As Christmas is looming in the near future I have begun to think about Christmas presents for my family.  It is hard to buy more stuff every year.  When you have a lot of children, you tend to have a lot of toys.  There isn’t a whole lot of room to store the toys either.  My kids have so many toys they forget what they have.  Every year I pull them all out to dejunk and organize them.  It is one of their favorite days of the year because they rediscover everything and play all day.  Of course, they don’t like to say good-bye to broken toys or the chosen toys to go to charity.  But they quickly forget about what is missing when the toys all get put back away.   Then it’s time to add more toys to our ever growing collection each December.  I really love the idea of the gift of time instead of the gift of things.  We try to find gift ideas that give us memories to do together.  But, I’m a little old fashioned and still like to see their faces light up when they open a present.  I still like to have the magic of Santa Clause and receiving a gift from the jolly old man.  So, as in all things there is a balance, and I still need to come up with a few things to purchase them.  I have serious months of thinking time and creative brain power to figure out how to get my kids engaged with new purchases.  I don’t like to buy the latest electronic gadgets because my kids lose serious brain power if they spend too much time with them.  I don’t like to replace motorized toys for toys that help them move their bodies (like an electric scooter vs a plain old scooter).  I don’t like cheap plastic or tiny toys that my toddlers can choke on either.  I imagine this is a problem with moms everywhere.  But what are some good quality toys that last a long time and get used frequently?  I know every child is different in their tastes and abilities.  Since I have a lot of different personalities to choose from, I thought I would compile a list of our favorite toys so far.  These are not just fad toys that kids want because of commercials.  These are toys my kids all love and play with constantly.  Some of the items are more expensive and we usually gave them to all the kids as a group gift if that was the case.  Most of them give them lots of imaginative play hours and they play with each other because they fit  many ages.  It is a growing list, but these classic toys won’t steer you wrong.  Trust me.  I do receive a few cents if you use my link to purchase anything, but I’m not trying to make money.  I use affiliate links to simplify your life.  It would help me a lot if you could use these links just to keep my affiliate account active with Amazon.  I am not trying to sell you anything.

1. Magnet Tiles – My kids old and young enjoy building with these.  I like them even better than building blocks.  Their spatial reasoning skills are also greatly improving.

2. Plasma Car – There are knock off products on this brand that still work great.  However, I love the original plasma car.  If any parts break, you can contact the company with your product number and they will send replacement parts.  These are rated for up to 200 lbs and for ages 1-99.  My toddlers love them, my big kids love them, and I think they are quite fun as well.  If you get more than one for racing, it’s even more fun.

3. Child’s sofa bed – Our kids use these all the time to play school and house.  They also like to watch TV on them.  They come in really handy for sleepovers at Grandma’s or in hotel rooms for our toddlers.  Visiting toddlers like to use these to have a place to sleep next to their parents.

4. Fort kit – The amount of imaginative play my husband and kids use this for is endless.  They love it and all of their friends, young and old, like to build things with this.  Every kid and kid at heart likes a fort.

5. Karaoke Machine – My kids love to sing their favorite songs.  I used to think it was a pain to get the music for these machines, but now I have found that YouTube  has karaoke music for almost anything your kids want to sing.  If you just want to get a speaker and mic that works too.  But the karaoke machine is a nice bundled package.

6. Head Microphones – We got our oldest daughter her own head microphones last Christmas and it has been a favorite of everyone.  Everyone likes to pretend they are a rock star and you really feel like one with these.  They can hook up to the speaker I mentioned above.

7. Roller shoes – We tried traditional Heely shoes, which my kids loved, but they grew out of them too fast.  This option is the same idea but can grow with you which I love.  The kids just strap them onto their feet.  It’s fun.

8. SnoCone Maker – Hot summer days are more fun with snow cones.  Don’t forget to get some syrups and special cups and straws to make the experience even more fun.  It’s also a great way to jazz up that lemonade stand and make a little money.

9. Easy-Bake Oven – The Girl’s Scout Oven is very similar and just as good, so get whichever one you love.  I fought this one for a long time because I wasn’t excited about the tiny treats.  I even bought a little toaster oven to cook in instead, but my kids didn’t like how hot it got.  They all want to bake, all the time.  This makes that possible for them and they have had a lot of fun with it.

10. Rainbow Loom – This creative art helps kids start learning how to weave with a loom in a fun new way.  Even my older son likes to try to make animals and other things with this.  There are great tutorials on YouTube.

11. Melt Beads – My toddlers can’t get enough of creating with these.  The parts are little so they need to be kept out of reach of tiny kids, but they are so little they won’t choke on them either.  It is great for their fine motor skills too.

12. Globe or Atlas – My kids are very curious about our world and have questions all the time about where things are.  I love having a globe to reference.

13. Whittling Kit – Camping and trips to the cabin got so much more fun with these whittling knives.  I also got a little book as a guide but my son doesn’t really use it.  I think google is a resource he likes better.  They love to carve soap and sticks they find in the back yard.  It uses a lot of creative time and I love that.

14. Camping Gear – Sleeping bags, camping chairs – Part of playing house is playing at sleeping outdoors.  We also do take these things camping with us sometimes, but mostly they are used indoors as the kids set up different worlds that need seating and sleeping arrangements.

15. Puppet Theater with Puppets – My kids love to perform for us all the time.  Whether it is a show with the microphones or a story they have created with puppets, these toys have led to a lot of great story creating in my house.

16. Kitchen Set and dishes – I can’t say this toy benefits the older kids much, but every child under the age of 7 loves to play with this at our house.  It is perfect for playing house too!

17. Hopper Ball – This toy is perfect for getting out their wiggles in a safe way.  It also makes fun for racing if you have more than one, and can double as an exercise ball for you.

18. Doctor Kit – My kids love to pretend to fix me up.  Everyone needs this classic toy!

19. Hammock – This has been our absolute favorite camping toy and back yard toy.  The kids not only relax in it but swing in it too.  You will probably need more than one!

20. Trampoline – Every kid loves to jump on the bed and the couch.  It drives me crazy.  I love being able to say, “You don’t need to jump on the couch, we have a trampoline for that.”

21. Dress Ups – The absolute best dress ups that are affordable with a huge variety comes from the Little Adventures company.  I love everything I have gotten from them.  We own all the princess dresses and super hero costumes.  We also have a full nativity set for the kids to act out the nativity at Christmas time.  We love it.

https://littleadventures.com/

22. Gel Pens/Adult Coloring Books – If my kids ever complain about being bored, I tell them to get out the gel pens and coloring book.  It is an automatic stop to boredom.  We use it everywhere: camping, family reunions, quiet time at home, and with friends.  It is fun for all ages.

23. Remote Control Cars and Quadcopters – These classic toys are a must have around here.  My son loves his quadcopter and loves watching the recordings after the flight.  We haven’t tested it outdoors yet, but so far we have had fun with these.

24. Video Camera – Kids like to make movies.  They spend a lot of time reading stories, watching stories, and making up stories.  They don’t have phones to just record stuff on them.  This is a fun solution for them to finally get themselves on screen.

25. Knitting kit – My kids love making their own beanies and are perfecting their skills so they can make hats for others.  It makes a perfect gift and the time spent is good creative energy.  The loom is really easy to use and the finished product is impressive.

I hope this gave you some ideas for your Christmas coming up!  I would love comments on some of your favorite toys for my readers and I to add to our collections.