Welcome to the Gifts for Kids section of our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide. Be sure to visit all the other categories in our guide, including Toys and Games.
(Gift Guide – sponsored. Affiliate links may be in post, where I could earn a commission for any purchases made.)
Gifts for Kids
Wonderbly
Beginning in 2013, Wonderbly has been busy creating the world’s most personalized children’s books. Their mission: to inspire as many children as possible to be more confident, kind and curious readers, by turning them into the hero of their own story. Now if I know kids, I know they love to be the center of attention, so if you turn them into the hero of their own story, it’s guaranteed to be a practically perfect gift idea.
With 32 titles, Wonderbly has sold over five million books around the world in seven different languages. Magical storytelling combined with a personalization can’t help but result in a better and more meaningful experience for kids. Wonderbly excels in this, making kids relate better to storylines and key messages like courage, kindness, friendship, and curiosity.
All Wonderbly personalized books are priced at $29.99 in softcover & $39.99 in hardcover and are shipped worldwide within 48 hours. Add a special dedication for free.
FYI: Wonderbly books are printed on thick, luxurious paper that’s partly recycled (FSC-certified) and are made in USA.
Check out a few of their bestsellers – Where Are You? (where the child is turned into a character who must be found in a search and find book), Bedtime For You and I Love You This Much, but discover the magic of the new books (some holiday picks) below.
I Love You More Than Christmas (perfect for ages 0 to 4) is a cozy, cuddly holiday book new this year (with personalization up to four children) to show how much you love them at this time of year. Full of the magic of Christmas, it’s a wonderful present for a baby’s first Christmas, to be enjoyed every year as they grow. It also makes a delightful gift for older siblings, who’ll love seeing themselves in their own Christmas story alongside their brothers and sisters. And of course, it’s just perfect for curling up and reading together as a family, year after year!
The Elf Who Saved Christmas (ages 0 to 8) is the perfect book for getting into the Christmas spirit. What child wouldn’t love to be Santa’s favorite elf? In this festive, fun-stuffed new tale, they can be! Your child gets not one, not two, but FOUR unique elf names as they adventure around the North Pole.
Forget plastic toys or throwaway gadgets. In Christmas Wishes (perfect for ages 0 to 8), you choose four things to guide a child through the whole of their life – from Compassion and Adventure, to Strength, Friendship, Wisdom, Joy, Patience, Wonder and Laughter.
Begin a new chapter of family Christmas traditions with this magical personalized story. The Christmas Snowflake is a charming, personalized book all about the importance of being with the people you love that can be personalized for up to 9 different family members.
Your Remarkable Rebels (perfect for ages 6 to 12) takes children on an extraordinary tour through history – meeting real-life role models and learning what it takes to stand up for your beliefs. It’s a time-travelling, mind-blowing inspiration extravaganza! Choose three remarkable rebels you most want to inspire a child, from Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Frida Kahlo, Florence Nightingale, Amelia Earhart, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Each rebel has a particular quality they pass on to the child, from courage to creativity.
Our adorable personalized grandparent stories, I Love Grandma This Much and I Love Grandpa This Much let little ones show their grandparents how enormously they’re loved, every single day. Just add the names of up to four grandchildren, add their personalized dedication and we’ll weave them into a heart-melting keepsake. It’s the most thoughtful gift for grandparents and you can change grandpa to papa or whatever your kids call them.
SHOP: Wonderbly.com
Little Learning Hands World Explorers Subscription Kit
The traveler in me is over the top excited about my latest subscription box discovery. Oh, what fun this will be for the little adventurers in your life. While we might not be back to traveling around the world just yet, we can dream, and the Little Learning Hands World Explorers Subscription Kit will help the kids in our lives do exactly that.
Little Learning Hands World Explorers is the only kids subscription box that blends hands-on learning activities, life skills building and global awareness. Each box is packed with hands-on, screen-free, STEM/STEAM activities, crafts, science projects, recipes, souvenirs and fun fact booklets to teach your child through play. Great as a gift, rainy day activity, after school supplemental activity or homeschool curriculum activity.
Each box includes:
- A 3D puzzle
- A 2nd activity (arts and crafts, science experiments, others that build life skills)
- Booklet full of fun facts and learning
- 2 recipe cards
- 4 table talk cards for whole family fun
- Sticker, flag, play money to mark off the exploration of a new country.
In addition, the welcome kit features a scratch off map of the world, a passport and a backpack to accompany the child throughout the journey of exploration.
Some of the boxes will be themed around France, China, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Japan, Italy, India and more!
Age recommendation: They are suited best for children 6-12 years old.
Why is it even more relevant nowadays? These kits have everything needed to provide children days of entertainment and learning disguised in play. They can be enjoyed by kids alone or as a family to build connections and foster bonding. In today’s world of working form home, managing life, home, kids and sometimes virtual school, this is a great resource to give parents some relief without the guilt of screen time as well as supplement learning in a fun and engaging way.
FYI: 5% of Little Learning Hands profits go to support Children International – an organization fighting children poverty.
SHOP: LittleLearningHands.com or their Amazon listing.
EcoVessel FROST Reusable Water Bottles
Kids will love sipping from their FROST reusable water bottle, while parents will feel good knowing that water, juice, chocolate milk, or any favorite drink will stay cold and fresh for hours. This colorful bottle features an inner silicone straw for easy tilt-free drinking, making it convenient for kids to keep healthily hydrated.
The FROST kids stainless steel water bottle features EcoVessel’s signature TriMax® Triple Insulation and will insulate drinks throughout the school day up to 36 hours. Voted Best Kids Water Bottle by Outside Magazine for the Best Kids’ Winter Gear of 2020.
Made for kids ages 3 and up, the FROST water bottle is BPA Free, has a 100 year warranty, and fits most lunch boxes and bags. Kids will love it (and parents too) because of it’s tilt-free drinking capabilities – less mess!
Check out the fun designs, which include unicorns, butterflies, dinosaurs, space, and more. A great stocking stuffer idea!
SHOP: EcoVessel.com
Natalie Note Children’s Book
Just released on October 7th, author Carly Chrite has a children’s tale with a message that is universal.
Perfect for grandkids, nieces/nephews, elementary teaches, music teachers, and for your own kids (I’m always adding to our library), Natalie Note should be on your gift list.
What makes you special? Join Natalie Note and her family as she explores how important it is to embrace the unique and special qualities we all possess, through a musically inspired story.
Natalie Note longs to be like her sister but finds out she is perfect just the way she is. Growing up, we can sometimes struggle wanting to be like our older siblings or our best friend but we are all special just the way we are. Natalie note is also a musical narrative so it teaches kids about musical notation.
Natalie Note is great for families & beginner readers ages 5 & up as it’s a picture book with 28 pages.
The author’s hope is that through Natalie Note we can create conversations with our children reminding them why they are special and how important it is to be who we are created to be.
UPDATE and Chance to Win: The new Natalie Note website is up and running! To celebrate, the author is offering the chance to win a plush sized Natalie Note character when purchasing a copy of the book on the website by 12/15/2020. There are also puzzles that will make a great gift for the holidays! Bundle together for extra fun!
SHOP: At NatalieNote.com or Natalie Note on Amazon.
Houdini’s Secret Room – Printable Escape Room for Kids
With Houdini’s Secret Room kit, you can easily organize an Escape Room at home. Escape rooms are designed to help creative people get some brain exercise, and the thrilling story will give you an amazing experience, one that is perfect for kids ages 9 and up.
Just download these ready-to-play escape room kits in one PDF file you can access right now.
The storyline: Enter a 150-year old house which once belonged to the famous illusionist, Houdini. It is now a museum, and you decide to go there to learn some of his tricks and illusions. As you walk around, you enter a secret room, and the door slams shut. You are locked inside, and you have to get out.
As with most escape room games, you have 60 minutes, so you have to hurry up. There are two ways to play. You can either play as the game master of your own escape room party. This enables you to create something to entertain your kids and possibly be named parent of the year. Or, you can choose to play along with your kids. If you choose this option, you will get a free no set-up version of the game. It allows you to play the game instead of setting it up.
We recommend both versions, and it comes down to your preference. Do you want to be the puppeteer organizing everyone? Or do you want to join the fun with your kids?
SHOP: At EscapeRoomGeeks.com. (I spy a Thanksgiving sale too)
KIBO Home Edition Robot Kit: Screen-Free Creative Coding Kit
KinderLab Robotics, the creators of the KIBO™ robot kit, just released the KIBO Home Edition line. Available for a limited time, this line was created to support parents and children during the pandemic, especially those with limitations on in-person school attendance. The KIBO Home Edition Robot Kit provides families an affordable way to bring a playful, screen-free coding and engineering toy home for the holidays and for years of creative enjoyment.
The affordable new KIBO Home Edition introduces young children to coding and robotics, inspiring parents, children, and siblings to engage and collaborate. With KIBO, children ages 4–7 create, design, decorate, and bring their own robot to life. Children build onto KIBO with familiar arts and crafts materials, engaging in imaginative play and storytelling that motivates and guides their learning. They can tell stories, choreograph dances, create a robotic vehicle to explore a cardboard town, create an animal habitat, and more.
With KIBO, kids create coding sequences using programming cards. They scan their sequence with the barcode scanner built into the robot body, press KIBO’s button, and watch their creation go! KIBO uses scannable cards rather than an app or computer for a screen-free and physically active experience. For added creativity, children can draw on KIBO’s whiteboard faceplate with markers or attach the included paper “costumes” atop the robot.
The KIBO 10 Home Edition, for $149, contains the KIBO robot, its wheels and motors, and scannable cards for creating KIBO programs.
The KIBO 15 Home Edition, for $199, adds KIBO’s light bulb and sound sensor modules and additional commands, expanding the engineering and programming options, as well as a wooden art stage to enhance the storytelling and imaginative play possibilities.
The KIBO Home Edition is also fully compatible with the wide range of extensions and add-on sensors, modules, and parts available from KinderLab Robotics, so KIBO can continue to grow as the child grows.
SHOP: On Amazon available only for a limited time during the 2020 holiday season: KIBO 10 Home Edition or the KIBO 15 Home Edition.
