Christmas Gift Guide – Kids

Maplin

Maplin has a great range of electronic gift ideas this Christmas and there is something for children of every age with retro toys such as Slinky Dog and Etch A Sketch, portable speakers in shaped like colourful characters, the Connex electronic maze and air hockey.  One thing that was on my Christmas shopping list for all three of my children was lights for their bedrooms and Maplin have most definitely got that covered.  From Marvel and StarWars lights that quite literally jump out of the wall at you or retro style lamps that you can actually play with, there are some brilliant ideas. 

The Tetris Light is priced at £29.99.

Rubik’s Cube Light

Continuing with the light theme, this is another favourite gift idea. Growing up as an 80’s child, I was obsessed with the Rubik’s Cube and it makes me smile to see that same obsession with my 11-year-old son.  He spends hours getting nowhere fast, but he loves it. So this Rubik’s Cube Light is the perfect present for him.

Not only does it make a brilliant bedside light, but you charge it and it can be removed from the base and used as a normal Rubik’s Cube.  How clever is that?

The Rubik’s Cube Light comes with a small triangular stand and a USB cable.  Once charged, you have two hours of ‘playing’ time but you can also connect to the mains with a USB charger plug. This light is available from a selection of online retailers for around £20, which I think is great value for such a brilliant gift.

Room to Grow

Room to Grow is a website to inspire brilliant bedrooms with some interesting and innovative ideas for beds, bedroom furniture, accessories and more.

From brilliant beds the perfect night’s sleep to beanbags for chilling out, Room to Grow really do have an amazing range.  The bean bags, in particular, caught my eye as we have always had bean bags for the children to relax on in the living room or bedrooms and they all love them.  So I knew that they would love the Mini-b beanbags.

Available in 11 colours, the Mini-b bean bags are made of easy to  wipe PU fabric and they are shaped perfectly to mould into the right position for children to lounge comfortably on.

We opted for lime green and my youngest son has already become quite attached to it.  He likes to lean on it to play on his iPad, sit on it to watch TV and quite bizarrely has it on his back when he is reading (no, I have no idea either). Priced at £59.99, the Mini-b beanbags are perfect for any room in the house and you can also by the bigger version; the Mighty-b beanbag for £99.99 which would be great for older children or even adults.

Tikkers

One thing that my daughter has been asking for a lot this year is a watch.  She is nearly six now and has started to recognise the time, so feels that she really ‘needs’ a watch.  Thanks to Tikkers, she now has the perfect watch. Tikkers make children’s fashionable. colourful children’s watches that are similar to the trends in adult watches but still practical and fun.

The Tikkers Sparkling Cat Watch comes in pink, purple and white (RRP £17.99) and it is a really cute design, with a sturdy strap.

There are lots of fun designs available including Finn and Jake from Adventure Time, animals, sport and more.  Check out the Tikkers selection at Watchshop.

The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home

If you asked my five-year-old daughter what her favourite books is, she would think about it for a minute or two and say ‘The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name’.  In this magical book, you go on an adventure with a little girl on a quest to find her name, meeting a range of characters who kindly donate letters to her until she finds her name right at the end of the story.  The book is, of course, personalised with the name of your child and the first time you read it and the child discovers their name at the end, is a wonderful experience.  You can read our review here.

I was thrilled to discover that the clever people behind Lost My Name, have created a new personalised book; The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home.

In this new adventure, you can create a personalised book to treasure in a matter of minutes and your child will find themselves in a story where they are on a space adventure and they are trying to get home.  On the way through this space adventure, our friends meet some weird and wonderful creatures.

With colourful illustrations …

... and some very interesting characters….

…engaging rhyming text …

… and, of course, your child as the main character, this really is a beautiful book that any child would enjoy reading time and time again. You can even personalise it so that ‘home’ is exactly where your friends arrive at the end of the story, with an aerial view of your house and local area.

My daughter absolutely loves this book.  The first time we read it was a magical experience when she realised that the character in the book had the same name as her.

As part of the launch of The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home, the creators are sending one very special book into space, following on from a competition, the book will be sent up to the International Space Station.   The lucky child whose book it is, will sit, snug in bed watching a video of an astronaut in actual space reading their space adventure book to them, with the real Earth spinning slowly in the background.  How amazing is that?

Both  The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home and Lost My Name are magical books, perfect to give as a gift and something that will be treasured. Find out how to quickly create your book on the Lost My Name website.

The Art of Children’s Conversation

The Art of Children’s Conversation is one of seven editions of The Art of Conversation games, an award-winning game which aims to get people talking and connecting.

The Art of Children’s Conversation is a great idea to get families talking this Christmas and away from those addictive screens.   Professionally researched and developed, this game not only crosses the generation gap and ensures that children and adults enjoy engaging, it builds children’s confidence, communication and listening skills. With questions such as: “If you were the leader of your country, what would you make happen?” “What is a present you would like to buy or make for someone?” “What is a fun thing to do that doesn’t cost any money?”

Containing over 200 conversation topics which have all been carefully selected to stimulate conversation, this game can be played by anyone from the age of four up and any number of players.  It is a brilliant idea and we found that it sparked some really interesting conversations and the children were keen to think up their own questions too. This would be a great family game but also a brilliant resource for teachers or anyone working with children.

Find out more about The Art of Children’s Conversation and the other editions here.

Wentworth Wooden Puzzles

Wentworth Wooden Puzzles have a stunning range of high-quality wooden puzzles with beautiful illustrations to suit all ages. Whether you are looking for a puzzle for younger children or something more taxing to challenge an older one, there really is something for everyone and many of their puzzles include ‘whimsy’ pieces which are special pieces, cut out to a shape relevant to the puzzle picture.

The quality and design of the puzzles are really impressive and you can read my full review of their puzzles here.

It’s Your Story Personalised Snowman Book

If you are looking for a present that will really make a child’s face light up this Christmas? Children’s book publisher Itsyourstory has the answer with it Christmas book, ‘Name of Child’s Snowman’, which transports the child to the North Pole where he or she helps Father Christmas sort, wrap and deliver all the presents. By uploading your child’s image when you order the book, you make your child the star as they appear in the illustrations throughout the book. You can also add in details about them such as family member’s names, the name of a friend and their address, which all contribute to making this book completely personal to them.  You can also add a special message on the first page.

Buying one of the books is simple – just visit the website and upload a digital picture of the child you want to see in the story as part of the order process, add the extra details and in a matter of moments, your book is done.

Children will absolutely love these books and seeing themselves as part of the story, what a great way to engage children into reading.

HEXBUG Aquabot

There is something very therapeutic about the AquaBot range from HEXBUG.  With fish of different colours and now with the addition of the seahorse, jellyfish and remote control angel fish, you can create an aquarium of colour and movement.

The seahorse is available in five different colours and it swims gracefully through the water and you can customise how deep it swims.  Both the Seahorse and Jellyfish can be bought with or without a bowl and watching them is   an extremely sensory and therapeutic experience.

The HEXBUG AquaBot Seahorse is available for £9.99 or £14.99 in a bowl and they are available nationwide.  Find out more about the HEXBUG AquaBot on the website.

Gifts from Lloyds Pharmacy

Lloyds Pharmacy have a great range of good value stocking fillers this festive season featuring some much-loved characters such as Disney Frozen, Star Wars and Despicable Me.  My daughter would love the Frozen range and this 52 piece Art Case is a brilliant gift for only £4.99. With paint, pencils, pens, stickers and more, she will have hours of fun.

Find out more about the Lloyds Pharmacy Christmas gift range on their website.

Marili Skincare for Children

Named after the company’s founder, Marili Aitken, Marili have produced a range of natural, organic, child-friendly skincare products.  After her six-year-old son developed a rash after using a high street brand and frustrated by the lack of natural child-friendly products, Marili used her background in wellness to research and study organic and natural skincare.

The result is a wonderful collection of African-inspired products all with no nasties and some amazing scents.  We have been trying out the lip balms which come in four fabulous flavours: Chocolate, Chocolate & Caramel, Caramel and Strawberry. They smell wonderful and A and I have both enjoyed using them, they glide on easily and leave lips feeling soft and smooth.  

To find out more about the Marili skincare range, visit their website.

H&A Frozen and My Little Pony Bath and Beauty Treats

My little diva of a daughter absolutely adores beauty products, make-up and bath treats and the H&A Christmas range is perfect for her with products like the Disney Frozen Shimmer Shaker Bubble Bath, Disney Frozen Elsa Snow Queen Shimmering Bath Tints and My Little Pony Cutie Beauty Nail Set. Perfect for pampering and with lots of added  sparkly fun, these products are great value and would make great stocking fillers.

Visit the H&A website to see the entire Christmas range and where to buy.

BIC

Why not take the opportunity to stock up their pencil cases this Christmas?  BIC have a huge range of pens, pencils and felt tip pens to inspire your children to practise their writing with some fun ideas and colours.

The Cristal Fun (RRP £3.99) in pink, turquoise, lime green and purple, have colourful lids and ends that match the ink itself pens are quick and easy to find and are bound to add some creativity to writing.BIC® Conté® 12 pack: Colouring Felt Pens

For those with a bolder approach to colouring the BIC Conté 10 pack of colouring felt pens (RRP £5.99) are water based ink felt pens perfect for injecting vibrant colours into a piece of artwork. These clever pens don’t dry out for three months if the lids are left off which will be a very good idea in this house.

The BIC Cristal Stylus might be more suitable for older children or even adults, but this clever dual purpose pen has a medium black ballpoint on one end and a stylus, designed for using touch-screen technology, on the other.

Standeazy

Standeazy is one of those clever little things that you didn’t realise you needed until you have it.  It is a very simple, credit card sized stand for your phone or tablet.  I was amazed at how simple the phone stand is to use and it turns your phone hands free in a couple of seconds.  This would be a great gift for those older kids who love their screens.

Standeazy comes in three different colours and two materials. Designed and manufactured in the UK, you can choose from the polymer version which holds smartphones and e-readers such as the kindle, or the aluminium laminate version (Standeazy Ultra) which also holds tablets.

Standeazy is a clever little accessory for your smartphone or tablet and prices start at £2.99.  Check out their website for more information.

HARIBO

No Christmas list would be complete without something sweet and I know that HARIBO are always a favourite with my children (and me). There’s the HARIBO Starmix and Tangfastics Duo tub, HARIBO Share the Fun, Starmix and Tangfastics gift tubes, Starmix and Tangfastics giant tube and Minions gift tube which are  perfect for stocking filler ideas.

Many of the gift ideas featured were sent for the purpose of this post.  All opinions are my own