8 Gifts that Keep on Giving – Top Picks for 2017
All over social media I see people asking what gifts they should give their kids this year. The options are overwhelming! I thought it might be nice to share some of the things our kids use regularly, day in and day out, that could be beneficial to your family as well!
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Monopoly. What can I say, this is a tried and true, classic board game that gives hours of fun (and sometimes tears of frustration). We’ve played this game for several years, our box has now seen better days, and it’s still the go-to game for a quiet afternoon.
Slack Line. Our family members gave this to us over the summer and it has been amazing! You string the line between two solid trees and the overhead line helps keep the kids from killing themselves while playing. It’s quite a challenge and tons of fun – and we haven’t had one injury on it to date. WINNING!
Osmo. This game requires an iPad to use, but is a fantastic take on interacting with technology while learning. Our kids love the coding game, and pizza game also really builds on math skills. For those of you who are Classical Conversations folks, the drawing game can be helpful in making your map tracing come to life… lots to love with this one! Shhh… don’t tell… but the Hot Wheels game is on our Wishlist for this year!
Heating pad animals. Who knew this would be the thing they’d fall in love with?! I saw these last year at Bed, Bath and Beyond on clearance and purchased them on a whim. Today, they are showing signs of wear from constant use and their lovies. At night before bed we heat them up, then send them to sleep with their warm friends. I think there may be something to the weight of the animal on their chest while they sleep… regardless, this was a hit for them!
Magnatiles. Will they end up all over the place? Yes they will. Will they destroy your feet if you step on them like.. ahem… Legos? NO THEY WILL NOT. Magnatiles are attractive and without boundaries for building. And they don’t sneak up on you with tiny sharp edges in the middle of the night. Good times.
Bristle Blocks. I’m back to the classics because, well, it’s a classic! I remember building with Bristle Blocks as a child and my kids have used and used and used these. I’d recommend not mixing them with Play Dough. But outside of that, it’s great fun!
FriXion Erasable Pens. I suspect you’re going to call out my nerdiness on this one, but these pens are AMAZING. We use them for our schoolwork and for doodling. The really, truly erase! The colors are great, the writing experience is smooth and they’re just awesome. You do have to order them from Japan to get the multicolored pack, but they are really, really good pens. I’d suggest springing for the 24 pack right away because if you’re like me you’ll be unsatisfied with the smaller pack and end up getting the larger pack eventually anyway.
BluTrack Starter Set Toy Racetrack. I was skeptical about this to start with but it came to heavily recommended in one of the fb groups I follow that I decided to try it out. What a neat toy! It takes practically no extra space and it used with the toy cars that already inhabit my son’s pants pockets regularly. We roadtripped with this and it was an amazing toy for the campsite while we were cooking… for all of the ages. The bending track makes for tons of fun.
Hopefully this will give you some ideas of gifts that have an actual, we use this, recommendation. I’d love to hear about the things you have found to be amazing – maybe your treasure will be our next winner!