Gifts That Can Last For Years!
 After Christmas sales are happening! So now is the best time to get your loved ones birthday gifts, graduation gifts, or even super early Christmas presents. Below is a list of the top 10 gift ideas for children that could be used year-round and for years to come.
1. Arts and crafts supplies-(Scissors, colorful construction paper, markers, coloring pencils, pencils, pen, tape, glue, paint, washy tape, etc)
2. Magnetic tiles– These are used a lot in our house and are super easy to pick up when it’s time to clean up.Â
3. Wooden blocks-wooden toys are a classic and you can’t go wrong with any wooden toys. They are more sustainable and tend to last longer than plastic toys.Â
4. Wooden train sets– try to avoid buying plastic and instead try to buy high-quality wooden toys that last years. We’ve had our train tracks for about 6 years, which are still being used today.Â
5. Wooden puzzles– educational puzzles like letters, numbers, and shapes are gifts for children.Â
6. Play kitchen– DIY by printing a stove top picture, laminating it, and taping it onto a storage bin. You could also find used cheap ones on the Facebook marketplace for like $10.
7. Play food– You can get felt food at IKEA and stainless dishes for your children to practice cooking. They also have aprons that we have for our children from IKEA. On Amazon, we got some kitchen kid knives, so my children can practice cutting. All 3 of my boys, ages 3, 5, and 7 can easily cut potatoes, fruits, and vegetables!Â
8. Play vehicles– wooden cars or metal cars- These are also used a lot in our household along with tractors!
9. Play scarfs-Let the children use their imagination and use them for tents, baby blankets, superheroes, or whatever. We have 100% cotton baby blankets that we use. You can find them here. Silk scarves are nice as well.Â
10. LEGOS– They are a classic. My boys can use their imagination and build amazing, cool things. Here is a chainsaw that one of my boys built.Â
When buying toys you should choose toys that can be used in a variety of ways, rather than serving only one specific purpose. Open-ended toys engage children and encourage imaginative play and creativity, rather than dictating how they should be used.
It would be best if you also chose simple toys rather than toys that are flashy or noisy—having flashy and noisy toys can lead to overstimulation and diminish creativity. Try to avoid toys that require batteries.
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.” (Matthew 18:4-5)
