The Ultimate Toddler Holiday Gift Guide
Building and Construction
If you’ve been following our Instagram page for awhile now, you know how much we love this train set. It comes with 100 tracks and 30 different accessories. Such a great deal! Right now it is almost half off.
These suretrack clips are a lifesaver! It keeps the elevated tracks in place so they don’t collapse.
The quality of these blocks are excellent! Great selection of sizes & shapes, and endless opportunities for creative fun.
Mega Bloks are a great introduction to Legos and perfect for small toddler hands. My kids started using them around 12 months and just the other day I found my 3 and 6 year old building with them.
We have a few other themed Duplo sets but in the end, they all end up in one giant bin. I love this toddler friendly assortment of Duplos they can build endlessly with.
Grab the Duplo play mat for them to build on.
If your little one is enamored with tools and drills, they will go crazy for this airplane. They will enjoy taking it apart and putting it back together again.
This is another great toy for kids that love drills and tools. You can copy the designs that came with it or create your own.
These fun silicone squigz are easy to connect with each other via their suction cups and can stick to countertops, windows and bathtubs. Pull them apart and here them pop!
Lincoln Logs are a classic for a reason. Kids love these! The manual offers three building ideas: a tall tower, two small houses with a bonfire, and a large cabin. Children can follow these guides or mix and match to build their own structures.
Magnet tiles are our favorite open ended toy. I highly recommend them and they are 100% worth the investment! They easily connect to make 2D and 3D designs and structures.
These are a lot of fun to play with and come with a handy little storage pouch. Not recommended for small kids that put things in their mouth.
Picasso tiles Bristle Shape Blocks Building Tiles Set
These blocks are easy to connect and simple to disconnect. You can build so many different things with it, great for all ages.
This colorful set comes with 100 wooden dominos, a bridge and a bell.
The domino train is perfect for littles that don’t have enough patience to line up all the dominos on their own. Fill the plastic blocks and start the train to lay your domino trail.
Marble Run is one of those toys that I enjoy doing with my kids. It is a favorite in our house. With the huge assortment of tubes pieces allows for endless possibilities of construction options.
When your child places one of the colorful discs on the corkscrew pole, it spins and spins its way down to the base. You can simply life up the pole and the discs spin off the bottom.
Gross Motor Toys
The Howdy Cow is designed specifically for young ones to bounce on for hours on end. Howdy has extra long ears for easy grasping and is just the right height to hone those balancing skills. These are going quick so hurry and grab one while they are in stock!
I got these for my 3 year old son and plan on using these to play hot lava with, create obstacle courses and for him to just jump and balance on them. There are so many different ways to use these, I am super excited about this one. I like that they have rubber grips on the top and along the bottom edge so that they can be used on pretty much any flat surface without slipping
These stepping stones can be used similar to the step-a-trail. I love how they vary in different height and sizes. It can also stack very easy for storage.
This makes for a great indoor activity toy for toddlers to whirl and twirl on. Push and pull the stationary wheel to make the base spin fast or slow. Kids control the speed.
Rock, sit or spin in the Bilibo…the possibilities are endless.
The perfect way for toddlers to burn off energy.
This open ended toy has unlimited ways to play. My kids use ours as a car ramp, for their fort, to balance on, as a boat, a step, a seat…the possibilities are endless.
This kid's bike features a parent push handle that actually steers the bike and can be removed easily when the child is riding alone
The balance bike teaches confidence in balancing making it a easier transition to a peddle bike.
Whenever we go to my friends house who has this, it is easily everyone’s favorite activity!
These giant top can fit two children in it. They will have fun rocking, spinning or teetering in it.
This will pay for itself! This has been on my list…I mean my kids list…for awhile now. When it’s too cold to go outside, inflate it and kids can burn off all their energy. You could even use it for birthday parties and be the fun mom.
These are awesome and so easy to use – just prop your feet up on the footrests and turn the steering wheel to get moving. You can use it indoors or outside.
We love our Micro scooter. It is so smooth, the handle bars can adjust, it is very sturdy and has so many fun colors to choose from.
I honestly may get the adult one for me to join in on the fun! My kids would have a ball with this one (pun intended). For kids between 3 and 6.
This is the perfect beginners slide. I love that it can easily fold up to store.
Pikler triangles are on the pricer side but I honestly feel it is worth the investment. We have one, not this brand but it is something my 3 year old and 6 year old enjoy climbing on. You can add on other features such as a slide to make it even more fun. Smaller sizes available.
If you didn’t have one of these as a child, did you even have a childhood? It does not get anymore classic than this.
Bath Toys
You all went crazy when I shared this on our page this summer. It is THE coolest bath toy. Put soap bubbles in the top and add some water then when you pull down the handle foam comes out so you can create a pretend ice cream cone. My kids spend at least a hour in the tub when I bring this out.
My kids love mixing the colors and throwing the tablets in and watching them dissolve. It does not stain your tub.
This has just over 7,000 5 star reviews so you know it’s good. Green Toys are great because they are extremely durable and made of recycled plastic. You can play with it in or out of the bath.
Pretend Play
A play kitchen is a must have in my book for kids. This gorgeous vintage style play kitchen is the perfect size for toddlers and does not take up a lot of space.
Here are some of my kids favorite kitchen items to play with:
This is one of our most popular toys that kids want to play with when they come over. It’s so dang cute! It includes wooden ice cream counter, 8 ice cream scoops, 6 toppings, 2 cones, cup, scooper, tongs, wooden spoon, and 6 pretend $1 bills. The scooper fits into a hole on top of the scoops to lift, stack, and release the scoops. I will read off of the menu telling them my order and they love to put the different combinations together.
Doll houses don’t have a gender and are not just for girls. I really like this Hape doll house as it is gender neutral and wooden. It is unfurnished so be sure to grab the matching furniture and dolls.
Whenever I am mopping or sweeping, my kids want to as well. They love to help and this set is the perfect size for toddlers.
Kids are obsessed with vacuums. Push a button and little colorful squares spin in the chamber. Slide a switch on the back and it has a little suction. Perfect for your little helper!
Dolls are another toy that is gender neutral. Through dolls, kids can learn empathy and and practice care skills. You can buy these dolls as a set or individually.
Use our code 7790 for 25% off one single non-sale Lakeshore item for instore purchase or curbside pick up.
Six culturally diverse baby dolls are made from super-soft material promote inclusion, hugging, squeezing and nurturing role play
This would make for a cute stocking stuffer. Having a set or two of small animals make for the perfect open ended toy. Use them in sensory bins, art projects or any imaginary play your kids come up with. Sarfari LTD has so many fun Toobs!
Green Toys Tea Set will hold up to toddlers! It is sturdy while still being small and easy to handle.
This doctors kit comes with so much. Be prepared for at least three checkups a day if you’re going to get this ;)
My kids love this farm. They will put the animals in and out of their stalls, ring the bell, turn the silo and when a figure is dropped down the chute it clicks a button and activates sound and songs.
imagination generation car wash and service station
With its working elevator and spinning car wash, it’s a wonderful pretend play toy that will encourage fine motor skills and spatial reasoning.
This zig zag car ramp is simple but lots of fun for kids to watch the small cars travel fast down the ramp.
Quickly inflates within 30 seconds to a roomy fort to play in for hours! You do need a box fan for it.
This is the coolest play-doh set and our most popular item kids want to play with when they come over. Put the play-doh in one of the food molds, place it in the microwave, close the door and watch it '“bake"!
Here are some of our other favorites:
It is so fun for girls to imitate their mama by pretending to put on makeup. This set is mess free pretend make up. It does not apply to the skin.
With four different Disney Princess outfits to choose from, your child will have hours of fun dressing up as her favorite characters
The capes are two-sided. There are four capes, eight superhero patterns, and eight superhero masks.
The best nativity for toddlers! You can relax while they play with this set knowing they can’t break any of the pieces.
These plastic mini monster trucks are perfect for tiny hands to grab. Take them in the dirt or in the sand pit, they are sturdy.
STEM Gifts
This 22 piece set makes science fun with several hands on experiments.
Different every time you build, this versatile, interconnecting gear set fosters imagination and provides opportunities to experiment with simple mechanics and science
This is a great introduction to gears for younger ones that is more simple to use than the previous option.
This set contains 200 brightly colored classic parts, including spools, flags, washers, rods, and end caps. With 30 models to build, these durable plastic pieces can unleash your kids’ engineering talents as they build castles, houses, bicycles, friendly creatures, and more.
Boon Pipes are adorable plastic pipes that make bathtime so fun! They suction to the wall and can be used individually or to create a chain to pour water through.
This is one of the few things my very active 3 year old sits for. I put up with the mess because he sits and plays for soooo long with it. I like that this comes with a tray to play with the sand in it.
These smaller sets would be great for stocking stuffers. This is a great set with 10 different colors of sand. I am going to have to snag this fun smelling kinetic sand set. My daughter loves the sparking sand, so fun.
Build a fire station toy set and fire rescue truck with flashing lights and a siren from big building blocks!
Growing learners choose from seven different activities while learning and practicing phonics and letter writing. Open to find 26 letters, a write and erase board, and a variety of games including letter names and sounds, writing, reading, drawing, and animals.
Follow the directions in the booklet to build 20 police concepts or use your own imagination to make your own creation.
mindware q-bitz jr board game
MindWare Q-bitz Jr. game is a fun challenge for younger kids to practice spatial reasoning, visual dexterity, pattern identification, and hand eye coordination.
This makes learning math concepts like patterns, sorting, and numbers so fun for little ones!
KiwiCo is a fun subscription box that is filled with projects for your kids age. My kids love these! Their science and art projects inspire kids to become creative problem solvers.
This super cool toy determines which direction it will move and kids change its path by rearranging the segments.
12 charming eggs in a carton will help preschoolers learn to count, sort, and match! Each plastic egg contains a different color and number, with corresponding pegs and holes.
Games
The goal is to match up the color on your card to an existing snake and grow your snake or add the head and tail to a snake and then collect it in your snake pit. This game helps with color recognition, taking turns, and winning/losing. The player who forms the most snakes (with a head, tail and at least one body piece) wins.
Players take turns inserting a sword into the pirate’s barrel, while trying not to be the one to make the pirate pop up (it’s very similar to the classic Crocodile Dentist).
These was my daughter’s favorite to play. Spin the spinner and pick up the matching acorn with your Squirrel Squeezer, placing it in your log. The first to collect 5 acorns wins.
Another favorite in our house. Zingo is Bingo, but WAY better. Players use the included “Zinger device” to dispense 2 chips at a time. Players must match up those chips to their game boards. It is perfect for pre-readers and early readers, builds language and matching skills in preschool kids through fun, fast-paced play.
I love the game Sequence so I am going to try the kid version out this Christmas. So many great reviews say the adults enjoy playing this one too!
This board game is unlike any other board game I have seen. It gives kids challenges that they have to solve, and it allows them to work up to the more difficult puzzles. It can also be an independent game, so you don’t have to worry about your children competing.
This is such a cute game that is quick to play. Players take turn rolling the dice to try to make five complete outfits.
This is one of the easiest games for toddlers to play. Your child simply roles the large fabric die and picks a card of the same color. Your child then needs to do whatever the card says (commands that teach motions, counting, colors, body parts, actions and animal sounds). It’s also a great travel game as all of the cards tuck into the fabric die.
Books
I LOVE Usborne books! They are my kids favorite books. We can’t get enough of these touchy-feely books. There are sooo many to choose and collect. Little ones will love the tactile aspect and I think they're amazing for their development
This is such a cute interactive book where you place the different glasses on the characters. My kids LOVE this one!
Absolutely obsessed with this one! So dang adorable. Comes with 5 reusable bandages to place on the animals owies.
Each page has an animal getting an owie...after the animal gets the owie the book is repetitive...Clean it. Kiss it. Put a bandage on it. All better.
These books are so fun! We read the construction shine-a-light book no joke, 5 times tonight. Hold a light behind the pages to see the hidden images.
This 20-page interactive sturdy board book has buttons to press and “pop” on every page
Celebrate Christmas with Cheerios! Children can place their own Cheerios or Frosted Cheerios in the recessed spaces to decorate a tree, put noses in Santa's reindeer, and complete other merry scenes.
These Look and Find books are so great to keep toddlers busy. I like to bring them to church, restaurants or appointments.
These are amazing books for teaching your kids Chinese or Spanish. Every inch of their books is tappable, bringing each page to life with sound and music. Language learning will be fun for kids with these books.
“My First Big Book of…” are our favorite coloring books. We have almost all of them. The pictures are simple, the lines are nice and bold and the pages are thick.
Usborne pull back books are so fun for toddlers. The train pulls back and follows along the track around the pictures and words on the pages.
This books is so unique! I love the combination of texture and sound. Tickle all the animals and hear them make a sound. My 6 and 3 year old love it, especially the dance party at the end!