2022 Holiday Gift Guides: Day 7 - “Big Kids (4 - 8)”
This age range is when kids will actually start to ask for specific gifts but as I’ve been compiling a gift list for my own big kid (turning 7 next month), I realized there’s some fun to be had with there limited knowledge of what magical toys exist! There are so many innovations out there to harness whatever it is your kids are into and give them the gift of exploring their talents and interests in new ways. For example: my daughter loves to draw pictures but she doesn’t even know there’s a magical 3D pen that could her pen strokes to life (Xennial sidebar: Um, hello? where were these ah-may-zing toys when we were kids?).
Maybe your kiddo is a puzzle master but would be blown away by lenticular ones that offer special effects. Or perhaps your kid is starting to sniff out an interest in music and now they can use apps to teach themselves!
These big kids are in the last few magical years of embracing the holiday spirit — so it’s only fitting to give them some magical gifts to match.
GIFT GUIDE DAY 7: LITTLE KIDS (4-8)
Play-doh, step aside. Bigger kids are claymation masters. The “Hey Clay” series offer kid-friendly clay making techniques and comes in a variety of series (animals, dinos, monsters, etc.)
My friend Liz is a true kids’ gift giving guru. There are TWO items on this list she shared with our group of friends. (Next year, I’m asking her to curate this list. She could do it in her sleep!) She recommends the Pixicade Mobile Player Game. Kids can actually turn their own drawings into video games.
Kids are growing more independent and want their own swag to show off! Personalized Kids’ Stationery or Notepads are a fun gift. Bonus if you get kids personalized pens or pencils with their names, too!
My kids had a toddler-friendly karaoke machine when they were teeny. It was a huge hit and they loved breathing heavily into the mic to hear their voices reverberate around the room.
Time for the big kid version! My friend Liz’s second reco is the bigger kid karaoke machine - and this one comes with 54 LED Disco Lights!
The Minted kids’ aprons have such cute patterns, and you’re supporting a young artist, too! Make sure you shop for size “small” aprons which fit ages 4-7). I love the idea of pairing it with a cute kids’ cookbook like this one.
If you have a kid who loves fairies, consider a Fairy Finder! My daughter plays with this all the time and loves to take it to new places to see if there are hidden fairies hiding elsewhere. This is fun to give to a cousin or sibling, too because the toys can interact with other ones! Pair it with this book.
Loog Guitars! My generous friend Elena gifted these to my twins when they were younger and they loved walking around with them calling themselves “rock stars.” I’m putting them in the “big kid” category because older kiddos will be ready to use the enclosed self-taught instruction cards!
Move over 3D Printers, I’m voting for a far cheaper 3D investment this holiday - the 3D pen! Know an imaginative kid who loves to draw? Help them take artwork to the next level with this STEM activity. Best for older kids 6+.
What’s old is new again! Consider roller skates! Circle Society is supposedly the safest brand but don’t forget to outfit your kiddos with all the protective pads, too!
My cousin gifted my daughter a digital camera for Christmas last year and it’s STILL a huge hit almost a year later.
She loves being able to print out her own pictures, capture family moments and of course take selfies.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram this week, you saw we made Rainbow Water — one of several fun food lab experiments from this awesome STEM Discovery Food Science Lab kit.
