Wooden musical instrument set (6 instruments), $35: Everything that you and they want in a toy—offers hours of fun, sparks imagination, fires up sensory learning and motor skills, and looks beautiful tossed around the house.
Digital camera, $40: We gave our kiddos basic digital cameras as a gift to capture their points of view on their first international trip, and it was priceless. Your kiddo will love having a device, but this one will actually encourage contemplation and creativity (or take their camera on a sacred-place scavenger hunt). Choose from four colors.
Cat socks (10 pairs), $24: Everyone loves socks—these cuties are a no-fail gift for a range of ages.
Football, $22: Never underestimate the power of a fresh football (or basketball) to get kids up and moving and interacting. Footballs—with no extra equipment required—are especially versatile for the yard, pool, beach, even road trips breaks. This one is junior sized for younger hands, but you could also choose the larger official size.
Food face plate, $18: Someone gave our son this plate for his first birthday and it was a genius gift. He loved using his special plate well into elementary school. Kids love having their own items. Plus, it's just hilarious fun—I bet you'll find yourself playing with food, too!
Disco LED light bulbs (2 pack), $12 or 4 pack, $18: These rotating bulbs screw into regular lamps and light fixtures to add a rainbow of fun to their bedrooms and playrooms. If you're looking to impress some kids with your creative cool, give these.
Slushie cup with spoon and straw (2 pack), $16: These slushie cups went viral among the kids in our family a few years ago. You freeze the cup, then add any liquid and squish it to create an instant slushie. An absolute hit! Pro tip: You can split this two pack into two individual gifts.
Tiny Saints charms, $12: Add some adorable heavenly friends to their backpacks or lunch bags. These sweet little charms come in every saint imaginable, so you can gift a collection that’s personalized for your kiddo’s namesakes, patrons, and interests. (Pictured is tiny St Michael the Archangel).
Huge cat plushie, $34: There's just something so fun about anything oversized. This cute, 43-inch plush cat has been a recent go-to gifts for friends, who have unanimously squealed and laughed when they unwrapped it. Comes in several other colors and a plethora of sizes.
Magic Milk straws (16 pieces in 4 flavors), $8: The best kids' gifts are consumable—total delight and zero lasting clutter. For years, we have been gifting these straws for birthdays with great success. The flavor beads inside each straw magically transform any glass of milk into something fun and delicious. You can choose larger variety packs or different flavors here.
Bug catcher and viewer, $15: A well-made little gadget that will send them outside to hunt for grasshoppers and beetles. They can hold insects in the catcher and enjoy the magnifier's fives times 5X magnification. Great for a neighborhood walk or playground outing.
Building straws and connectors set (300 pieces), $18: You know how Legos take up every extra inch of your house? These building straws let them create huge structures as giant as they can dream up with lightweight pieces that pack away to almost nothing for storage. You're welcome.
Starbucks $10 gift card (4 pack), $40: Kids LOVE having their own money for grown up outings. You could split this apart for four individual gifts or blow one kid’s mind. Bonus: The real gift is the relationship building that happens when you chauffeur them to enjoy a strawberry frapp.
Received by Jesus and Renewed by Jesus, $15 each: We wrote these two books to help kids enter more deeply into Mass and Confession. As always, I learned so much myself while writing and had many, many moments of being brought to tears at the wonder of God's love and mercy. Both books have won multiple awards and feature beautiful artwork, prayers, and an excellent examination of conscience.
Left and right shoe stickers (60), $10: Kids place these stickers inside their shoes so they can match the left and right shapes and learn which shoe fits on which foot.
Air dry foam clay with sculpting tools (24 colors), $12: Non-sticky, lightweight, easily manipulated foam clay that doesn't dry out? Hallelujah! They'll love the huge assortment of bright colors and how easily they can sculpt and air-dry their creations for display. (Pro tip: try making Christmas tree or Jesse tree ornaments together, or a little nativity scene.)
A note about Amazon
These links connect mostly to products sold on Amazon. This is not the only place you can buy most of these items, but I set it up this way because of Amazon's ubiquity (everyone I know already has a Prime account). You can also try finding the items you like at other retailers, local shops, or even use these ideas as a springboard to create gifts.
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