Gift Ideas for the Kid Who Isn't Asking for Anything ~ Inside Our Normal

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An Interest-Based Gift Guide for Kids

When holidays and birthdays come around, a popular question I hear is what is on my kids’ wish list. The problem is that none of them are begging me daily for anything and they are always finding new and creative ways to play with what they have.

Their favorite toys over the years are those that encourage open-ended play. These toys are flexible, like the old venerable sticks and simple cardboard boxes, and encourage more creativity in their play and can be used over a larger age span because how each toy is used can change as the children grow. Many good store-bought gifts offer similar flexibility.

I’ve rounded up our favorites to build is Gift Guide for Kids to make your shopping a little easier this year. Let’s take a look at some of the toys that have stood the test of time at our house!

For Your Builder or Engineer…

This is the kid who loves to ask for the cardboard box when it’s empty and uses tape and scissors to make it into something new. The kid who loves building towers that never down or asks how everything works! Classic Legos are an obvious choice for this kind of child, but what do you get them to be different? Zoobs are another building toy we love, it uses sockets and crossbars to attach the pieces together. While each set comes with instructions, they have never been used at our house.

For the technology-savvy kid, we love Snap Circuits to introduce basic electricity concepts and projects to kids. And for the budding Programmer, we are enjoying using Code Rocket to learn C++ programming. Click over to read our Review of Code Rocket

For Your Creative Artists…

If you have papers lying around with bits of drawings, or find markers under the couch all the time, then you know you have a creative kid. You can never go wrong with sketch books for a creative kid, since they can fill it however they wish. If you have one who wants to learn more drawing techniques, we have found these Manga Mania Drawing books particularly helpful.

We really like this set of colored pencils because it rolls up to store and stays organized. We also love this box of colors from Crayola: it’s full of all the coloring mediums you want and none that will go unused. If you have patient crafters we also enjoy Perler Beads and this Harry Potter crochet kit that lets us make our favorite literary friends.

For Your Writer…

If you have a budding writer, a fun new journal would make a great gift, a special place for them to write their story ideas down. Our favorite pens to use for journaling are Frixons. They have a nice gel ink and are also erasable!

These books and games will help them overcome writer’s block. A Year In My Life has a daily doodle prompt to get the creativity flowing. Build Your Own Story Cards can be a fun game to play with friends to come up with new story ideas to write about.

For Your Gamer…

Help your gamer take their favorite games off the screen and into the playroom. Angry Birds play set lets you decide where the Pigs are hiding and hit them with your slingshot and birds. Minecraft Lego Sets let you build with Steve and Alex even more. While a diamond sword lets you fight your zombies and creepers in the backyard. Or introduce them to the classics with LEGO Mario!

For Your Reader…

For your avid readers, you can try introducing them to a new series, we recommend the Green Ember by S. D. Smith or the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, both are huge family favorites here! They both have strong family relationships at the center of the story and siblings who work together to save the day. The Green Ember is about rabbits, not humans, and the rabbits have swords, which means it has to be amazing! A brand new favorite is the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan, it’s full of adventure for kids 8+.

They can read up on all there is to know about Pokemon in the Super Extra Deluxe Essential Pokemon Handbook so they are ready for their next battle. Study the Star Wars universe in the DK encyclopedias to learn everything about it. Help them follow along with Runt and his Minecraft adventures in the Diary of an 8-bit Warrior series. For the emerging readers we enjoy graphic novels like Hilo to build fluency. We also enjoy Science Comics for nonfiction graphic reading.

Our kids also enjoy dressing like their favorite book characters. Camp Half-Blood hoodies are a recent favorite right now with our Percy Jackson fans. And Hogwarts House anything has been a favorite as well. And don’t forget some bookmarks for your bookworms so your sandwich doesn’t get stolen to save their place.