags to this little fanny pack that Nella and Dash use for vacations and day trips.

13 – Maileg Cigar Box Mice
Maileg Mice are Save Forever Toys. The kids received their first ones a few years ago but have really gotten into collecting them this past year. They’re so beautiful, have so many charming accessories and fit perfectly in the doll house.

14 – Dinkum Doll
We’ve had a lot of baby dolls over the years, and this is one of our favorites–so well made and one to be saved and passed on to grandkids. The clothes and accessories you can buy for it though–adorable!

15 – LED Wings
These are so much fun to bring out at night! Turn off all the lights, turn on some music (might I suggest Harry Styles), and you have a Vegas show!

16 – Jewelry Box
The girls have accumulated a little stash of jewelry over the years, and this box offers the perfect arrangement of drawers to organize and store their treasures.

17 – The Ponycycle
This is a splurge, but this buddy has received its worth in love. Every kid who visits our house goes straight for the Ponycycle.

18 – Wooden Geoboard Toy
A sneaky educational toy, this geoboard will keep kids busy for hours.

19 – Magnatiles
Outside of dolls and Barbies, our Magnatile set receives the Most Timeless and Well-Loved Toy Award in our home. The kids started playing with them when they were toddlers, and they still delight. If I had to suggest one toy for grandparents or aunts/uncles to keep at their home so kids have something to play with when they visit, Magnatiles would be it.

20 – Personalized Chainstitch Sweatshirt
What kid doesn’t love a present with their name on it? And the chainstitching gives these sweet sweatshirts a classic vintage look.

21 – Glow Racetrack
Santa brought Dash one of these a few years ago, and it still gets played with.

22 – Kids Terry Cloth Robe
My kids loved these more than I anticipated when they received them a couple years ago for Christmas. They love having their own “cozy robes” to slip into after baths and showers.

23 – Lush Rainbow Soap Dough
We’re big fans of Lush’s soap dough. It adds colorful fun to bath time and lathers up and works as soap when you add water.

24 – Today by Julie Morstad
Every child library needs a copy of this book. No matter how many times I read it aloud, my kids love to huddle around me and pick out their favorite choices from each page that presents delightful options for all the things we choose to do and wear and eat and see each day.

25 – Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone
The number of Nella’s Taylor Swift performances this microphone has brought our family–can’t even count.

26 – Personalized Apron
Dash has been so interested in helping in the kitchen more, and Lainey recently asked if we could do nights where the kids cook dinner for the adults. Twist my arm!  These darling aprons come in two different sizes (so many other kids aprons are sizes that are too little for bigger kids) and can be personalized. Dash is getting one for Christmas along with this kids cookbook and these kid knives to create a kids cooking bundle.

27 – eeBoo Children of the World Puzzle
We love eeBoo floor puzzles! 100-piece puzzles are the sweet spot for us–challenging enough to take a little time and yet not too tedious to make you want to check out. This is one of our favorites. The colored border makes edge pieces easy to assemble (helps make it more doable and fun for Nella).

28 – Personalized Basket
The girls have these on their dressers. They’re cute to display but equally functional. We’ve taken ours to the beach to collect shells, used them to stash sunglasses and trinkets and carried them as purses. Skip the gift bag, and use one of these for a personalized touch. Bonus–great price!

29 – Pindaloo Game
A fun coordination challenge game! I smell a Christmas Day Pindaloo competition.

30 – Britannica All New Kids’ Encyclopedia
Dash is my non-fiction lover–he wants to know all the facts on all the things. This beautifully illustrated encyclopedia is sure to entertain his curiosity.

31 – Echo Dot Kids’ Edition
This is how Dash and Nella listen to music in their rooms–not to mention, it comes with a year of Amazon Kids+ which gives them access to thousands of hours of kid-friendly Audible books, games and educational skills. Parental controls give me peace of mind.