Here it is! The 2018 Gift Guide for Kids by A Little Bit of Momsense!

I can’t believe I have been sharing these since 2009! You can find all of my previous gift guides at this link – and they are worth browsing because many of those ideas are still ones I recommend!

So what’s up with this gift guide?

Simple. This is a list of ideas that I’m sharing, from one parent to another, for those of your who need an idea for someone in your family, a friend’s child, a niece or nephew that is hard to buy for and so on.

There is no way to get on the gift guide unless I think the item is super neat/would be fun/I want to give to someone myself. That means it’s unsponsored. Some items are from my partners or have been given to me, but if they are here it’s because I think they deserve to be.

As always, the gift guide has grown with my own kids so I’m shopping for a 9 and 12 year old this year BUT I have nieces and nephews and kids in my life who are between the ages of 2 years old and 20 years old, so I get it. All ideas are needed.

As I mentioned, you can browse my previous gift guides too because there are some pretty stellar recommendations on there (in fact, I’m going to do a round up of the top 10 gifts that really had staying power in this house!)

Please enjoy the guide, and as always, if you need some extra help, I am happy to be a little elf helper and provide you with even more suggestions – just drop me a comment, a message on social media or an email!

2018 Gift Guide for Kids

Unicorn head band game

Someone in our extended family is getting this for Christmas, and the joke is that we are waiting to see how long before the adults get involved. Not only is this a game smaller kiddos can play, but it’s one the entire family can try. We anticipate a lot of laughs!

Where to buy it: Chapters, Tag Along Toys (in Ottawa)

Milk and Sass

Both my kids are pre-teens, and I’m often asked about this age group. One thing I really like that I think is the perfect stocking stuffer for pre-teens and teens is the Milk and Sass hairbrush and compact mirror. Handy to keep in their lockers or bookbags for before-pictures at school, or when the older kids want to skip over hat hair in the morning. I love the look and colours of the design. It detangles and is great for travel.

Where to buy: https://www.milkandsass.com/shop/

World Changing Kids

I love the local work that World Changing Kids is doing, but now anyone across the country can encourage family members to get involved in their own neighbourhoods with this guide to kindness. There is a years worth of kind activities for your family to do.

Where to buy: World Changing Kids, Tag Along Toys

‘Who Was’ Books

There are always books that I can recommend for kids, and like previous years when the Weird, but True books were a huge hit, the Who Was series is a massive go-to for my eldest who loves non-fiction reads. These kid-friendly historic explanations and biographies are really interesting.

Where to buy them: Chapters

Exploding Kittens

This was one of our family board games from Christmas last year and it has proven to be a huge hit. We travel with it too so that we can play at the cottage in PEI. Again, it’s another game that’s perfect for the kids but is a lot of fun for parents too.

Where to buy it: Chapters, Mrs. Tiggy Winkles

Kids Made Modern Craft Set

My daughter received this craft set for her birthday a couple of years ago and it’s amazing. There seem to be two different styles available, but the basic principle is the same: It includes a variety of pipe cleaners, felt, sewing needles, beads, glue and more. This is THE box she uses when she wants to create and craft and we love it.

Where to buy it: Well.ca, Chapters

Tattly

Again, this feels like one of those things for when the kids get older and want to express themselves but that parents can get behind. These are perfect stocking stuffers too! Artistically designed, these temporary tattoos are gorgeous and they are made of vegetable ink and last about 2-4 days.

Where to buy them: terra20.com 

Bake Shop

This was another birthday present that proved to be so much fun. If you have a child who is obsessed with things that are ‘cute’ this may be just for them. It is great for kiddos that are a bit older (6+, although your 9 year olds will be able to do them independently) and the kids make sweet baked items out of soft clay (that eventually dries).

Where to buy it: Scholastic, Chapters, many places where Klutz products are sold

Slime kit

Sorry parents, don’t tell me how much you hate slime. We all hate slime, it’s not our thing. But I do love how these slime kits come with everything the kids need to make their own slime – bowls, measuring spoons, etc, without having to worry about going through our cupboards. The clean up is pretty easy and I like this better than trying to search for my old contact lense solution.

Where to buy: Most places where slime is sold (Chapters, Toys R Us etc)

Antsy Pants Play Sets

I almost added this to my gift guide last year, but then found out that they weren’t available in Canada yet. However, they are now available at Chapters! Yay! This is such a fun looking set (and I was lucky enough that they sent me one – I will have very happy nieces this Christmas!). There are connectors that make stands and play sets, then additional covers to customize the scene (like a lemonade stand or farmers’ market).

This is one of those things that I know would have been under my tree if my kids were younger. You buy the pole starter set, then you can buy covers to enter into a make believe world!

Where to buy them: Chapters

Cuddly Sloth

If you are buying a gift for a new little one in your life, Santa can give this adorable stuffed sloth and it will be cherished for years to come. Just looking at it makes me smile and I know we still have some of our little stuffies from when the kids were babies.

Where to buy: Chapters

Tornado Tower

You’ll notice my list doesn’t include a lot of plastic toys, but the reality is that every year we end up gifting some because there are some really neat ones (or just trendy ones that the kids want, let’s be honest). But when I saw this STEM focused Little Tikes Tornado Tower a few months ago, I knew I wanted to share it on my list. I love anything that encourages STEM, but starting them young is great too!

Where to buy: Most places Little Tikes is sold like Chapters or Toys R Us.

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