The Ultimate Gift Guide for Kids (From Highly Rated Games to Creative Play & More)
Unlike many people we shop for, kids are quick to say exactly what they want.
This usually results in toy book catalogs with big, bold circles on what seems to be almost every item! If you’re looking for a little wow-factor outside their already-bursting Christmas wish lists, we’ve rounded up the ultimate guide of kids gifts available this year. From experiences to games and the hottest toys, there’s something for every child with these trendy picks!
1. Kids cookbooks
Calling all young chefs and parents who love to eat! These easy to follow cookbooks will have your little one whipping up delicious treats in no time! Try this Cooking Class Cookbook so they can start with your favorite basics like French toast, popcorn chicken, and pizza. Cooking class will inspire imaginative presentations and build confidence for budding chefs of the future.
Got a little princess? Twirl around the kitchen with this Disney Princess Cookbook for all the Disney fairytale lovers in your life. From Rapunzel’s Frying Pan Eggs to Ariel’s Sea Turtle Cupcakes, this beautiful cookbook is filled with delicious recipes inspired by the Princesses’ many adventures.
If you’re still hungry for more, enjoy these sweet treats from the American Girl Baking Recipes book. Williams-Sonoma has partnered with American Girl to bring you these delicious treats featuring stunning food photography and more than 40 easy to follow baking creations that everyone will love. We think that your future chef will enjoy mixing up these ingredients from any of our favorite cookbooks, but even more, you’ll love taste testing everything they make!
Hip Tip: Every mini chef needs their own apron. Gift them one of these adorable Anthropologie kids aprons to complete their look. And as an added bonus, they’re so beautiful, they can even be used to wrap your cookbooks to save on wrapping paper!
2. Playsets
💰💰💰: KidKraft Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen
💰💰: Step2 Kitchen Playset
💰: Guidecraft Wooden Tabletop Puppet Theater
Kids love having space where they can bring their imaginations to life! Help them become the next anticipated TV actor or celebrity chef with one of these highly-rated playsets.
Create a masterful space with this Ultimate Corner Kitchen featuring lights and sounds, knobs that click and turn, and all the appliances a real kitchen would boast. Or have it all with this playset that comes with all the accessories your little chef will need, like pots and pans, silverware, dishes, and even play food. “Boil” water on the stove with real sound effects, check on customers through the stylish window, or make a pot of coffee. This kitchen will keep kids busy for hours.
“Our friends have the Step2 playset, and every single time we’re at their house our daughter plays the entire night with this kitchen! We have a different one at home, but she just absolutely loves this kitchen and will play with it for hours!” – Sara
Looking for something more space-saving? Check out this wooden tabletop toy. We love the convenient foldable design which allows for dramatic play at home or on the go. With the interchangeable marquis signs, you’ll know just what’s playing. And with movable hands on the clock, you’ll never be late for the show!
Hip Tip: Gift these adorable Melissa and Doug hand puppets to complete the show! Kids will love these cute animals, and they fit perfectly inside the mesh pocket on the Guidecraft Wooden Tabletop Puppet Theater.
3. Bikes
💰💰💰: Woom 3 16″ Bike
💰💰: Nishiki Girls Mountain Bike
💰: Dynacraft BMX Boys Bike
Let the kiddos explore the outdoors with a new bike! It’s a classic gift that pretty much every child loves. Start them on one of these show-stopping Woom bikes, perfect for ages four to six. The lightweight aluminum frame and long wheelbase allow for easy handling and riding. And with hassle-free assembly, you won’t be staying up too late on Christmas Eve.
Shopping for an older child who really loves to ride? Check out these BMX bikes for boys or this Mountain Bike for girls, both perfect for kids ages 6 and up! The tough steel frames of these bikes will stand the test of time for all their fun adventures. Whether they’re riding around the block, heading down to the trails, or showing off all their tricks, we think these bikes are the perfect gift to get kids moving with their friends.
Hip Tip: Complete your gift-giving and keep them safe with these highly-rated helmets for younger kids or these popular helmets for your older ones.
4. Classic toys
We love the nostalgia of gifting a classic toy, because let’s be honest, you can never go wrong with timeless gifts. Share old memories and build classic creations with this Lincoln Logs 100th Anniversary Tin or this Classic Lego Creative Builder Box. From building rustic log cabins to Lego cities, your little one’s architectural skills will be engaged!
Another classic gift we love is the Stomp Rocket. Soaring up to 200 feet in the air, this toy will provide year-round fun for the whole family. No need for batteries, just jump and stomp these foam tipped rockets up to 20 stories in the air. This rocket launcher will be sure to catch the attention of all the neighborhood kids–if not NASA!
Hip Tip: Too many tiny toys on the floor? Save yourself from hours of tedious cleanup with this genius toy organizer mat. Simply lay out all of their toy cars, LEGOs, and blocks on the mat, and when they’re done playing, they just pull the drawstring shut for hassle-free cleanup. It’s really that simple! It’s also super portable, so make sure to bring it to Grandma’s or bring it along for playdates.
5. Arts & crafts supplies
Spark your child’s artistic imagination. We love this Jumbo Crayola set for endless drawing opportunities. With markers, crayons, and colored pencils in every shade, your child will have a vibrant collection conveniently stored in a portable carry case that’ll last longer than your traditional pack of Crayola.
Add some dimension to their artwork with these fun and reusable Melissa and Doug puffy stickers playsets. You can also score Christmas-themed puffy stickers, too! Create unique outfits and designs for their little dolls, fairies, or even mermaids. These sticker sets are great for fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, creative expression, narrative thinking, and independent play.
Really help them sparkle with this Elmer’s glitter glue set. Rated the #1 teacher’s brand, Elmer’s makes this bold, glittery glue perfect for any school project or homemade slime. Safe, washable and non-toxic, we’re sure parents will be satisfied, too! Use these gorgeous glues in Lina’s 3-ingredient puffy slime recipe or adapt these Christmas tree slime ingredients for more sparkle!
6. Bedroom accessories
Add elements of wonder to your child’s room with fun decor! Bring in a glow at night with one of these ceramic Pillowfort nightlights. The light projecting displays come in a variety of shapes, like unicorns, stars, and dogs. The beautiful globe light design can even cast a starry night. And when they’re turned off, they’re sure to fit seamlessly with any home decor.
Make bedtime more exciting with these life-size costume bedding sets, voted one of Oprah’s Favorites in 2017. Your child can choose from many different characters like an astronaut suit and helmet, a flowing princess gown and tiara, or a mythical mermaid with a glittery tail and seahorse crown. Sleeping has never been more fun!
Hip Tip: Scoop up one of these microfiber duvet inserts to complement your costume bedding. These hypoallergenic inserts will keep your kids warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Do you have a child who struggles with sleeping alone? You’re going to love these animal body pillows to help your child feel safe and snuggly. These large friends, like Fuzzy Fox, Cow, Black Bear, and the sweetest Golden Retriever will be your child’s new favorite stuffed animal. And for some kids, this may be the closest thing they get to sleeping with a real one!
7. Learning toys
At Hip2Save, we get pretty excited about gifts that keep on giving. That’s why we love these educational subscriptions that deliver endless experiences straight to your door!
Create your own science and art projects with KIWI Crates, or have fun playing with new educational toys from the Amazon STEM Club. These front door deliveries will keep your little learning sponges engaged with handpicked Science, Engineering, and Math inspired elements. And, best of all, you can customize your child’s membership by their age range and conveniently choose the frequency of deliveries. Both subscriptions always ship free in just two days! There will always be something for your child to look forward to each month, but rest assured, you can cancel your happy mail at any time.
Do you love to encourage your child’s growing reading skills? Another one of our favorites from Amazon is their Prime Book Box membership. With these book subscriptions, you can customize their deliveries for 1, 2, or 3 months and save up to 40% off regular list prices. Each box will ship free and comes with two hardcover books or four board books.
8. Fortnite anything & everything
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably heard the word Fortnite before! Kids will do almost anything to get in the game. Since the game is free and most already have it installed at home, we’ve found some themed pieces to take their obsession to another level. Fortnite Monopoly is a remake of the popular and traditional monopoly game that will have the whole family battling their opponents and avoiding the storm!
“I have two boys, and they asked for EVERYTHING Fortnite this year! They actually bought the Fortnite Monopoly game for one of their friend’s birthday gifts and they enjoyed playing it together so much, it’s now at the top of our Christmas list!” – Claire
They can also rock their favorite game with some fun apparel like this Fornite Hoodie. Rated #1 New Release on Amazon, this trend-setting sweatshirt will be their new favorite piece of clothing to wear when playing their favorite game or heading to school.
The truly coveted Fortnite gifts are only available in the game, which can only be bought with V-Bucks. Any Fortnite player would love the gift of the ultimate currency for buying popular skins, emotes, gliders, and more! Since V-Bucks can’t be purchased directly from Fortnite, buy them a gift card for their console which can then be converted to V-Bucks. Whether they play on Xbox, PlayStation, iOS, Android, or on their computer, you can help fund all their favorite in-game purchases!
9. Board games
Liven-up your family game nights with these wacky, fun games! Who knew Yetis liked Spaghetti?! We did! Scoop up the Yeti In My Spaghetti game that’s easy to set up and fun for everyone — just don’t let the Yeti fall in your bowl or you’ll lose!
Crack into an EGGventure with this Hatchimals CollEGGtibles Game! Build on your child’s love of Hatchimals with this exciting game that includes four Hatchimal collectibles. Travel around the Giggling Tree hatching eggs and be the first player to bring all your Hatchimals home to win in this game.
Another option is Googly Eyes, a hilarious game that takes a twist on classic drawing games. Fit for the whole family, this game challenges your vision and leaves you googling for more! Take turns putting on the zany, vision-altering google eyeglasses while players take turns drawing and guessing what the other team is creating. The first team to finish wins!
10. “Express yourself” toys
Voted #1 on Oprah’s Favorites Things List, these Letters To My Future Self would make the perfect gift for any child. Self-sealing letters allow your child to keep in touch with their past, present, and future self. We love that these are less of a commitment than a diary and have a pretty format and design that make you want to keep it laying around. What would you say to your future self?
Have a rising star in the house? The Tzumi PopSolo Glow Wireless Karaoke Microphone was featured on the October Ellen’s List, and we agree, it’s the perfect gift for any aspiring singer! Have your child host the best karaoke party their friends have been to and sing along to their favorite songs in style. This Bluetooth enabled device has bright, colorful LED lights that shine in moving patterns to complement any performance. And when turned up to full volume, the lights will even match the beat of the music! PopSolo is universally compatible with most karaoke apps and will work with any type of smartphone.
Maybe your child is a bit more on the shy side, or maybe your kiddo is struggling with a bit of anxiety. Whatever they worry about, Worry Eaters are here to help. These cuddly plush pals carry your little one’s worries so they don’t have to. All kiddos have to do is write down their troubles, “feed” them to their Worry Eater, keep calm, and carry on.
Which gifts are you excited about this year?
Please let us know in the comments below!
Get your gifting on!
Check out our Ultimate Gift Guide for Teens (Video Games, Beauty, and the Latest, Hot Gifts)
Find even more gift ideas on our Hip2Save Ultimate Gift Guide page!
Those kidkraft kitchens are beautiful when assembled but this is not something you want to tackle after your kids go to bed the night before Christmas, IMO. They aren’t that hard to put together, just takes time that you may want to be sleeping😉.
My boys are totally into Fortnite as well but I will say I bought the Monopoly game right when it came out and they have only attempted to play it once. It’s kind of confusing and they didn’t like it. Even my 17 year old daughter tried to help them with it but didn’t like the concept. I was bummed because I thought this would become a great family board game!
Why would they make the microphone pink? I can’t stand gender biased toys! Only girls want to be singers? They’re leaving out a whole demographic, boys! My 7 year old loves to sing, he’s a kid lol!
They have it in black as well.
Why can’t your kid have a pink microphone? Is pink only a girls color?
Really recommends the USAopoly Harry Potter Clue game for the same age set that would like the monopoly. It’s like clue but so much better than clue.