Best Non-Electronic Gifts for Kids

Shut the Box

Okay, this is my new favorite game, "Shut the Box." Why? Because it's equally challenging and fun to play for ALL ages. It's a little luck and a little strategy - WITH THE BONUS of having kids practice addition (or multiplication or subtraction) without them even realizing it!

Oh my gosh, what could be better than that?

Well, there's more! Shut the Box is very portable and easy to play anywhere. Soooo, we take it to restaurants with us and play it while we're waiting for dinner! No more endless mantras of, "When will the food be here?" Time flies when you're beatin' your parents us in Shut the Box!

Cranium Games

Want to laugh again with your family? Just play a Cranium game and the laughter will soon begin!

Best 5 Non-Electronic Gifts for Young Children - Ages up to 5 or 6

Here are my 5 Top Picks - there are lots more choices below - but if my 3 to 6 year old got 5 gifts this year, these would be them! Also, they are the things (that along with crayons, paper, farm animals, and books), have been most loved and most used by my now older daughter.

THE 5 BEST Science Gifts for Children

The Web is filled with gifts that try to teach children about science. There's only one problem with those gifts - kids (actually all of us) tend to resist being "taught."

BUT we do love being curious and following an interesting, intriguing journey of discover. In the end, we always learn something - but what motivates us to start the journey (or, in kids' lingo - what makes us open a box when we're "bored") - is our curiousity and a promise of fun.

These chidren's gifts about science offer your children the very curiousity and fun they crave! Go ahead, make your kid's day!

5 Best Nature Gifts for Children - Backyard Bird Watching

These children's bird watching gifts will teach math, science, reading, writing and critical thinking. Jam-packed goodness for kids! All bundled up with fun and curiousity!

5 Best Gardening & Plant Growing Gifts for Children

Kids LOVE to watch something that they planted grow! Actually, don't we all?

Awesome Mind-bending Puzzles

by Family Games - IQ Collection

These are also great games to give to people who have everything.

5 Great Puzzle Children's Gifts

I could really put 100 puzzles for children on this lens. (Hmmm, possibly another lens topic - all about children's puzzles - is in the works . . . )

Here are the Top 5 Children's Puzzles - all different types:

100 piece Floor Puzzle (for the younger set)

1000 piece jigsaw Puzzle - Jungle Animals (for the ones who like challenges - and the families that love sitting around the table chatting and puzzling together)

550 piece jigsaw Snoopy & Peanuts Christmas Puzzle (in honor of the Christmas Season and for those of us from that generation - you know who you are!)

Rubiks Twist - the latest new challenging version of the hand-held Rubiks puzzle

Puzzles in a Picture - find the differences in these beautiful Life photos (for the family or the individual who loves challenges and fun all combined together!)

5 Best Astronomy, Solar System, Planets, Moon & Stars Gifts for Children

The unstressed spirit of youth is so connected to Source that they easily gaze into the Great Unknown and openly and curiously inquire about how, what and why.

Help them explore their curiousity and develop their enthusiasm for learning and at the same time ... keep them connected to the Ultimate Source!

Klutz for Girls (ages apx 6 to apx 13)

(The usual age range for these would be 7 - 12, but some 6 year-olds and some 13 year-olds still dig it!)

Chinese Jump Rope
and
Cat's Cradle

Every girl's gotta have 'em.

If your daughter or granddaughter doesn't have these at home, get them for her ASAP!
If you're a Dad or a Grandfather, and have absolutely no clue what these are, don't worry, just get them. Hey, they're games that don't involve boys, so, what could be better?! :)

BTW, get the Klutz brand. Klutz is EXCELLENT at making a quality product, with colorful pictures and great instructions that every kid loves.

(FYI, Chinese Jump Rope you play with 3 or more girls total, and Cat's Cradle you play with 2 or more girls total.)

And, these two items are as necessary to 8 year old girlhood as sidewalk chalk is to 4 and 5 year olds.

Chess, Chess, and Chess

Chess builds your child's logic thinking - so important in today's world where society, peer pressure and the media would prefer that we unquestioningly accept whatever they feed us!

Girls Age 7 - 13 from Melissa & Doug

Sewing - get your child a good start!

Let them learn to love sewing - even if you don't know how! There's tons of do-it-yourself and learn-it-yourself kits, there's quilting kits, and there's definitely a sewing or quilting class near you at a local quilt store or crafts store.

Remember, "busy hands" calm a busy mind. Meaning please? That if your daughter's (or son's) hands are busy creating or crafting, then he/she is less likely to get caught up in the gossipping, comparing, and social-and-hormonal-ravages of pre-teen and teenagism. In other words, they have a better chance of escaping the "it's all about me" and "what do other people think about me" vice of junior h.s. and high school.

Just think, maybe your child will like it so much that he/she makes a quilt to donate to a charity like the Project Linus quilt and blanket program.

Sewing Machines

Just get a basic, good quality machine. Stay away from "sergers," and your child really just needs a zig-zag stitch (which comes standard with every machine today), and really doesn't need any fancy embroidery. Let his/her imagination with colors and fabric take over (rather than the fancy computerized stitches!).

Scrabble

Can you use all 7 tiles on triple word score? Would your child have any idea what I'm talking about? If not, get Scrabble, creative problem solving, verbal-puzzle-making, connecting multiple ideas simultaneously ... sound like things you'd like your child to learn at school - how 'bout having him/her learn it around the kitchen table playing a game, Scrabble? Wouldn't that be great?!

Already have Scrabble? If you're missing pieces, or it's time to upgrade or time for something different, get it here:

Scrabble made for me - Scrabble with a twist

MLB, Red Sox, and Yankee fans will love playing these versions!

My Favorite Word Games

Melissa and Doug Gifts for Children

Melissa & Doug are mostly for ages 2 to 6

Melissa and Doug toys are absolutely awesome! My husband and I were sold on them from the first Melissa and Doug toy we bought - we even called the company to compliment them (& try to find out their secrets!).

Enjoy! - we know you will - and we know that they'll last & last - so keep them for your grandchildren, or be sure to hand-them-off to a friend or relative's young child.

Melissa and Doug #2 - Children's Gifts

Great Puzzles -
We have the US Map Puzzle - our daughter has used it for a couple of years - and loves it. We discuss where all of our relatives live & the special features of each state's geography!

Melissa and Doug #3 - Children's Gifts

Really, if your child is age 5 or less, all of your Christmas gifts could be Melissa and Doug and he/she would never be bored!

Melissa and Doug #4 - Gifts for Children

You have no idea how much Melissa and Doug my 6 year old has played with over the years . . . and she's very creative, bright, fun and enthusiastic :)

Melissa and Doug #5 - Gifts for Children

Melissa and Doug #6 - Children's Gifts

Kids' Banks

Kids love banks.
Parents (and grandparents) love banks that teach financial wisdom.
These banks serve both goals: they're cute and they have 3 or 4 parts - so that your children will more easily learn to divide their money amongst:

- Saving/Investing
- Spending
- Tithing/Donating/Giving
- Saving for special gifts/long-term spending

Children's Bibles

Monopoly - the 21st Century Versions

If you have 8 to 12 year-olds on your shopping list, chances are they love to play Monopoly.

But, this ain't your grandmother's Monopoly! Get your child or grandchild his/her favorite Monopoly version!

(By the way, Monopoly is an AWESOME way for your child to practice not only money calculations, but also math calculations and math theory - what better way to practice adding and subtracting tens and hundreds? Not to mention profit and loss.)

Monopoly for Pet Lovers

If your child or grandchild loves cats, dogs or horses, these are the Monopoly games for you!

Charades - The Best Party Game Ever

No adult will admit it, but every adult loves the fun and laughter that comes with every charades game.

Now, kids can have their own version.

BOOKS - for kids grades 2, 3, 4 & 5 - Magic Tree House

Magic Tree House books are perfect for kids who are just coming into the joy of fluent reading.

The words and sentence structure are simple, but not the baby-easy that these readers just go done learning with (like "see doggy run"). AND, the kids really enjoy the characters (Jack and Annie - siblings who are about the same age as the reader) - and the adventure (any event in history).

Your reader might be linear and read them in order, or more adventurous and read whichever one strikes his/her fancy! The author's done a good job allowing each story to be independent without needing to read the prior ones. In the beginning books though (e.g. numbers 1 - 4), they do collect clues that culminate in solving the "mystery" of the magic librarian's "Magic Tree House."

Sports

A great way to build confidence, character and relationships.

My Favorite Family and Party Games

RISK!!!!! (especially loved by age 11+ boys/men)

Risk is *almost* a bad word in our house because it brings out the very competitive nature in "some" of us. Thus, we LOVE it! If you haven't played RISK, try it. If you have pre-teen or teenage boys, they will LOVE it!

And, of course, like everything in the 21st Century, there's a version that'll speak specifically to your kids' interests.

RISK - The Collectors' Editions