Gift Guide: Educational Gift Ideas (Or Presents that Keep on Giving)

With learning at home continuing for the foreseeable future, I’ve been focused on finding activities that not only engage my kids but also teach them a thing or two. In other words: this holiday season, their list includes fun educational gift ideas. After all, learning should be fun… and I’d rather buy them something that they’ll use again and again.

This list of educational gift ideas includes a lot of items we have tried and loved as well as a handful of other items that receive rave reviews time and time again. (Affiliate links included).

Math-Related Gift Ideas

Cooking and Baking

We’re all about life skills lately, which means we’re spending time in the kitchen. One of our favorite recipes: banana bread. The kitchen is a fabulous place to teach kids all sorts of things, including how to measure as well as how to count. My oldest was blown away the other day when she realized cooking was also a kind of chemistry!

To encourage a love of cooking and baking, some gift ideas that can be used in the kitchen: a kid-sized cooking set, cake decorating supplies, or an apron. To encourage pretend play, a kid-sized kitchen is also a fabulous gift that will get hours of play time.

Cash register

When they’re younger, cash registers are great for pretend play. As they get older, it can be an opportunity to have fun with addition and subtraction, especially when they use coins (whether they’re real or not!) Bonus: a cash register that includes a real calculator.

Matching games

Learning how to match objects based on their similarities (and differences) is a basic math skill. Plus, my kids LOVE playing matching games, such as: Cars 3 Memory Matching Game and Set Junior.

Counting toys 

Another basic but vital math skill: counting. Enough said. Some favorite counting toys and games include: LEGO Counting train; Counting Bears and Stacking Cups; and math cubes.

Construction Blocks 

Building encourages engineering skills as well as critical thinking skills and strategy. Like: will this building really be stable if you add another block on the top? Some favorite construction-related math toys: Picasso Tiles (similar to Magna Tiles but cheaper), Lincoln Logs, and LEGO blocks.

Pattern blocks, too, are fun, and developing an ability to see and form patterns lays the groundwork for future math skills.

Encourage Reading With These Gifts

A love of books and reading will last a lifetime, and that’s why books are always on the top of my gift-giving list. Some picture books my kids are loving lately include: As an Oak Tree Grows by Brian Kras, Stay: A Girl, a Dog, a Bucket List by Kate Klise, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt (and the sequel), and The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman. (Want more book recs based on a genre? Comment below).

Magazine Subscriptions

Subscriptions are the gift that literally keep on giving, thanks to annual subscriptions. Whether your kid love learning about animals (Nat Geo for Kids), stories of all kinds (Cricket magazines), or stories combined with games and stickers (Highlights), there’s a kid’s magazine out there for them.

Word Games

Games are a fabulous way to build all sorts of skills, including reading and spelling. With two kids at various ages though, word games can get tricky. That’s one reason Bananagrams is a favorite: the youngest can use it to practice identifying letters, while the oldest spells words!

LeapFrog’s LeapReader Reading and Writing System

One of the newest (and coolest) LeapFrog inventions: the LeapReader, which helps teach kids to read with the help of a stylus. Ideal for kids between age 4 and 8, LeapReader teaches kids how to sound out words, and it can include books, games, and songs. Encouraging a love of reading and music? That’s a win-win in my book.

Journals / Blank books

While journaling is technically more about practicing writing, it’s another way to fall in love with words, among so many other benefits. A journal can help kids process their feelings, improve their writing skills, and explore their creativity. With so many journals available, I suggest finding one with a cover that features something the kid you’re shopping for loves. For example, my oldest currently adores her unicorn journal!

Science-Related Gift Ideas

KiwiCo Crate  

Every month my kids look forward to their latest Kiwi Crate. Through these monthly boxes, they’ve learned about time, insects, farm life, the science of trees, rainbows, the body, and oh so much more.

While there is definitely a science-bent to all the crates, they touch on all STEAM-related topics. They build, they paint, and they sometimes even make music. While I was a bit skeptical of the price at first, it’s been 100% worth it; each crate includes at least three activities with all the necessary supplies, plus more suggested activities in the accompanying magazine.  KiwiCo is available with a subscription, or buy a stand-alone box through their store. (Get $10 off here).

Butterfly Garden

Watching caterpillars transform into butterflies? It’s a priceless experience! One that we plan to repeat each spring.

My kids loved checking on the caterpillars each and every day, and they oohed and aahed when each caterpillar spun their chrysalis. Of course the real treat though was releasing the butterflies and watching them flutter away. In addition to a Butterfly Garden, Insect Lore also encourages a love of bugs through an ant kit, ladybug kit, and more.

Rocks

My kids first loved rocks, because they were easy to collect (and totally pretty). After reading “I’m Trying to Love Rocks,” they love them for all sorts of reasons. Encourage a love of geology with gifts like: the National Geographic Rocks & Fossils Kit and a rock tumbler.

Microscope

Want to blow your kid’s mind by zooming into, well, just about anything? A microscope is a wonderful way to foster a love of science. Some microscopes, like this one, also offer some activities to do with

More Fun Educational Toys

Learning should be fun, and the good news is that kids learn in all sorts of way… including through play. The beautiful thing about toys and games that educate? They often cover a multitude of topics. From learning to identify colors and numbers, to developing social-emotional skills by learning to take turns during games. A few favorite all-around fun educational toys/games/activities:

• Air-dry clay and, let’s be honest, just about any art supply that allows them to explore their creativity.
• Sidewalk chalk: for outdoor games, especially hopscotch, or just coloring.
• Dolls, Barbies, stuffed animals, figurines: They’re all basically characters in your kid’s imagination!

All these educational gift ideas are just a drop in the bucket, but they’re among some of our favorite things… and I think your kids will love them too.

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