Here's an updated list of our favorite, most-played with, delivered-to-your-doorstep, Mom-approved toys.
And here are our favorite games.
And our favorite books.
Here are some great teen gift ideas.
By age and interest here.
For all gift post ideas, click on the image in my sidebar, over there to the right.
I know that finding good, classic stuff can be difficult...there seems to be so much straight-out junk for kids in the stores today. I do end up spending a little more on toys I know will appeal to all ages and will last through the years, but to me it's worth it, because it just gets handed down from sibling to sibling (I've had 21 years of Santa visits and birthdays at our home already!), and really really played with-it's not just broken and thrown away.
I have always loved adding to our collections (and always have something to offer when those relatives ask, "What should we get them?)...whether that collection be Legos, or a train set, or Magna Tiles.
Baby/Toddler Toys
Ours is slightly worn out after 21 years because they loved this so much.
Great for hand/eye coordination. They can do this at about 3.
Janey (3) loves making necklaces and once again, great for hand/eye coordination and color recognition.
These are all classic and used for each of my babies. I love the cups the best. My babies have played with them, and Janey at three still does. I think "baby" toys last a long time-we are sometimes eager to replace them with big kid toys, but they love them for a long, long time.
This was another gift we received that Patrick and Janey LOVE.
There are probably cuter wooden shape sorters out there, but I've found those usually aren't as simple as this (they have cut outs on all sides.) Janey still plays with this.
Alphabet blocks and the corn popper are others we've used for two decades.
Patrick loved this truck as a toddler.
Jumbo Zoo Animals-
This is a cheap little set of BIG zoo animals. It's really hard to find big models of animals and I searched high and low. These go in the bath tub, the pool, the sandbox. Sometimes it seems that they all get along so well, and sometimes there are a few battles.
This is a cheap little set of BIG zoo animals. It's really hard to find big models of animals and I searched high and low. These go in the bath tub, the pool, the sandbox. Sometimes it seems that they all get along so well, and sometimes there are a few battles.
Super duper soft and cuddly stuffed animals.
Wood peg puzzles-we have so many, most of them for years and years.
Janey loves this purse, we call it her "church purse". I found it at Target in the girl's department. It's the perfect size for her. What is it with girls and bags?
Love the emotion in the bear's faces.
KidKraft Vintage Kitchen - White
($112 which is more than half off-they have red, pink and blue also for a few dollars more. )
($112 which is more than half off-they have red, pink and blue also for a few dollars more. )
Janey loves this kitchen and it's really really on sale right now-for less than Santa might have paid his elves to make it last year during prime-sale-season. :)
I researched kitchens like crazy when I thought Janey was old enough for one, and this is what we chose after my cousin gave it a glowing review, BUT with this warning:it comes in a lot of pieces! If you wait till Christmas Eve to put it together you will be sobbing at 4 a.m. from exhaustion. This is a job for a grandparent or an uncle or a Dad (or a teenager you might hire for twenty bucks to lock himself in a room and assemble it one afternoon.)
It is sturdy and the knobs turns, the shelves move, the little doors open and close and the little phone is a sweet touch. The storage capability is great also for easy clean-up:
Love this velcro cutting food, board and knife.
Zingo-
One of my favorite games to play with the little ones, all the kids enjoyed it through the years.
One of my favorite games to play with the little ones, all the kids enjoyed it through the years.
Janey's favorite things are her hand-me-down babies and her hand-me-down crib and her little cheap stroller.
When Patrick was a toddler he loved his stroller also-inexpensive but such good use out of it!
Children's Toys
-Andrew and Patrick wore this thing out with miles and miles of riding-they can reach at three (but it is for all ages, even older children enjoy this.) They would also wear out the tops of their shoes with dragging, but I didn't mind. That energy burning exercise is all I'm looking for. And they "fit" on this for a long long time, so it's worth the investment.
Vintage Fisher Price (from Ebay or your mom's attic :). They don't make them like they used to. I know that the vintage people can be choking risks so they made them bigger and chunkier nowadays but I love the old versions (and I can't see a child attempting to swallow an entire Little Person?). We have the garage, the farm, the house and the school room.
Trains, of course! This collection started 17 years ago and I just love it. We started with the most basic set (and I think it was maybe just a Melissa and Doug-not a Thomas brand) and added to it slowly and surely over the years. (I don't know if you still can but I used to get the engines at Michael's with a 40% off coupon.) Even with all the boys, I think it was one of Abbey's all time most played with set. I just love those little Thomas characters. My Dad built us a train/coffee table and we still use it in our family room.
This is a neat building set, that comes with lots of little cards so the kids can match the diagram. Janey at 3 loves this just to stack, but Patrick (7) and Andrew (12) will play with this also so it appeals to a wide range.
If I am honest, these light sabers are at the top of our list of most-played-with-toys, you can see how battered and worn they are!
What is it with lightsabers? I don't get it.
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Of course Legos are a huge favorite here. My favorite is the Eiffel Tower that Matt built. I am glad that we bought it when we did because it now sells for $1,189. No joke. I think Andrew's favorites are the Star Wars Lego and Lego City series. I can't imagine life without Legos. As you can see, they can quickly take over a room. At the time I didn't realize it, but Legos help teach so much-following directions and lots and lots of concentration. Although sometimes they can be pricey, I don't regret one bit the money I've spent on Lego, and they usually have great sales this time of year. My kids have spent hours and hours of winter days putting these things together, and Lego sets have always been on their Christmas and birthday lists.
This is SO much fun!
Definitely for junior high and high school kids this hovercraft thingy was a huge hit last year. It has a rechargeable battery and takes some skill and a little practice to get the hang of. (There are some YouTube videos that show how to work these.)
My now sixteen year old really researched which brand was good, and this is the one he chose. He was able to get so good at working it, he could follow someone around the entire house with it hovering right behind them which was funny. It is NOT funny if you get it tangled in your older sister's beautiful long hair though.
If you order this make sure you look at the estimated delivery time, as some companies ship from out of the country and it won't be here in time for Christmas.
Andrew (6th grade) begged for this last year and I really did my research on it and though long and hard about it. I wanted it used only for reading and nothing else. (It has parental controls.) It really has been great. He uses this about 50% of the time, reading "real" books the other 50%. I bought it because I just could not keep up with his book reading. He can download books from the library by himself this way and always have something to read. Again, it is a nice "gadget" gift to appease a tween whose mom does not allow video games and cell phones and computer games.
I'd call this the year of the Rainbow Loom at our house.
The initial set is about $15, and it comes with a starter package of bands. You can buy refill bands (about $3-4) in all sort of colors. It helps to have an organizer box, and they sold cute ones at the local toy store but I also found the Stanley organizer (meant to be for screws and nails I think) works well also.
This is so much fun!
Once you get the kit, you send away for the caterpillars, and then follow the easy instructions for care, till they turn into butterflies. We've done this a few times, and it has always worked perfectly. (Remember it has to be warm outside for the caterpillars to be sent in the mail.)
Patrick loved this puzzle when he was an older toddler-I think it was his most-played-gift last year.
Everyone should have a big ugly plastic basketball hoop in their living room, don't you think? :)
I don't mind it as much when I think of all the energy the four boys burn during the 5 long months of winter.
We've tried a few different brands but this one
has been the only one that has really held up to all the dunking it endures daily-even from teenagers and college aged adults, and old dads also.
has been the only one that has really held up to all the dunking it endures daily-even from teenagers and college aged adults, and old dads also.
A great marble run that comes with a nice booklet of different configurations. (I have to help Patrick with this one-Andrew at nine could figure it out on his own.)
I wasn't sure about this-it's about $30 for a strip of plastic, and there are no gadgets or gizmos with it-except for a suction cup (to stick one end on windows) and another piece to make a loop. The kids have to find books, chairs, etc and be creative, but we've had hours and hours of play with this and they've had tons of fun racing. To see it in action you can watch here.
This is another really cool marble run that the boys get really creative with. I often find it wrapped around my living room.
We've had this forever and it's about the only toy that makes noise that I don't mind.
Patrick and Andrew were introduced to Playmobil by their cute neighbor friends.
Legos will always be a favorite of ours, but this collection is a little relief from the thousands of little pieces and parts, while still being "buildable" and great quality.
They decided to start with the popular dragon land
set.
set.
often. 
The Razor Rip-Rider
-These things are crazy and give me a heart attack but all the kids love them. ONE OF MY BEST PURCHASES! They go really fast and the wheels in the back allow you to spin in circles. The boys love these and ride them constantly. Ages four-teenagers. They even play crashing games with them and they've held up forever. When friends come over this is the toy they gravitate towards.
-These things are crazy and give me a heart attack but all the kids love them. ONE OF MY BEST PURCHASES! They go really fast and the wheels in the back allow you to spin in circles. The boys love these and ride them constantly. Ages four-teenagers. They even play crashing games with them and they've held up forever. When friends come over this is the toy they gravitate towards.
Ripstiks
are probably one of the favorite outdoor toys we've purchased. They do take some co-ordination and core muscles to master-which means it takes kids about 5 minutes to figure out and if you are older than thirty you might put yourself in the hospital ;).
are probably one of the favorite outdoor toys we've purchased. They do take some co-ordination and core muscles to master-which means it takes kids about 5 minutes to figure out and if you are older than thirty you might put yourself in the hospital ;).
For teenagers, longboards are all the rage.
Pogo Stick
(this is close to what is pictured above, but not the exact match)
I think Andrew's record is several hundred, no joke. It gives me a headache just watching him. (this is close to what is pictured above, but not the exact match)
I don't even remember who asked for this once, but it's now in Patrick's closet hiding his treasures. He loves that it is all under lock and key. The kids have used it to play store too.
Here's another brand that is smaller but locks.
Snap Circuits -Matt (12) has always loved these and I saw Andrew (8) had it out the other day. I have never figured it out but the kids seem to be able to make things work. I know they've tricked me with a door bell sound before.
A nice reader left a comment about this toy being a favorite with her sports-crazy boy and I bought it for Patrick and he plays with it constantly. He is always setting up games-one time I thought he was cleaning up because all the guys were in a big pile, but he corrected me and told me he was just waiting while they all fought over the ball.
His Christmas/birthday list this year asks for the Football Guys and the Hockey Guys .
Patrick and Andrew and Janey probably play with these the most out of any toy we own. Honestly, they are really irresistible even to me. All the sides of each tile are magnetized so they click together. We initially bought the 32 piece set, but this year I'm going all out and getting the 100 piece set which I would have bought in the beginning had I known this was going to be an all time favorite.
case of them. They come with a huge set of instructions for all different types of models. Andrew loves these (he is 8.) Patrick (almost 4) just started being able to snap them together. Andrew is asking Santa for the Zoob car designer kit
.
-It has little cars that DO need a battery in them just so you know, but the batteries seem to last forever, and the cars really zip around. The kids can snap the track into all different configurations. 
This year's all time favorite-thank you Aunt Tracy! It has gotten many a boy tired before bed time and my boys playing together-ages 17-3.
Drawing books and sketch pads. Once in awhile Michaels will have a 50% sale for their nice sketchbooks. I have found all sorts of drawing books at book stores.
Andrew (6th grade) is really into these and uses them for drawings and projects.
Shrink Art Jewelry Kit
-Abbey also loved this craft book. She even had a little business going in 7th grade selling earrings to her classmates. I spent many an evening, baking shrinky earrings, thinking, "Oh boy what did we get into here?" She loved it though and could hardly keep up!
-Abbey also loved this craft book. She even had a little business going in 7th grade selling earrings to her classmates. I spent many an evening, baking shrinky earrings, thinking, "Oh boy what did we get into here?" She loved it though and could hardly keep up!
I think you can't go wrong with almost all Klutz books.
Oh I wish I could say they made this sweet Madeline set but they don't anymore. (You can still find them on Ebay.) These were the perfect substitute for Barbies or those other dolls that look like you-know-whats. Ick.
If any mom of girls out there knows of a nice sweet replacement (these are about 7" tall) that is available in stores or on-line please suggest in the comments!
and one more thing...
All American Girl, of course-Abbey played with her dolls into middle school, and loved all the books. Janey is still too young at three for them, but she has Abbey's old Bitty Baby that she loves.
-flashlights/headlamps for reading in bed
-new pens and pencils for school
-cheap gloves (the kind that cost a couple of dollars)
-gum/breath fresheners
-socks and underwear
-for girls: little make up items, hair bands and ties, nail polish
-candy
-new toothbrushes
-card games
-ornaments
Feel free to ask any questions in comments or email me.
Sarah, what a wonderful list!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
One thing I may add, and I know you are close in age to me, so I'm wondering if you had this?!
It is back, exactly like mine...The Fisher Price Record Player! My six year old loves her's!!!!
It has several colored records with precious old songs that store in the back.
No batteries either!
Seeing her play with it takes me back to my own childhood!
I found ours at Hallmark.
They also have the cash register and the little learning desk with chalk and letter stencils. Remember those?!
Have a blessed day!
Oh thank you! Janey would love that record player, and I had it as a child also-I will look into the others!
DeleteI bought a beautiful classic wood dollhouse from Nova Naturals several years ago for $200. I thought it was incredibly pricey, but it is beautiful and I don't think I will ever get tired of the look! The furniture that they sell was out of my price range...but we have found that Plan Toys sells some great wooden (sturdy) doll furniture in sets which is fun because you can build up slowly (kitchen and living room one year, bedrooms the next etc) We have the same little Plan Toy people as you have. The furniture and people fit in the Nova dollhouse perfectly, although Plan Toy does have its own dollhouse for less. I love your ideas. I hate buying more things, but have come checked out your ideas the last three years for Christmas...and we have been really happy with everything we have tried. Thanks for suggesting such classic, creative toys.
ReplyDeleteHape makes a wooden doll house that I don't remember being outrageously pricey. Nice local toy stores would sell it, or Amazon. I bought the vintage Little Tikes blue roof doll house I had as a kid on EBay .. Plastic but that old Little Tikes stuff seems to never break. There is also a cute online store called Caravan Shoppe. They sell downloadable templates to make doll house "backgrounds" you can prop onto shelves, and templates to glue clothes onto wooden peg dolls. I've made the dolls and their line of Olliblocks and they are so darling.
ReplyDeleteAlso I don't know much about Lottie Dolls but they look like a sweet alternative to Barbie
ReplyDeleteThose are perfect! Thank you!
DeleteLiterally SEVEN things I need to look for are on your list with LINKS. I love you.
ReplyDeleteI have so many of these things because of you! Haha! I am getting the kid Kraft kitchen this year and am so excited for my almost 3 year old to play with it! You have the best ideas!
ReplyDeleteYay!!! Thank you so much for this Sarah! I am going to order a few of these things from your list for my boys for Christmas. I really appreciate you sharing this. We have used so many of your suggestions in the past!
ReplyDeleteLove your lists! We even have duplos we received from our neighbours when I was little, those kids are in their forties, so 70s duplos. Unfortunately I do notice that the base-cars lost their points where you can attach them to make a longer train. My boy still uses them for his trucks and airplanes and builds them together with blocks. The wooden train set is also already favourite, already bought an expansion set for the holidays. :) Those Thomas trains are great though! My sons love Thomas, but we only got a magnetic, tiny type which doesn't fit onto the wooded tracks. Apparently there are way too many types of tracks...
ReplyDeleteI also love the Wader toys, my mom found those second hand and it came with a 2 story garage lots of road pieces and a lot of different, same sized cars which you can connect as well. It's old, I'm not sure if the exact same is still for sale, but the company still exists and the toys are durable. (the bigger trucks hold up great in the sand box as well)
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for this list! I have gotten ideas from you before that have been hits here, so I am happy to see this list. My daughter saw the pogo stick, and has actually been asking for one since the summer, so I guess that will be appearing at our house on Christmas Day. BTW, we also have the Madeline set that I bought second hand years ago. Love it.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions! Thank you for taking the time to make this. We love so many of the toys you mentioned! Wondered if you had any recommendations to on wood toy trucks? I just had a boy (after three girls) and I would like to give him one quality heirloom style truck each holiday. Any suggestions in brands or etsy shops? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa-We have had a few wooden trucks and bought them all at a local craft fair from am older man that makes them-they are wonderful. I would check out Etsy for sure!
DeleteOnce again, I love your list! 15 year old boys are the hardest to shop for, I'm looking into a few things you've listed.
ReplyDeleteMy 14 year old got a unicycle last year for his birthday. That can be a fun "toy" that encourages activity and getting outside, my favorite!
ReplyDeleteHope I am not posting this twice - Had to great a google profile.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your list. I will be referencing it for Christmas. Just wondering if you have a system for your toys. I have seen pictures of your living room and it doesn't look like you have all the toys out at once. Do they each have a separate container and you rotate? Do you have a cabinet you store them and the kids pick as they like? I have three boys (3,5 and 7). The boys playroom is also our family room. I am always looking for the best way for us to share our space.
Thanks - Virginia
I always enjoy your lists!
ReplyDeleteDo the manga tiles ever go on sale?
I think some of the sets do!
DeleteOn sale at Target this week! :)
DeleteHi Sarah! I have the same question as Virginia. I know you keep a lot of your toys that are high quality and was wondering about your storage of them.
ReplyDeleteThanks once again for your wonderful lists! I am a long-time reader of your blog and appreciate you for sharing your time!
Jayme and Virginia-I have toys in almost every room-we have a big wall unit in family room that has baskets of toys I keep in it. Also Janey's kitchen and stroller and doll stuff is in there. I have a toy cabinet upstairs (a built in linen "closet") that I turned into a toy cabinet with games etc. In the basement we have a Lego table and plastic containers of Legos and they have some things on shelves in their rooms.
DeleteThis is the best post ever and I was at a total loss as to what to get my almost 6 year old twin boys. Thank you so much! I am wondering about your Lego table situation -- I cannot find a table that I like. Did I see in the picture that you use regular coffee tables? If so, what sort of mat is that on top -- is it just material or one of those special mats that let you roll your Legos up in it?
ReplyDeleteFor our Lego table I just use a cheap kitchen table that we keep in the basement. I used to have it covered with green and blue felt so they could set it up like a Lego village. We've never had an "official" Lego table-the kind they sell. We also have a train table that is our coffee table in the family room.
DeleteThanks so much for your list. I learn so much every time I read your blog. In fact, my Holy Cross Mom's group is now reading Parenting with Grace for our book club selection. What a wealth of valuable information in that book! I updated my best gifts for boys post for 3 to 8 year old boys, I don't have any experience with the teenage years yet. http://www.homeecathome.com/the-home-economist/the-best-gifts-for-boys
ReplyDeletehomeecathome.com, there is no Still Reviewing, my husband created that account years ago, but we never used it and it always pops up when I make comments in blogger.
I love that you do this. Thank you!
ReplyDelete