Gift Guide # 4: Preschool Kids
This morning I received an email from my kids’ preschool letting us know enrollment was open for the 2024-2025 school year. It was with bittersweet feelings I deleted the note realizing that our preschool days are almost over here. That said, this tender chapter is alive and well still in our home and now having three kids go through preschool, these are some top items they’ve loved. Most of them are meant to spark creativity and play-based learning, both fun and important skills kids are building at this age.
GIFT GUIDE # 4: Preschool Kids
Search & Find Books!
Search and find books are fun for Pre-K through 1st grade. It’s the age we introduced Where’s Waldo to our oldest. Some of our favorite look and find books for this age are:
Paw Patrol (best for little ones!)
Where is Claris? (there’s a whole series of these!)
Customized Lego Search & Find Books (on order for our kids this year!)
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Cooperative Games
Nothing feels more like the holidays than a bunch of bickering siblings, right? NOPE. If you’re trying to find the balance of introducing kids to games while delicately teaching the lessons (and grace) of winning vs. losing, try cooperative games. Everyone has to work together to win! And you know who’s the biggest winner of all? You. For keeping the peace! Here are some we like:
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Camp Store Experience
Last year we took our oldest to the Camp store in NYC to experience their Encanto setup. She was six at the time and I almost felt like she was a pinch on the older side to truly love the immersive fun. If you live near a location offering an immersive show experience, it’s perfect for preschool age. Plus, the Fifth Avenue store in NYC has a brand new experience: TROLLS!
Bath Bomb Sets
I’m torn about the whole trend of “Surprise” gifts. You know the ones. They come hidden in some piece of plastic that your kiddo opens only to be disappointed it’s not the one in seventeen options that they wanted. Well here’s one that will surprise AND delight. Bath bombs! What they think is just a fun, colorful effervescence in the bath turns INTO a cute little toy they can keep. There are styles for every kid’s interest (sea critters, cats, dinosaurs, unicorns, super heroes, etc) but this bath bomb set has a mix for all!
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Slippers
Here’s a fun fact to stress you out: every six minutes a child falls down a set of stairs. You know what is the #1 culprit in our house for slipped stairs? SOCKS. Socks with grippers don’t always cut it which is why I have my eyes on these washable, cushioned slippers with rubber outsoles to offer comfort and slip protection!
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Sensory Bins
Sensory bins are ideal for kids who have passed the “let me explore this with my mouth” stage. They are terrific for motor development!
I love a few different kinds of Sensory Bins and think they make great gifts (my almost 8-year-old even likes them still!)
Sensory Bins with Personalization and Glittery Play Doh (these come in a variety of themes like fairies, superheroes, etc.
Creativity for Kids Bins (these have great lasting power and are easy to store)
Nature-based sensory kits. Honestly you could even make your own riff on these!
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Sticker Books
This has been a year full of sticker book love! My kids love the color by letter, color by number, color by dot, make a face sticker activity books and more! Most of these come with a seasonal tie (ahem, Christmas!)
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Air Clay
Let’s say you have a creative kid who’s mastered some PlayDoh and is ready for the next fun thing. We loved air clay at the age of 3-5! It comes in so many fun colors and is a great practice clay until kids are older and can do more intricate artwork. Plus, as little fingers try to form their creations they’ll be putting fine motor skills to the test.
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