25 Gift Ideas For Toddlers… That They’ll ACTUALLY Play With!

Confession… my Christmas tree has been up for 2 weeks now. (Muahaha.) It’s safe to say, the spirit of the holiday season is alive and well in our house. And if we weren’t already pushing for it ourselves, we’ve already received requests for gift ideas from friends and family for our little ones.

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Great! EXCEPT…. here’s the thing that breaks my holiday spirit: receiving a thousand tiny little plastic toys that inevitably get stepped on, broken or tossed in a corner somewhere. I honestly dread it every year.

We have more than enough stuff.

Not to mention, the concept of giving stuff for the sake of just… giving STUFF is, in my opinion, a little imposing and impersonal. I don’t mean to be the OCD-mom who has a panic attack when the playroom is chaotic and overflowing, but I am. I don’t mean to be the tree-hugging-mom whose hippie heart breaks to accumulate “junk” that will be so quickly discarded, but I’m her, too. 

But… I do get it.

Family, (grandparents COUGH COUGH,) love to see the joy and excitement on their grandchild’s face when they open a present on Christmas Day. It’s magical. So even though I favor myself a “give the gift of experience” kinda girl, I know not everyone will share that sentiment. ENTER: your own thoughtful gift ideas for toddlers, that you can share with family and friends!

Now that we’re giving the green light on “toys,” I do request a few things:  that they’re 1.) purposeful, 2.) timeless, 3.) open-ended, 4.) imaginative, and 5.) valuable. (BONUS POINTS if they can be used outdoors!)

DISCLAIMER! “Valuable” doesn’t mean expensive. We got a behemoth swingset for FREE off of NextDoor.com that has a price-tag of $2,000. My kids use it almost every day.

Are you looking for toddler wishlist inspiration that will withstand the test of time? Then, here are over 25 “toy” gift ideas for toddlers that the kids of Poms2Moms have loved for a long time, and YOURS will too!

1.) Outdoor playground

(HACK: People will offer their old sets FOR FREE if you can move it yourself.) It’s a game-changer.

OR, splurge and buy it new if you so choose. It will be a LONG-TIME favorite, either way.

 

2.) Indoor play set

If you don’t have the outdoor space, then an indoor play set, or heck, a slide, will do the trick. My kids have used this one from 10 months old, to currently, (4 and 2.)

3.) Scooter

These convertible sitting to standing scooters have gotten almost DAILY use from my girls over the past 2 years. They’re a favorite and the light-up wheels are a nice touch.

4.) Bike with training wheels

Pssst! This is what a certain four-year-old will be getting Christmas morning! We have a Radio Flyer little steering trike currently (that we loved), but it’s time for an upgrade.

5.) Helmets

For all of your new outdoor gear!

6.) Electric car/Jeep

This was our “big gift” last Christmas (from Wal-Mart) and our girls couldn’t love it more!

7.) Play kitchen

STOP EVERYTHING YOU’RE DOING and get this play kitchen, ASAP. This is one of my ultimate mom hacks, and easily, the toy my kids (and their friends) play with most. Plus, with this specific IKEA kitchen, there are so many fun and easy DIY updates you can make with enough Pinterest inspiration. (I made ours match our kitchen!)

8.) Play kitchen accessories

Any and all gadgets will do but my kiddos love these to pretend cut!

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9.) Grocery cart

10.) Kid’s actual suction vacuum cleaner

What could be better than a vacuum that actually cleans while your kid plays?! Nothing. The answer is nothing.

11.) Arts and crafts supplies

My girls are doing watercolors as we speak; arts and crafts supplies are a STAPLE in our house. No one could go wrong in replenishing the art supplies section of our pantry this holiday season. Dot markers are a personal favorite, here!

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12.) Baby dolls and accessories

13.) Baby doll stroller

14.) Play purse and/or wallet

Trisha vouches for this one: the more realistic… the BETTER! You could even donate one of your older models in exchange for an upgrade for yourself. 😉

 

15.) Dress-up clothes

With 7 little girls amongst us, you might imagine that princess dresses are a real hit around here… and you’d be right! Our girls love to play pretend in these quite regularly. PRO TIP: Buy them a few sizes larger with room to grow… they’ll never know the difference and you’ll get more use out of each outfit!

16.) Doctor’s kit

17.) Jumbo floor puzzles

18.) Building blocks

Okay, this *may* be counter-intuitive to the whole “no little plastic pieces” idea, but I love how creative my kids are with blocks, so I’ll take one for the team here. Magnatiles, Legos, K’nex, are all GREAT ideas for kids and their little engineering brains.

19.) Kindle Fire tablet

We’ve raved about this particular tablet multiple times on the blog, so stay on the lookout for it Black Friday and Cyber Monday… prices will drop dramatically!

20.) Leap frog tablet and/or books

 

21.) Music toys

No, we don’t hate you. Kids really get a kick out of these for years and years!

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22.) Microphone

23.) Beginner board and card games

Over here, we’re personally fans of Go Fish, Candyland, and Checkers. We also love a regular ol’ deck of cards to practice numbers by playing War!

24.) Giant Jenga

We don’t own it yet, but we’re asking a very special Paw-Paw to make us a set for Christmas. (He’s crafty like that!) I love asking the grands to build us something; in the past we’ve also received a handcrafted toddler picnic table and covered sandbox. These are some of our favorite gift items, ever!

25.) Gymnastics equipment

The sky is the limit on these and I promise they’ll get used. Anything from a mini trampoline, to a bar, to a triangle wedge… kids will love these for years!

This list won’t cover interests for EVERY child, but it should help give you some ideas! What are some special items you’re looking into for YOUR little one(s) this year?!