It’s that time of year again!! I’ve rounded up a list of some of our favorite toys here at home, as well as, some fun items that I’m getting Lamie and Roe this year. In my true “Montessori-ish” fashion, I’ve selected several open-ended toys without all the bells & whistles that foster independent and imaginative play.
This list has also grown along with my kids who are now almost 4 (Lamie) and 2 (Roe). If you have younger children, please refer to my gift guide from last year for gift ideas for 1-3 year olds. There are some gems in that guide that my children still play with daily. Last year’s list was a hit amongst this community! Some fan favorites from last year include: the play kitchen set (which now comes in white!!), the BRIO train set, write & wipe booklets, PicassoTiles, and the wooden peg puzzles. Even the indoor/outdoor roller coaster was a hit at Roe’s 2nd birthday party!!
All the items that I’ve rounded up this year foster creativity, problem solving skills, gross- and fine-motor skill development, and teamwork. Most items are gender-neutral and can be enjoyed by boys and girls alike. And almost all of these items can be given as “group gifts” for siblings and/or cousins to enjoy playing with together. If you’re a grandparent, these are great options to have at your house for sleepovers. If you’re a parent, these are great options to have at home as well, but some of them are also good for on-the-go play too! All of these open-ended toys will grow with your kids as they continue to develop through age 5!
>> All links are below in bold <<
One | Tonka Toughest Mighty Dump Truck
Lamie and Roe are all about construction these days. They can spot a dump truck, excavator and front loader from a mile away! I chose this dump truck for Lamie this year because it’s BIG. It’s large enough for a toddler to sit on and be pulled around the house in, which I think will be so fun to do with them. I’m looking forward to him playing with this truck around our house, in our backyard and at the beach next year!!
Two | Solid-Wood Building Blocks With Storage Tray
This is a classic opened-ended toy that unlocks a child’s imagination and creativity for hours and hours. In all transparency, I purchased them two years ago because I was so eager to have them for the kids, but I realized that my kids were too young at the time to actually enjoy them fully. Their fine motor skills weren’t developed enough to effectively stack them on top of each other yet so they’d get frustrated easily. So we’d bring them out of storage occasionally and put them back after awhile—we kept them on rotation. Now that the kids are a bit older (3 yo & 2 yo) these blocks stay out around the clock and they LOVE them! Lamie and Roe build cities, towers, castles, farms, and roads with these blocks. And they’re always soooooooo proud of the different things they can create each time. These blocks are a staple in our home now.
Three | Wooden Ukulele
Roe loves playing with ukulele’s whenever we visit our friends’ house. A couple weeks ago we were in a toy store window shopping and she grabbed one to carry around the store with her. As we were walking I realized that she was strumming a little tune and it actually sounded good! Baby girl showed interest and earned herself her own ukulele this year, finally!
Four | Y Velo Balance Bike
We love love looooooove this bike! We started Lamie off with a traditional bicycle a few years back, but noticed the when he tried to ride it, he’d put his feet on the ground and walk it, and when he did that the peddles were in the way and would frustrate him. So naturally, I started searching for another solution. The balance bike is where I landed. They start by walking the bike, then running the bike, to eventually gliding on the bike. It helps kids develop better balance and coordination without the peddles being in the way. And it builds their confidence along the way—and confidence is key! This bike is for kids ages 3, 4 and 5. Here’s the smaller version for kids age 18 Months to 3 years that Roe currently has: Y Velo Junior Toddler Balance Bike. You will need helmets and knee pads for these bikes. So I purchased these great helmets and safety pads for my kids! Great quality and they’ve held up nicely over the years.
Five | LeapFrog Apple Magnets
This is another must-have. Kids play with this set without even realizing that they’re learning! The little phonics song helped Roe learn all the letter sounds by the time she was 25 months old. Pair this toy with the LeapFrog show “Letter Factory” and your kids will learn their phonics in no time. This was a small purchase that made a huge impact—I’m glad I purchased it! This is currently on sale right now too!!
Here’s a Magnetic White Board for your wall so your kiddos don’t scratch up your stainless steel appliances. Thank me later!
Six | LeapFrog LapTop
Our neighbor gifted this laptop to Monroe for her 2nd birthday this year and me being the “equal opportunity mom” that I am, I brought one for Lamie as well. These laptops are our in-the-car toys. They never leave my backseat and they have literally saved my sanity during our daily commute! I swear by them. It’s fake screen-time and open-ended which makes it a better and cheaper option than a full blown iPad. It teaches letter recognition, letter sounds, how to spell your child’s name, numbers, and there are a few songs and letter games on there as well. When Lamie started preschool and began learning how to spell sight words, he would get in the car after pickup and immediately start typing out all the words he was learning. Soon my 3 year old was typing “dictionary”, “pumpkins”, “apple” and “purple” during are drive home. It was bonkers! I can’t recommend these laptops enough for guilt-free screen time!
Seven | Infant Swim Rescue Lessons with CAST
If you follow me on Instagram then you know just how passionate I am about my kid’s swimming lessons. Now, these are not yo grandmomma’s swimming lessons. All swim lesson are NOT created equal. These are Infant. Swim. Rescue. Lessons! They teach infants and toddlers how to self-rescue should they ever fall into a body of water, whether at a neighbors backyard pool, a nearby pond, or while visiting with family members who live near a lake or river.
I almost drowned when I was 12-years-old while visiting with family members out of town and it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my entire life. It’s a miracle that I’m still alive today. When I became a mom, I wanted to ensure that my children would be equip to float and swim should they ever find themselves in a similar situation. So, I got them started young, Roe was 10-months-old, and Lamie was 2yo when they started ISR lessons. I credit most of their growth and intellectual development during that time period to these swimming lessons. During their ISR lessons, I watched Lamie and Roe develop a keen awareness of their bodies at such a young age as they trained to adapt in the water and master these skills. I watched as that same mental training poured over into things that we were learning and doing at home like potty training, developing fine & gross motor skills, and building their confidence and endurance. I truly believe that Lamie & Roe became smarter younger because of the swim training they received as babies.
This holiday season, give the gift of life by gifting your little beloveds these lessons! The team at CAST is our extended family now and I fully support their mission. When you sign up, be sure to tell them that Nicee sent you!! Sign Up Now!
Eight | Wooden Bunk Bed for Dolls
Last Christmas Roe received two little baby dolls that she adores and of course they needed a place to sleep. Lol. A fellow influencer shared this bunk bed and it’s been a hit in my house. The bunk bed comes apart and Lamie and Roe love to play with it, even though Lamie turns them into cars. There’s also a cute matching doll stroller that we’re getting Roe this Christmas since she loves playing with strollers at her friend’s houses, find it here: Wooden Doll Stroller.
Nine | Wooden Rescue Vehicles, Garage & Keys
Lamie & Roe love to create little cities with their wooden blocks, houses, and peg people. And they already have a ton of cars from when we potty-trained Lance last year. Turns out, the only cars that they’re missing are emergency vehicles which they are also currently obsessed with in real life. This set not only has the vehicles, but includes a garage and keys to lock the garage doors to fine tune those fine-motor-skills—that’s always a bonus!! I think this will be the perfect addition to their little town.
Ten | BRIO Cargo Railway Deluxe Set
I cannot say enough about how much we LOVE BRIO train sets in my house. It leads to independent pretend play for hours!! Over and over again. It is thee gift that keeps on giving. It’s great for fostering creativity, problem-solving, and bonding between siblings. We purchased this set for Lamie’s birthday earlier this year and he plays with it all the time. We purchased a couple battery operated toy trains to go with this set and Lamie loves to build a little city and watch the trains go up and down the ramps and round and round the city. We add tracks and trains to their set all throughout the year for holidays, birthday gifts, and little surprises here and there. This is such a great investment for boys and girls! A true 10 out of 10!
Eleven | Doorway Puppet Theater
Pretend play for days. This is currently in our shopping cart and I can’t wait to see how their creativity and imaginative play explodes as they put on puppet shows for us throughout the year! What I love about this setup is that it’s easy to assemble, take down, and store without taking up too much space! Here are the puppets that we’re going to order with the theater: Safari Buddies Hand Puppets. These puppets will help reinforce animal sounds and characteristics.
Twelve | Wooden Shape Color Sorting Clock
Lamie is currently learning how to tell time in preschool, so I purchased this to further that exploration while he’s at home. I love that this is also a puzzle and expands on color reconiginiton with the various shades of green and blue. While Lamie is learning about the clock and telling time, Roe will be learning more about colors and shapes as well as strengthening her fine-motor-skills with the puzzle!! Win Win!
Thirteen | USA Floor Map Puzzle
I must admit, I haven’t done a great job at introducing geography to my kids. So next year I’m trying to be more intentional about helping them learn and explore this a little more. I like this floor puzzle because it’s large and will encourage them to play together to solve it. I envision all of us bonding and learning so much about the states on our kitchen floor this winter. Lamie loves puzzles so I know he’s going to get a kick out of this one. The added bonus is that my little ones are going to learn so much while working on this puzzle: problem-solving, fine-motor-skill development, taking-turns, teamwork, the list goes on and on…. I personally can’t wait to put this together as a family!
Fourteen | Role Play Costumes
Where else can you find a construction worker, doctor, and fire fighter costume all in one place with ALL the bells and whistles?! My little construction worker Lamie and doctor Roe are going to have a blast with these costumes. They already role play so much at this stage, this will only take it to the next level!! This will lead to pretend play for daysssssssssss. Fun photos to come!!
Fifteen | Wooden Doorbell Dollhouse
A couple weeks ago Roe and I were at my best friends house while Lamie was in school and her son had this toy. Roe was obsessed! Each key is numbered and fits a corresponding door. Which requires fine-motor-skills to fit them in and twist open. Then it comes with little people who fit behind each of the doors AND each door has a doorbell with unique doorbell sounds!! This toy kept Roe entranced long enough for me to catch up with my friend and have an adult conversation! Lol. My friend’s son picked it out for himself and he loves it. Roe loves it. And your kids will love it too!! The house comes with a set of 4 white dolls, but of course I value diversity and inclusion, so I found a black/brown family of dolls for you too, because, representation matters.
Sixteen | Hape Wooden Cash Register
Lamie & Roe already have a play kitchen set from last Christmas along with the play food and they love having picnics and packing pretend lunches. Now that Lamie is learning about dollar bills and coins in preschool, this will be an excellent addition to further his learning and both of their pretend play by turning our living room into a grocery story. Lol. I’m excited about this toy!
Seventeen | Mini Deluxe Micro Scooter for Kids, Ages 2-5
The kids love riding these scooters. I keep them in my trunk so they can even ride them when we’re visiting with family, out and about at the park, or on the lakefront here in Chicago. They’re sturdy and amazing quality and I LOVE the colors—such a great investment for outdoor play! Just an FYI, these scooters aren’t cheap, but they definitely hold their value well and can be resold once your kids grow out of them. Trust me, you will not have a hard time finding a family who wants them after your kids are done with them. I also purchased these great helmets and safety pads for my kiddos too! Great quality—they’ve held up nicely over the years. There’s currently a $10 coupon available for these scooters right now too, so hurry!!
Eighteen | Magnetic Alphabet ABC Flash Cards
LOVE LOVE LOVE these magnets! This set comes with uppercase and lowercase letters. And the best part: they won’t scratch up your fridge. Kids can build words and explore letters without damaging your stainless steel! I use these to spell out the kid’s names on our dishwasher and fridge so they see it regularly. They like to scramble up the letters and reconstruct their names. This is a great learning resource that I highly recommend.
Nineteen | Trampoline
One word: Gymnastics. Roe is in gymnastics right now and she loves jumping on the trampoline over everything else in the gym. So this is a must. To be clear, THIS is the indoor trampoline that you want! This one has the foldable bar, so when playtime is over, you can fold this baby up and stick it in the closet, or behind or under the couch so it doesn’t take up too much space. Winter is coming and this is a great way for kids to burn off energy indoors.
I hope you’ve found this list helpful as you’re planning your holiday shopping. Please be sure to let me know which items you purchased and how your kiddos enjoyed them. Happy Holidays! Xoxo
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