Photo by Artem Podrez via pexels
Looking for the perfect gift for the special little ones in your life? Like you, kids tire of toys with the deceiving lure of flashing lights and beeping noises – and they tire quick. This guide offers ideas that spark imagination, create a sense of calm, and provide hours worth of make-believe. And the best part is: no screens required! Budding artists and future writers will love these seven product picks during the holiday season and beyond.
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Storypod
Screen-free, audio story-telling machine inspires imagination with lovable “Crafties.”
Snuggle up with Storypod, your child’s bedtime bestie. Storypod is an interactive audio system with age-appropriate yard figures, audiobooks and trivia cards – taking quiet time to the next level. Stories are brought to life and imagination is endless with the speaker’s many features from fairy fables, music, lessons and trivia. Developed by screen-conscious parents, Storypod was a Kickstarter success; the 2nd most crowd funded toy in history and can be used by babies to 6+ year-olds.
Storypod comes preloaded with an audio library and is also enabled by the brand’s books, trivia cards and “Crafties,” yard characters that engage with a tap of the speaker. Upon activation, an array of screen-free interactive content is available, while kids can play or cuddle their chosen craftie. Crafties are cute and cuddly and feature both original characters and beloved favorites like Daniel Tiger. Crafties or read-along books can be purchased based on interests or specific age-range. Parents can download the Storypod app to coincide with the speaker and add-ons.
Applauded for improving literacy and promoting independent leaning and listening skills with its audio content, Storypod has other handy features like a built-in nightlight and various white noise options for a seamless nighttime routine.
Price: $99
Available: storypod.com
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OOLY Creative Expressions Holiday Bonus Box
OOLY’s Bonus Boxes are available for a limited time and pack a big creative punch.
Can’t decide what to get your budding artist? You don’t have to — OOLY Creative Expression Holiday Bonus Box has a little bit of everything for endless art projects, enjoyed by all ages. OOLY’s products are colorful, playful and oh so imaginative with limited-time bonus holiday sets like this one, bundled with complementing products and savings built-in. This set includes the likes of chalk, stamp ended markers, colored pencils, oil pastels, clay, gel pens, stickers and more! Here’s to doodles and masterpieces for many months to come!
Price: $73.99
Available: Ooly.com
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We Are Colorful Products
We Are Colorful Crayons by Mudpuppy includes 18 shades to celebrate a full range of representation.
Help your child understand the power of diversity and representation while celebrating the full range of skin tones. Hours of fun line in We Are Colorful products by Mudpuppy, including an activity book, color pencil and crayon set (all sold separately.) From peach to brown and over a dozen shades in-between, your portrait artist will now ve the tools to succeed and create.The We Are Colorful activity book includes guided prompts to encourage imagination and thought within each page. Beautiful packaging and stellar quality make these picks great gift options.
Price: $9.99+
Available: Mudpuppy.com
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Literari Kid’s Book Club
Data points, expert and parental feedback and individual curation match age-appropriate books to readers for a fun book club experience.
The power books play in creating world’s of imagination and wonder can no doubt shape a childhood, and entire life for that matter. Literati delivers new reads to your door step each month with the only try-before-you-buy book subscription box for kids. Books are curated by literary experts based on age, reading level and personal interests. The 0-4 book for example, includes interactive board books and vibrant picture books sure to engage even the smallest of book worms. Five books arrive in each box, along with artwork, stickers and activities. Try out the books for one week and choose which you’d like to keep (for an additional cost) and send back the others. Gift boxes, gift cards and gift subscriptions are available to make reading come alive.
Price: $9.95+
Available: literati.com
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We Craft Box
Get creative with the kids and skip the prep-work with monthly We Craft Box.
If you feel the overwhelm that comes with the idea of crafting with the kids, you’re not alone. The preparation, shopping trips and waste from excess supplies can make parents abandon ship before even getting started. We Craft Box is a monthly themed arts and crafts box for ages 3-9 that comes with everything you need for some serious creative fun. Supplies (sans water and scissors) for two crafters and up to five unique projects are included along with helpful instructions that give direction yet leave plenty of room for imagination. Themes are age appropriate including recent favorites like holiday fun, the Bug Box and Pirates Ocean Adventure. One-off boxes can be purchased or you can set yourself up for a year’s worth of crafts and save with a subscription.
Price: $34.99
Available: wecraftbox.com
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BRYTE Fairy Garden Kit for Kids
Create a fairy ecosystem with LED flights, and colorful figurines and accessories.
I’m convinced the ‘fairy phase’ of childhood is one that should be nourished and cultivated while it lasts. Fairy Garden Kit for Kids by BRYTE gives kid’s full reign into their very own fairy universe to paint, plant and grow their own unicorn fairy garden. Included in the set are wheatgrass seeds to be planted and nurtured as kids learn how to manage their own garden habitat. In addition to seeds, a garden dish, fairy figurines to be painted, a unicorn, fairy cottage, soil disc, painting supplies, glittering crystal gravel and rainbow fairy lights are included. Perfect indoor or outdoor activity, the tabletop design can be appreciated by toddlers+ for hours of magical creating and imagining.
Price: $22.39
Available: Amazon.com
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Beginagain Kids Space A to Z Puzzle & Playset
Zoom into space, practice the alphabet and engage the mind.
What do you get when you combine outer-space, ABCs and an increase in motor skills? An educational and beautifully designed puzzle toy from Beginagain, of course! Created out of chunky rubberwood, the 26-piece creation comes with a wooden storage tray for easy assembly. The puzzle can also be put together upright to show it off and display. Each piece/letter represents a space adventure object with the letter on one side and object name on the other. Made with eco-friendly materials, this quality puzzle grows with kids as they figure the pieces together and imagine and learn about the science of space. A throwback to old-fashioned fun, sans the need for screens.
Price: $40.00
Available: justshoesforkids.com
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