Top 50 Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids- as written by a Christmas fanatic

Ok- so if you know me- you know I am a Christmas fantatic, it seems to get a little worse every year. I love it I Love it I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!! And I do tend to get a little over excited > So much so I pledge to limit my Christmas craziness to just the month of December- but I see no harm in a little Christmas List to get the XMAS hearts a-racing


Top 50 kids presents for Christmas (in my eyes)- guaranteed not to be OVER with tomorrow- I have tried not to be too plastic and cater for every age. Now I know its early and I will repost closer to XMAS but I am a firm believer that planning early for the big day is the best way to make it the BEST DAY OF ALL!!

1.       A tent or a teepee (sorry very partial to teepees)- but a $20 tent from Kmart will work just as well it just may not look as lovely

2.       An easel or simply a $10 roll of paper from IKEA with some paints and textas

3.       DUPLO- great for multi age families as you avoid the choking hazard- and if you can go to a discount outlet you get them SO much cheaper-

4.       Puzzles, lots and lots of puzzles. Again discount places are best for this.

5.       Tennis Ball on a stick- about $20- and hours of fun- plus they often come with a soccer ball attached to a string so that you fix it to a branch on a tree

6.       A jumping castle.. and you are thinking WHAT?? But according to a friend you can get them off ebay from as little as $150- which is a lot- but if all the relatives put it, it might save the purchase of lots of “plasticky” toys that are played with once and discarded tomorrow. I guarantee there will be hours of fun- it wont last forever but atleast til they are over it—which leads me to the next option which is a trampoline- lots of fun and will last forever. BUT kids can get sick of trampolines.

7.       A microscope/telescope/binoculars- depends on the age as to which will work better but what kid doesn’t like to look at a beetle in 100x or see the rings of Saturn.

8.       Musical instruments- they don’t have to be expensive- a cheap keyboard, a recorder or xylophone- music makes the soul sing and studies show it may make your bubba smarter 

9.       “Star” night light- I got one of these off ebay for about $20- is rotates and stars shine brightly and orbit over the childrens’ celing. 

10.   Ribbon Wands- need I say more- hours of fun in the backyard (check our pinwheels and pearls for a range of ribbon wands for boys and girls)

11.   Books, more books and more books. Pick them to suit the kid and they will LOVE it. Dinosaurs, fairies whatever.

12.   Playdough- sure you can make it yourself- and package it prettily or buy it from the shops- There is even gluten free and essential oil infused playdough you can get from Aromaplay

13.   Cooking gear- even before masterchef came around this was a cool gift. An apron, some cookie cutters and some outrageous sprinkle varieties and you are onto a winner

14.   A doll house- and they needn’t be expensive- chk the classified for second hand ones

15.   Corn popper- trust me- despite the plastic appearance the classic corn popper will go the distance

16.   Blocks- you can never have to many, too many different sizes, colours or shapes

17.   Monopoly, Chess, snakes and ladders, cluedo, twister, snap cards etc etc- buy the classics- one a year and by the time they can really compete you will have a collection

18.   A kite- so underrated, but this is a great toy for hours of free fun in the outdoors

19.   Skates- at your own risk BUT awesome if you have a skating rink nearby

20.   Dress up clothes, nothing specific, but a tub of plastic beads, some cheap wigs and capes- stear clear of the superheroes- they date quickly 

21.   Balls, Lots of Balls, especially massive Yoga sized ones

22.   A Slinky- hilarious

23.   Monkey Barrels- plastic! BUT classically awesome- hours of fun

24.   Yo-yo great for 6+ kids

25.   Ceiling glow in the dark stars- I hear you cringing- but honestly it’s a ceiling,… it can be repainted..

26.   A Zoobie- if you don’t know what one is WHERE have you been!! They are a bit more common now- BUT its basically a stuffed animal with a blanket attached- which doesn’t sound glamorous- BUT when you see the ELEPHANT one u just melt- good for a bubba!

27.   Marbles.. ah a boy and his marbles

28.   AN abacus- great for bubba turned toddlers

29.   Magna Doodle- great for the car- and no mess

30.   Water paints- this is an extension from No 2- BUT water colour paints deserve their own spot- little mess and great results

31.   Walkie Talkies

32.   A toolset- plastic and then real for the older child- Bunnings does a great range of real tools for kids

33.   YardGames- go to their website- you will be glad you found them- the coolest games- in MASSIVE sizes that you can play in your backyard

34.   A blow up swimming pool (ok not the coolest present to get, but still will provide hours of fun- even if you have a full size pool)

35.   Model trains- I know expensive huh? But if you look online or in the classified there are always ones second hand for sale

36.   A tutu- because I honestly believe every little girl needs a tutu (I don’t have girls)

37.   A skipping rope- buy a little one- but buy a big one too so when they have friends over they can all play

38.   This is for the older child- and don’t hate me- but a good friend of mine suggested to me that her 9 yr old would want most in the world is cash. $10 or $20. Just so she can go into a store of her choice and buy what she wants- don’t underestimate it. (I personally prefer the gift- but maybe you could buy a pretty purse or wallet to go with it)

39.   An obvious one- but a bike, scooter or skateboard- chances are you don’t have one of them,… - this could be an easy crowd pleaser

40.   Fishing Gear- kmart/target etc all sell great kid versions

41.   Magnetic Fishing Game- there are heaps of these everywhere- Great for motor control and FUN

42.   A tunnel because tunnels are cool- my son even sleep in his (when I let him)

43.   For older kids Any science set

44.   For older kids again model making- painting sets- check out this cool 'find the fossil' model set and the smile it brings to a 3 yr old

45.   Personalised gifts- books, cups anything with their name

46.   Magazine Subscriptions- obviously for the older kids- but buy a copy to put in the present- I know some science crazy boys who would love a kids science subscription and some fairy crazy girls who would love a little girl magazine

47.   A snow globe- seriously they are cool- mainly for older kids.. great collection item- buy a new one every year

48.   A Jolly Jumper- head to the toys r us website if you don’t know what one is, and from experience it DOES matter which one you get AND there are plenty that sell second hand

49.   A shopping trolley and some money- great for prewalkers- but great for preschoolers- set up shop in your own home

50.   Hula Hoops!!!  


So there you go- sure there are heaps more- and a whole world of fandangled electronic whizzbangy things I havent even mentioned but this could get you started


Happy Christmas thoughts


                                                  xxxxx Ngaire