Welcome to the Toys and Games section of our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide. Be sure to visit all the other categories in our guide, including our Gifts For Kids section.
(Gift Guide – sponsored. Affiliate links may be in post, where I could earn a commission for any purchases made.)
Toys and Games – Gift Ideas
Griddly Games Just Add products
Griddly Games has a mission to inspire creativity, imagination, out-of-the-box learning, healthy living and lively interaction through the fun of games and activities. Their multi-award-winning line of STEAM (Science. Technology. Engineering. Art. Math) activity kits and STEM games continues to “Just Add” more and more new “ingredients” that cultivate natural curiosities and memorable experiences.
I’m excited to introduce you to the Griddly Games Just Add kits! While they do need the “added” ingredient, Milk, Egg, Sugar, Baking Soda, Fruits & Veggies, Glue or Sun, or easy household items, all of the other necessary tools and materials are included, which makes them great for kids and parents alike.
Each kit offers 8-20 different experiments that are easily set-up, conducted and cleaned up by a responsible, age-appropriate user. Little supervision is required if you follow the age suggestions on the kits.
These kits were designed to be STEAM fun, but with current conditions of at-home learning and hybrid school, Griddly Games is seeing its kits become a useful tool for children to learn in an independent, fun, experiential way.
The current line includes:
- Just Add Baking Soda ($25.95 for ages 8 and up)
- Just Add Fruits & Veggies ($22.95 for ages 8 and up)
- Just Add Egg ($24.95 for ages 5 and up).
- Just Add Milk ($15.95 for ages 5 and up)
- Just Add Sun ($29.00 for ages 8 and up)
- Just Add Glue ($24.95 for ages 8 and up)
- Just Add Sugar ($24.95 for ages 8 and up)\
The Griddly Games kits provide many different activities and lessons about:
- chemical reactions
- osmosis
- germination
- electricity
- alkaline
- freezing and melting points
- polymers
- reflections & heat transfer
- surface tension
- weakening molecular bonds
- states of matter
- pressure difference
- membranes
- density
- light absorption
SHOP: Also available on Amazon.
Carrom Games
Carrom Company makes American-made board and sports games that offers fun for the whole family. Carrom has been putting out classic American games for over 130 years. Their most popular games are the multi-game Carrom Game Board, Nok Hockey and their large table games like Stick Hockey (some people call it bubble hockey) and Foosball. Classic Family Games:
The Carrom Game Board and Nok Hokey are both priced under $100 and represent multiple generation tested games that are sure to be nostalgic for parents and offer fun and engaging screen time alternatives for children.
The Carrom Game Board is their original product and is basically a reversible, multi-game board that features carroms, crokinole, checkers, chess, backgammon and many more – 100 games to be exact.
Nok Hockey is a classic tabletop hockey-themed, hard wood game that features a framed playing surface, two plastic sticks and a wooden puck. Players alternate shots and utilizing the corner banks attempt to score goals around the wooden goalie blocks placed in front of each goal.
Sports Games:
Stick Hockey and Foosball both come in multiple models each and are priced over $500. These are great signature additions to any home game room or finished basement. They are extremely sturdy and intended to really elevate the in-home experience which is both great for those with teenage kids and anyone expecting to spend more time at home this indoor season.
(SALE) Stick Hockey is another hockey themed game that features a plexiglass dome that keeps the puck in the rink and players operate the rods to manipulate their ‘hockey guys’ to score on the opponent’s goal. Right now, there is a Pre-Holiday sale on Signature Stick Hockey with $150 offer the regular price!
Foosball probably requires little explanation but key point of differentiation is Carrom offers superior quality construction without having the pay a premium for “official tournament” competitor tables. With a Carrom Foosball table you can feel confident your teenagers and their friends will quit before the table does.
Pre-Assembly: Both Stick Hockey and Foosball models can be found under Sports Games on Carrom’s website and Carrom pre-assembles the cabinets for both product lines so you don’t need to waste a day building them. Santa appreciates that.
SHOP: Carrom.com
Endless Games Camera Roll
Endless Games “takes” an interactive approach on cell phone use as part of its new board game, Camera Roll (MSRP $19.99 for 3 or more players ages 12+).
Camera Roll “app”-lies tween and teen screen time vanity into an interactive activity and addresses the top trending VSCO Girl demographic.
To play the game, players engage in quirky category challenges to quickly match a photo from their phone that best suits the title.
All players then become their own judges to see who has the closest match of a photo to the category. Players have a fun time defending and persuading one another about the validity of their photo choices.
Easy to play via zoom and other virtual platforms too! With over 10,000 photos on my phone, I want to play!
SHOP: EndlessGames.com or on Amazon.
The Buzz in Word Games: JABUKA
It’s a new word game with a surprising twist. Jabuka is a rotating letter word game with a coffee theme.
For people who have already played games like Scrabble and Bananagrams and they are looking for something new, Jabuka is a good option. No more boring square tiles, no turn-taking, and no board needed. JABUKA arrives in a sack as a fast, portable game with simple scoring. Players spill the beans and start a battle of words (official rules at www.jabukagames.com).
Can you speak Jabuka? It’s easy when clever word scrambles and letters turn and a
- “c” is “u” and/or “n”
- “r” can be “j”;
- “t” is also “x”;
- and more.
I can’t wait to play and it looks like the perfect size for a stocking stuffer!
SHOP: JabukaGames.com or on Amazon.
The Analog Camera from Analog Camera Company
Disposable cameras are back! These little film cameras are seeing a resurgence among those aged 16-28 because of the lifestyle it promotes. Technology consumed Millennials and Gen Z are looking for ways to put their phones down, create and document memorable moments that they can share with friends, and get a small dose of the excitement that comes from delayed gratification.
Analog keeps everything you love about disposable cameras and makes developing and sharing the pictures a lot easier. They do this by including film development with your camera. Simply drop the used camera in the included mailer and it’s on its way to the film lab. Pictures are sent straight to your phone and email once they’re developed for easy downloading and sharing. And the designs are so cute!
If you’re looking for a gift that inspires creativity, brings people together and creates genuine smiles and laughter, look no further. Just using the camera is half of the fun, not to mention the Christmas morning feeling when your photos are actually developed. It is the embodiment of a gift that keeps on giving!
SHOP: Analog Camera with Development
